16 grassroots sportsmen organizations are asking Congressman Rehberg to rethink his recent vote to cut the Land and Water Conservation Fund by 80%. What sort of lands are we talking about? From the groups' press releases:In Montana over the past 45 years, LWCF has provided approximately $408 million to help protect clean water, wildlife habitat, and working landscapes, and provide access for hunting and fishing. Thanks to LWCF investments, Montanans can enjoy the Flathead and Gallatin National Forests, Red Rocks and Charles Russell National Wildlife Refuges, Bighorn Canyon, Meeteetse Spires, Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Swan Valley, the Rocky Mountain Front, as well as close-to-home recreational opportunities across the state. Mark this as yet another in a long recent line of strange attempts by Montana's lone Congressman to play every side of conservation issues.
For example, after introducing legislation that would have just said that the ESA doesn't apply to gray wolves (a much further-reaching solution than the Tester rider, which simply held that a previous Dept of Interior solution fit within Congress's intent, contrary to a court ruling), Rehberg had the temerity to criticize Tester's much more restrained solution for not allowing access to courts (pretty reasonable given that the Tester bill clarified legislative intent, not calling any Constitutional principles into question).
Of course, for Rehberg, of all people, to be complaining about lack of access to courts is unbelievable. The jester of a Congressman has made big news for suing the city of Billings for not making his dead grass priority #1 during the 4th of July but also has introduced bills to restrict normal citizens' access to the courts over legitimate claims.
Consider this my standard, irregular rant for Left in the West and your latest reminder that Congressman Rehberg is a lousy public servant. Smart money says that tomorrow he'll be taking credit for hunting access he's denying today. |
