He heard the people during town hall meetings in Lincoln County, and he stood up for us. Sen. Jon Testers’ wilderness rider was a bad deal, and it still is. Denny Rehberg was right to stop it, but here it comes again along with misleading attack ads against Rehberg.

Accepting a few temporary logging jobs that could be blocked by environmental appeal in exchange for vast wilderness acreage is a bum deal. A limited, temporary timber supply in constant jeopardy of shut down by environmental appeal won‘t provide the economy to pay for schools and roads. Our timber industry was destroyed by that, and now forests are managed by bug infestation and fire.

How can Tester claim he collaborated with all of Lincoln County? In the primary election June 6, 2000, Lincoln County residents officially voted 82 percent against more roadless areas. In 2009, Rita Windom, former Lincoln County commissioner, complained that “Tester’s bill limits input to only a few people.”

On July 23, 2009, the Tobacco Valley News at Eureka editorialized that, “What is being heralded as collaboration is in fact exclusion, the result of a most undemocratic process,” and criticized the senator “for engaging in secret meetings that excluded most Montanans.” Jim Hurst, president of Owens and Hurst Lumber at Eureka, which closed for lack of timber supply, strongly opposes the rider and the process.

On the other hand, Congressman Denny Rehberg called a public town meeting which filled the bleachers at Libby’s High School gymnasium in 2010, and a long line of residents expressed opinions against Tester’s proposal, with only a few supporting it. Again in August 2012, Denny Rehberg held a public meeting at Libby’s city hall, and again he heard opinions against it.

Tester’s ongoing proposal may be well intended, but a nebulous 10-year logging promise in exchange for vast tracts of permanent wilderness is a fool’s trade. Would Jon Tester give away large pieces of his wheat farm in exchange for the possibility of a 10-year fertilizer supply?

Make a trade like this one time and wilderness trades will become the federal land management tool forever. Tester’s environmental friends know this. Tester won’t even consider modifications to the rider. Is that collaboration?

Rehberg understands wilderness should be determined according to established laws, not by slight-of-hand trades. Denny Rehberg listens to the people.

Mike Cuffe represents Montana House District 2. Cuffe, a Republican, was part owner of Lone Pine Timber Industries at Eureka and held various plywood and lumber management positions at Libby. He took an active part in natural resource issues during the 62nd Legislature and will be unopposed on the ballot.