Denny Rehberg for Senate

As he continues to take more of their money than any other candidate in the country, a new report released today by the anti-job League of Conservation Voters (LCV) shows that liberal Senator Jon Tester is also among their most reliable allies in Washington.

The LCV — a radical environmentalist group currently leading efforts to obstruct the popular Keystone XL pipeline — today released a report which reveals that, as he bankrolls his re-election campaign with their money, Senator Tester has become an even closer ally of environmental interests in Washington, scoring 91 percent loyalty to their anti-job agenda so far in the 112th Congress, up from 83 percent in the 111th Congress.

"Senator Tester has taken more money from these environmental obstructionists than anyone else, so it's no surprise that he's supporting their anti-job agenda in Washington more than ever," said Rehberg spokesman Chris Bond.  "Despite claiming to support the Keystone XL pipeline, Tester is walking in lockstep with the same anti-job obstructionists standing in its way, but sadly this is the type of hypocrisy folks in Montana have come to expect from Senator Jon Tester."

Tester's ties to controversial anti-job environmental obstructionists have come under increasing scrutiny recently, as Politico reported that the LCV — which is leading the opposition to the job-creating Keystone XL pipeline — has funneled more money to Tester's re-election campaign than to any other candidate in the country.   And CBS Montana reported last week that, "one of [Tester's] biggest donors is the League of Conservation (LCV) voters, with donations totalling more than $250,000."

It was also revealed recently that — in addition to being the number-one recipient of lobbyist campaign cash of any Washington politician during the 2012 election cycle — Tester has taken more campaign cash from radical environmentalists than any other member of the Senate this election cycle.

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Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that it will re-evaluate part of a controversial proposal to restrict youth work on farms and ranches.

The department will do so partly because of public comments received after the proposal was initially released in September 2011.

Montana's U.S. legislators each wrote in opposition of the measure, which called for adding a variety of new restrictions to child labor in the agricultural sector, such as banning those age 16 and under from operating most power-driven equipment.

The department will now re-evaluate a section of its proposal regarding parental exemption, which "allows children of any age who are employed by their parent, or a person standing in the place of a parent, to perform any job on a farm owned or operated by their parent or such person standing in the place of a parent," according to the agency.

HELENA — The Montana Air National Guard will get new airplanes and a new mission to replace the F-15s being taken away from the Great Falls base, according to U.S. Sens. Jon Tester and Max Baucus.

The Obama administration has promised to include a new mission based around the C-130 transport planes as part of the president's new budget plan, the senators said Friday.

The Democrats said the C-130s bring a highly valued mission that will make sure the Great Falls air base and its airmen are kept in action.

U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, a Republican, countered that Montana should be able to keep its F-15s in addition to receiving the new mission based around the C-130.

WASHINGTON D.C. - Congress is again being asked to allow the controversial Keystone Pipeline to move forward.

Montana Congressman Denny Rehberg made that request today in a letter sent to conference committee members, who are now working on a final bill to extend the Payroll Tax Cut for the rest of this year.

In his letter Rehberg says, "now is not the time to sit on the fence and hope this pipeline will build itself."

Last month, President Obama denied the permit for the pipeline, saying more time was needed to complete environmental reviews.

Rehberg's proposed language would allow for construction to begin on the Pipeline after more than three years of review.

If Congress goes along, states like Montana which have already approved the pipeline, could move forward with construction. 

A mountaintop Jesus statue can stay at a ski resort in the western U.S. state of Montana — for now.

The religious statue, which has been on federal land since 1955, was allowed to remain in place for at least 10 more years after the U.S. Forest Service reversed its eviction order Tuesday. The initial decision came amid heated debate over the separation of church and state as required by the U.S. Constitution.

The agency had faced a firestorm of criticism from religious groups, the state's congressman and residents after it decided last year to boot the Jesus statue from its hillside perch in the trees above Whitefish.

After the agency's about-face, opponents promised a lawsuit within the week. They argue the statue's free placement on federal land is unconstitutional.

The statue has been a curiosity at the famed Big Mountain ski hill for decades, mystifying skiers with its appearance in the middle of the woods as they cruise down a popular run.

The Forest Service said in its original decision that case law was stacked against such a statue. They previously argued rules prevented the federal government from favoring or promoting religion.

But Forest Service supervisor Chip Weber said the revised decision took into account that the statue is eligible for placement on National Register of Historic Places, and that no substantive concerns related to environmental conditions were found in about 95,000 comments received by the agency.

Republican Congressman Denny Rehberg announced on Jan. 27 that his legislation to protect the Jesus statue at Whitefish Mountain Resort will be given a legislative hearing in the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forest and Public Lands.

The hearing is scheduled for 7 a.m. Mountain Standard Time on Feb. 3. Rehberg, according to a press release, will testify on the first panel. Charlie Harball, Kalispell city attorney and acting city manager, will testify on behalf of the Knights of Columbus on the second panel.

The fate of the Jesus statue, a veterans memorial located on a small parcel of U.S. Forest Service land within Whitefish Mountain Resort boundaries, became a national storyline and hot-button topic of discussion in local circles last fall after the Forest Service initially announced it planned to withdraw the statue's permit. The agency declared the statue an inappropriate use of public land.

The Forest Service withdrew its decision to deny the permit, though the statue's future remained uncertain. Rehberg proposed a land swap to ensure the statue would stay where it has been since the 1950s. The legislative hearing is an important step in order for Rehberg's proposal to come to fruition.