As The Western Word blog was first to note back here in Montana, Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) was spotted in Nevada recently. He was there campaigning for embattled Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).
Here's how the Elko Daily Free Press summed up Tester's visit:
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., said Friday Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., is strong on Western values, and the options “if Harry doesn’t come back scare me.”
“Tester has been in office four years, and he said Reid is an effective majority leader.”
Meanwhile, the Western Word makes another interesting observation regarding the Senator who has touted full transparency of posting meetings on his website:
Tester’s schedule that day listed “No Public Events” and I guess that must mean “public events” in Montana.
And, for those who haven't heard, Sen. Tester is now planning on holding an actual listening session in Scobey regarding the Port of Whitetail, which has drawn national scrutiny over the cost of the project. Here's the details, courtesy Sen. Tester's office:
Tester’s forum is scheduled to begin Tuesday at 3:15 p.m. in the Nemont Friendship Room of the Daniels County Museum.
Tester will be joined by Michele James, Director of Field Operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
As noted below, in a prior post, Senator Tester has come under fire for dodging Northeastern Montana and for taking credit for the multimillion dollar border post. The project came under intense scrutiny from Congressman Denny Rehberg (R-MT), eventually forcing Tester to request a halt on the construction of the new Port at Whitetail.
Glad to see he is holding a meeting in Scobey. But, don't expect everyone to do backflips. Holding a meeting with locals is part of the job for all of our elected officials. The question now is, what will they do with what they hear? I'm just glad that all three members of the Congressional delegation are now holding public listening sessions. Now we can get on with discussing the issues.
Speaking of discussing issues. Let me go off on another tangent here. While Tester was campaigning for Harry Reid he specifically criticized efforts to supposedly privatize the Veterans Administration. Instead, he cited his work to increase the mileage reimbursement for veterans who have to travel across the state to get care at a VA facility.
Seems to me the Senator is way off base on this issue. Let me just add, as a veteran myself, I would much rather get medical care from a hospital in my own town, than get reimbursed for driving across the state to visit a VA facility. Take for example, dental care: lets assume you live in Billings, Montana. If the VA is short on dentists, instead of driving 3 to 3 1/2 hours to the VA in Helena, you can get a voucher to simply go to your own personal dentist in Billings. Imagine if we would focus on doing that in a number of other areas in veterans care. Instead of spending a bunch of money maintaining a bunch of VA facilities, we use that cash to build specialized centers for Traumatic Brain Injury, or specialized centers for prosthetic limbs so the older veterans can get the new technology afforded to those wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. Just a thought.
PRIOR POST
With Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano travelling to Montana to discuss Northern border security, the state senator who represents 5 high profile northern border projects says the officials must be dodging Northeast Montana.
State Senator John Brenden (R-Scobey) lashed out at Napolitano and Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Jon Tester (D-MT) for failing to schedule a visit to the ports in Northeastern Montana. In a Tuesday afternoon inerview, Brenden said, "They're going to the Western and Central part of Montana where these ports aren't even at, because they know darn well if they went to Northeastern Montana to those impacted ports that are being built, especially with the Whitetail situation, they'd be laughed out of the country."
Click here to listen:
Click to Listen
Secretary Napolitano and both of Montana's US Senators have visits planned Wednesday in Shelby and Sunburst followed by a townhall meeting in Havre. Brenden, in his criticism, is referring to a multi-million dollar construction project that was recently halted at the Port of Whitetail, Montana following scrutiny over the cost and the disclosure that Canada plans to close the port on the other side of the border.
Brenden says locals have been concerned about the cost of the project and the fact that Montana companies were not given contracts to build the new facilities.
Click here for the entire raw interview with Brenden:
Click to Listen
Meanwhile, if you read my previous post below- you might find the same irony I do in Brenden's criticism. I pointed out how Senator Tester's press release stated that the Senator felt it was good that construction was halted on Whitetail, and added that they wanted to take time and hear the concerns of the people in Phillips County. Of course, Whitetail is in Daniels County, so I stated- mostly out of sarcasm- that maybe Senator Tester really does want to hear from the folks in Phillips County. Especially considering the fact that the last time Tester showed up in Daniels County- he held an invite only meeting in which his staff requested the presence of law enforcement. Given the lack of meetings taking place near any of the high profile border ports in Brenden's district, that original post doesn't seem so sarcastic anymore now does it?
PREVIOUS POST FROM 8/10/10
Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) isn't the only one having second thoughts on a multi-million dollar construction project on the Montana-Canada border. Here's what the Helena Independent Record's editorial board staff had to say over the weekend:
A year ago in this space, the newspaper’s editorial board backed the use of millions in federal stimulus money for upgrades at five Montana border stations, including Whitetail. Given the recent developments, we have changed our mind.
Closing the Whitetail station and channeling the money that would have been spent there to other border security projects, especially those that will actually improve security, rather than just provide updated plumbing, wiring and paint, makes much more sense.
POSTED Friday, August 6th
This just in:
Senator Jon Tester's (D-MT) office says Homeland Security has decided to halt construction at the Port of Whitetail, Montana. This after mounting criticism of the project, especially following the news that Canada plans to close their Port of Entry across the border from Whitetail.
Tester, in a prepared statement, says he spoke with Customs Commissioner Alan Bersin about the closure.
“Commissioner Bersin and I had a good talk,” Tester said. “We discussed the need to take a timeout to get public input given Canada’s decision. This allows us to figure out what’s next in a way that’s right for trade in northeast Montana and for our security needs, in a way that’s careful about spending taxpayer dollars. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with folks in Phillips County, Commissioner Bersin and the Canadian government to make sure this gets done right.”
Phillips County? That is straight from their press release. The Port of Whitetail is in Daniels County. I'm assuming it's a typo. Then again, last time the Senator met with constituents in Daniels County, it was an invite-only meeting, and the Senator's staff requested the presence of law enforcement. Maybe the meetings will be planned in Phillips County.
Congressman Denny Rehberg's (R-MT) office, meanwhile, sent out this statement Friday:
"I didn't vote for the "so-called" stimulus, and this project should have never gotten off the ground in the first place. There were no public meetings, and there has been no oversight. This Administration and this Congress have racked up record deficits in a record amount of time. It's almost as if they have blinders on when it comes to spending other people's money. I asked for the review earlier this week, I welcome it, and I'm going to continue to scrutinize every aspect of this project because taxpayers deserve nothing less."
PRIOR POST
UPDATED:
Here is audio of Congressman Rehberg released Monday afternoon, pledging to fight wasteful spending at Whitetail.
Click to Listen
Click to Listen
Fresh off of townhall meetings in Northeastern Montana, and news that Canada is closing its port on the opposite side of the border, Congressman Denny Rehberg (R-MT) slammed the Whitetail border port construction project as "wasteful stimulus spending."
Rehberg hosted townhall meeting "listening sessions" in Daniels and Sheridan Counties. In a prepared statement released Monday, Rehberg had this to say:
"You might expect the folks actually living near the Whitetail Port to be the port modernization’s biggest cheerleaders, but after personally talking with many of them, that's just not the case. As taxpayers, they're on the hook to pay for these wasteful projects, and they're not happy about it.
As for how Canada's decision to close the Big Beaver Port of Entry will impact operations on the border at Whitetail, Rehberg added this:
With the news that the Canadian government was closing its side of the border, the Whitetail Port will now only allow cars to enter the United States from Canada. U.S. travelers will be unable to enter Canada at that crossing. However, the Scobey Port of Entry remains open, just 12 miles away.
PRIOR POST
Here is a statement released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection HQS:
CBP is currently in the process of modernizing the Whitetail port of entry to address critical post-9/11 infrastructure needs and we do not have any plans to close the Whitetail port of entry at this time. We are working closely with the Canada Border Services Agency to ensure that any actions taken meet the continued security interests of both countries.
PRIOR POST
Just got a note from Emilie Boyles at KXGN in Glendive, telling me about this story breaking on Montana's Northern border.
The Leader confirmed that the Canadian government is planning to close the Big Beaver, Saskatchewan Port of Entry. Big Beaver is the counterpart to Whitetail, Montana's port of Entry.
According to Burl Bowler with The Daniels County Leader:
This creates quite a pickle for the U.S. On the American side of the border, within a few hundred feet of Big Beaver POE, the port of Whitetail is getting a controversial, extensive, several million dollar make-over. Contracts were awarded this spring for the new American facility. Work is underway and it appears the American officials are, or were oblivious to the new development until our contact. Or, maybe, they just are not commenting.
We suspect comments from the US side of border will be forthcoming, now that the closure has been confirmed.
Public Service Commission candidate, and blogger at the Electric City Weblog, Travis Kavulla wrote this piece for National Review a while back. You may also recall the Whitetail border post controversy from last summer, as CNN crews highlighted the remote location and the proposed multi-million dollar new facility. Here's that piece: