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National Monuments Panel, Lewistown Mt.

Faster horses

Well-known member
National Monuments Panel
Lewistown, MT

From Denny Rehberg



If you weren't among the 200+ Montanans who joined us this August in Lewistown to talk about the secret plans to designate millions of acres across the West as National Monuments, you can watch the entire panel online. We heard from local ranchers and landowners, government officials and folks who have been through all this before, and we learned some important things.



Words vs. Actions

Before the Clinton Administration created the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument with the stroke of a pen, Montanans were promised an open and transparent process. Unfortunately, those promises proved empty, and the the Monument went forward without any local input.

The only way to ensure history doesn't repeat itself is through legislation. I've introduced legislation that would require congressional approval of any new monument designations in Montana. I've also sponsored legislation that would make the public process a statutory requirement.

Public Input vs. Local Input

When a Washington bureaucrat promises to seek public input, they don't always mean local input. By holding public meetings in the right places (often hundreds or even thousands of miles from the local communities that will be impacted), a shrewd agency can manufacture the support they want.

When it comes to a numbers game, Montana will always be outvoted by the hordes of San Francisco, New York and Chicago. That's why public input must also be local input.

Hearing vs. Listening

Finally, don't be fooled into thinking that the input they get at these public meetings is binding. Even in the face of strong public opposition, there is nothing that would prevent the President from ignoring public input and acting on his own. In fact, that's exactly what the leaked document suggests be done if the normal legislative process fails to yield the desired result.

This is why a legislative fix is so important. Montanans are completely at the mercy of unelected federal bureaucrats, who too often get their marching orders from powerful out-of-state interest groups. Until the Antiquities Act is amended, we will always be at risk.





H.R. 4754 to Exempt Montana from Antiquities Act
(Release - Read Bill)

H.R. 5580 to Modernize Antiquities Act
(Release - Read Bill)

H.Res. 1254 to See Missing Documents
(Release - Read Bill)

Rehberg Actions

Letter Asking for Missing Documents

Letting Asking Salazar to Join Him for Public Meetings

Enlisting Montanans Help Searching Documents

Statement About Necessity of Public Input

Statement About Continued Refusal to Release Documents

Your Turn

Contact the Department of Interior by emailing [email protected]

Ask them why they haven't released more than 2,000 pages of supporting documents. Ask them what they are hiding.










Contact Denny
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2448 Rayburn House Office Bld.
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phone: (202) 225-3211
fax: (202) 225-5687 Billings District Office
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Billings, MT 59102
phone: (406) 256-1019
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