Fairfield Sun Times - Rep. Daines Meets With Residents; Talks With Sun Times About Energy Development

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By Darryl L. Flowers

On Friday, Montana's Congressman Steve Daines stopped by the Cozy Corner for coffee and a visit with area constituents.

For Fairfield residents, one of the main topics they wanted to express their concerns about was the "let it burn" policy being carried out by the Forest Service, a policy that has shrouded the area in a grey haze.

Teton County Commissioner Ron Ostberg told the Sun Times that he came prepared with maps that show the cumulative damage resulting from the policy. "I have maps that show how this careless approach to fires on the Eastern Slope is killing our forests," said Ostberg. Ostberg said a growing concern is the long term effect on Gibson Reservoir and the Greenfields Irrigation District, an issue first raised publicly with a recent editorial that appeared in the Sun Times.

"We've seen a decrease of the reservoir capacity at Gibson of ten thousand acre-feet," Ostberg explained. "While some of that occurs naturally, we need to find out if the Forest Service's "scorched earth' policy is hastening the problem."

Later in the day Daines visited with about thirty Lincoln area residents. According to an article in this week's issue of the Blackfoot Valley Dispatch, Daines continued with the same sentiments he had expressed in Fairfield, "We have lost the timber industry in this state because we can't log federal lands. When you can't log on federal lands, it cuts the jobs, it cuts the revenue that goes to communities to fund our schools. There's not a tax base here, you're surrounded by federal lands."

One such effort Daines supports, the Restoring Healthy Forest, Healthy Communities Act, is designed to improve the economic stability of containing national forest system lands. The Act has already passed the House Natural Resources Committee he serves on.

The Lincoln newspaper also reports that Daines gets high marks for his bipartisan approach. Lincoln's Paul Roos, a long-time conservationist and fishing guide who served two terms on the Governor's Advisory Council for Private Lands and Public Wildlife under both Judy Martz and Brian Schweitzer, spoke to Daines during his visit and expressed his appreciation for Daines' willingness to reach out. Roos said later that he's been watching Daines since the election.

"He impresses me as one who really wants to go to work, roll up his sleeves and try and get something done in Washington DC, which is not a common attitude nowadays."

Daines credits a 28-year career in the business world for giving him perspective.

"When you are involved in business, you are focused on solving problems. You don't focus on politics."

He said his focus is on identifying the problems faced by Montana and the nation and in finding solutions. He thinks that is ultimately what Montanans are looking for.

"I've found extreme partisanship is not effective in Washington, it drives people apart, it polarizes our country. Instead, we need to have more men and women who bring statesmanship to the institution of Congress. I'm doing my best to that end. And I think Montanans expect that. In this last election Montanans voted for some Democrats and some Republicans. I think they're looking for people who are going to be focused on solving problems versus old, tired partisan politics."

Roos said Daines appears to actually want to listen to what people are saying and hopes that proves to be the case in the long run.

Earlier in the day Representative Daines sat down with the Sun Times for an interview.

Are you ready to announce for the Senate?

First and foremost, we are staying focused on the job I was elected to do in the House for the people of Montana. We have a long "to do' list of problems to be solved in Washington, so that's where our primary focus is.

Having said that, we are giving the race thoughtful consideration. It was an unexpected set of circumstances, Senator Baucus' retirement and [former] Governor Schweitzer deciding not to run, along with several others. It seems like they can't find anyone to run for the United States Senate from Montana right now.

What is the timeline for your decision?

We have to meet an official filing deadline in March, for the June primary. Montanans are still getting over the last Senate election, which was far too expensive and went on for far too long. Television, radio and newspapers were bombarded with advertisements, so I hope the next Senate race is not going to be a lengthy one like that was. But also I think there are a lot of people who are thinking about the race so we need to declare what our plans are going to be, sooner rather than later.

Lets move to issues related to mineral leases on federal lands. You came out in support of the North Fork Act. There are current mineral leaseholders in that area. Do they have a right to pursue their leases?

They do.

The North Fork Act, first of all, is not a wilderness bill, which can be confusing. It is not designating any lands to be federally protected wilderness. In fact, we have put provisions in the act to insure that multiple use still occurs. Citizens for Balanced Use (a Bozeman based organization) actually helped us craft part of the legislation and they are supporting it to insure we have Multiple Use on this important piece of land. It's the land to the west of Glacier National Park, the western border. It is also part of the Whitefish watershed.

Multiple use is permitted. Timber harvest as well as timber management is permitted. It's important to me because we are not managing our National Forests in this state very well, which results in tax loss and job loss in the communities that are surrounded by federal lands. There's no source of economic activity there because you can't harvest timber. And there's the wildfire risk. Existing leases will be honored, but future leases would not be put in place.

We have the Solonex, or Sidney Longwell mineral lease on the "ceded strip" in Glacier County. Mountain States Legal Foundation recently filed a suit on behalf of Mr. Longwell, who has been held up for almost 30 years from drilling on his lease despite having an approved drilling permit which is significant and sets his lease apart from many others. Both the Forest Service and the environmental organizations keep fighting against Mr. Longwell. What can be done to make sure the rights of the leaseholder, who has met his obligations to the government, are protected?

I think, and this is what is important to me on the North Fork, we need to insure that we are honoring and respecting the existing leaseholders. The North Fork Act does that.

Principally, I am a big advocate of private property rights and leaseholder rights. We are a nation of laws. Laws of the individual. So these leases need to be honored, and the time it has taken is an example of the reform that needs to be done with some of these processes, like NEPA (National Environmental Protection Act). What I think this tells us is that this is an example where we need to streamline some of these processes so that private individuals who have valid leases with the federal government get decisions in a more timely manner. Regulators need to say either "we are going to move forward' or "we're not going to move forward.' I think that is an important right for the citizens of this country.

We noticed in the latest round of BLM (Bureau of Land Management) leases it appeared there were no nominations in Montana. It seems the oil companies are not considering leases in this state. Another effect of the attack on mineral leasing is that we have gotten away from the majors -- Exxon, ARCO, Shell, Phillips, Startech… the companies that have the resources to come in and develop these plays in the early stages. Now we have "startup" firms that struggle to raise investors and capital and can't really develop these plays from exploration through production.

This is a challenge we face in Montana; where so much of our state is federally controlled lands. What I am hearing as I travel around the state is that Montanans want to have a balance in those areas.

First of all, we live here because we love the state and we enjoy the fact that, after work, or on weekends, we have access to some of the prettiest country in the world, and we want to have access for recreating purposes… it's that quality of life that keeps us here.

But, at the same time, if you don't have a job, you cannot enjoy that quality of life. Quality of life begins with a job; being able to support your family. Many, many parents and grandparents… I hear this almost on a daily basis… are asking "how can we keep finding jobs my kids and my grandkids will have in Montana instead of having to fly to California, or Colorado, or somewhere else just to see my grandkids?' and that is why I think the pendulum has swung too far in the direction of bureaucratic processes that are changing the risk/reward equation for individuals who are thinking about developing natural resources in the state. If they can't do it here, they will do it elsewhere and the loss for Montana will be jobs and tax revenue to fund schools in our communities.

And then there is the national security issue; that we have the chance to become energy independent in this country and remove our dependence on the Middle East. I would rather see more "Made in America, Made in Montana' oil, natural gas and coal instead of from the Middle East or Pacific Rim.

That is a point of frustration for many, that Montana along with North Dakota and other western states have the opportunity to drive the economy of the nation. Why we are squandering what that offers for the citizens of Montana and their children is beyond comprehension.

That is part of the frustration regarding the centralization of power in Washington, DC. Those of us in Montana feel like the bureaucrats, thousands of miles away, are controlling our destiny. It's a frustration for citizens of states like Montana, like Alaska, that are miles and miles away from D.C.; they have to wake up every morning and fight for their economy and jobs and yet there are bureaucrats back there on the federal payroll that continue to slow roll and delay and drag on these processes. That's why I am working on the Natural Resources Committee, on some streamlining efforts. For example, NEPA is part of that, combined with litigation the fringe groups that litigate and stop these projects or slow them down. These groups are funded by out of state interests, but the people who ultimately suffer are those closest to the land here that need the jobs.

Is part of the process reforming the Equal Access to Justice Act that forces the taxpayer to foot the legal bill for these fringe groups, even when they lose in the courts?

The Equal Access to Justice Act is one more part of that equation here that creates incentives for groups to file lawsuits without having skin in the game while the government pays for their legal fees. That's not acceptable and needs to be reformed.

After the interview with Congressman Daines, the Sun Times contacted mineral leaseholder Sidney Longwell and asked for his comment on the statements made by Congressman Daines. "After almost three decades of injustice at the hands of federal bureaucrats and those who have put political ideology ahead of what is right for the citizens of Montana and this nation, it is encouraging to hear the comments of Congressman Daines, especially in light of his words regarding the doctrine of "Multiple Use'." Longwell added, "We are also pleased with the recent action of Mountain States Legal Foundation and their team of attorneys. Mountain States' recent filing of our complaint in the District Court in Washington, DC shows that there is a limit to the abuse Americans are willing to suffer at the hands of bureaucrats and well funded fringe groups."

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