Natural Resources Committee News

Witnesses Stress Importance of Hydropower Development for Job Creation & Economic Growth

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:00:00 GMT

Today, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power held a legislative hearing on H.R. 1963, The Bureau of Reclamation Conduit Hydropower Development Equity and Jobs Act. Sponsored by Rep. Steve Daines (MT-At Large), this bill would create new American jobs and expand production of clean, renewable hydropower by removing outdated federal statutory barriers and streamlining administrative and regulatory processes.

This legislation authorizes hydropower development at existing, man-made water canals and pipes at 12 Bureau of Reclamation projects. (Click here to view a map of these projects) This would help generate clean hydropower at no cost to taxpayers and increase revenue to the U.S. Treasury from lease payments that a hydropower developer would pay to the Bureau of Reclamation. This legislation is similar to H.R. 678, sponsored by Rep. Scott Tipton (CO-03), that passed the House this year with overwhelming bipartisan support.

“H.R. 1963, sponsored by Congressman Daines of Montana, facilitates non-federal hydropower development on federal conduits through administrative and regulatory reforms. It also removes unique federal statutory barriers at certain projects that have been in place for almost 75 years to empower the private sector to produce clean, renewable hydropower while generating federal revenues and helping to create jobs in rural America,”said Subcommittee Chairman Tom McClintock (CA-04).

“This common sense legislation will immediately put people back to work in rural communities developing clean, renewable hydropower at no cost to taxpayers, while helping lower energy costs for Americans. Irrigation districts in states like Montana provide valuable sources of water for pastures and farm land, but also hold tremendous potential for serving our country’s energy needs. It’s time for these outdated and senseless federal barriers to be removed so that this renewable energy source can be developed,” said Congressman Steve Daines (MT-At Large).

At the hearing, witnesses testified before the Subcommittee in support of H.R. 1963 with a common message that development of this safe, clean, and cost effective technology will provide job, economic, and environmental benefits both nationwide and to the communities surrounding these hydropower projects.

Mike Carlson, manager of the Buffalo River Rapids Irrigation District #1 in Glendive, Montana, hailed H.R. 1963 as innovative and underscored the importance of water resources in the West. Carlson said, “Water is precious to us and we have managed this resources wisely for the good of the community and the world’s food supply. Give us the opportunity to look at another renewable resource option that would have been prevented from exploring until now. Adoption of this law will also trigger the development of new engineering technology for small scale hydropower and this may have world benefits. Passage of HR 1963 will promote investment, produce revenue to irrigation districts, and provide clean energy.”

Gary Kennedy, superintendent of the Mancos Water Conservancy District in Mancos, Colorado, also voiced his support of this legislation. “This bill will allow authority for these projects to benefit from the advancement in hydro power generation…I view this bill as a housekeeping effort to clarify what policies should be for hydropower development. This bill will correct that issue, it is a responsible step to take for the environment at no cost to the federal government.”

The Obama Administration’s witness, Robert Quint of the Bureau of Reclamation, also testified in support of the legislation while recommending a few technical changes.

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Breakfast Links

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:00:00 GMT

The Natural Resources Morning News Round-up:

Fuel Fix – Jennifer A. Dlouhy: “Republicans aim to overturn Obama’s plan for Alaskan oil”
Associated Press – Matthew Daly: “House passes GOP bill to speed pipeline approval”
Washington Post – Darryl Fears: “Frog, toad and salamander populations plummeting, U.S. survey finds”
Associated Press: “Feds lift hold on reservation pipeline project”
Associated Press: “New secretary lays out agenda for Native Americans”
WSBTV – Scott McFarlane: “Park service spending millions on conferences while reducing hours, closing parks”

ICYMI: Chairman Hastings talks Keystone on Fox Business News

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:30:00 GMT

Today, Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings spoke with Melissa Francis on Fox Business to discuss the Keystone XL Pipeline - a project that is vital to America's energy future.

Hastings: Keystone XL Pipeline Vital to America’s Energy Future

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:30:00 GMT

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings delivered the following statement on the House floor in support of H.R. 3, the Northern Route Approval Act.

“I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3, the Northern Route Approval Act. This important legislation would remove roadblocks to allow for the approval and construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline – a project that is vital to America’s energy future.

The Keystone XL Pipeline has been tied up in red tape by the Obama Administration for nearly five years. Just over 1,700 days ago, the application to build this important energy project was submitted to the U.S. State Department and for 1,700 days the American people have been waiting for the Obama Administration to stop leading from behind.

This bill will create tens of thousands of American jobs, lower energy prices, invest billions of dollars into our economy, and make America more energy secure. The Keystone XL Pipeline will transport over 800,000 barrels of oil per day from Alberta, Canada down to American refineries in the Gulf of Mexico. That’s half the amount that the U.S. imports from the Middle East.

This bill was approved by the Natural Resources Committee with bipartisan support. The provisions under our jurisdiction will help ensure that the construction of this pipeline takes place in a timely manner without threat of lawsuit or unnecessary delay by the Secretary of the Interior.

This important project has gone through extensive environmental reviews, including two separate Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) and over 15,000 pages of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews. President Obama’s own State Department has stated that this project will have no significant impacts on the environment. There is no credible reason for the President to continue blocking this project.

That is why this project enjoys bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate. This is not a Democrat issue or Republican issue – energy security and job creation is an American issue. This Administration is the only roadblock that’s standing in the way of American jobs, lower energy prices, and increased American energy security.

The Northern Route Approval Act makes the Keystone XL Pipeline a reality. It declares that no Presidential permit shall be required to approve this pipeline and prevents the Obama Administration from imposing further delays.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.”

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Witnesses Highlight the Importance of Onshore Energy Development for Jobs, Economic Growth, & Energy Security

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:00:00 GMT

Today, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a legislative hearing on four bills that would streamline government red tape and expand development of America’s onshore oil, natural gas, and renewable energy resources as part of a true all-of-the-above approach to energy production.

“Americans shouldn’t be forced to make summer vacation plans based on the prices at the pump. These bills are an important step toward bringing down gasoline prices and giving hard working families a much needed break from the Obama no-energy agenda. Our bills would also create American jobs, reduce our dependence on foreign imports, and even help reduce the national debt by bringing in more revenue for the treasury. When we can lower the national debt, there will be more money left for Americans to spend on the needs of their families,” said Subcommittee Chairman Doug Lamborn (CO-05).

H.R. 1964, the “National Petroleum Reserve Alaska Access Act” would cut through cumbersome government regulations to unlock the full potential of the National Petroleum Reserve ‐ Alaska (NPR-A) by ensuring its energy resources are developed and transported in a timely, efficient manner. It would also nullify the Interior Department’s plan to close over half of the NPR-A to energy production. Witnesses from Alaska stressed the importance of responsible production in the NPR-A:

“The State of Alaska supports legislative measures that promote access to federal lands for responsible resource development and bring timeliness and efficiency to the federal land management and permitting processes. Federal policy must take a new direction to realize the opportunities and strategic benefits that responsible resource development plays for the nation. The State of Alaska fully supports H.R. 1964.” - Dan Sullivan, Alaska Department of Natural Resources Commissioner

“I think it is important for Congress to reaffirm that the purpose of the NPR-A is to provide oil and gas resources to the United States and to take steps to ensure that the Reserve is managed in a way that allows for responsible natural resource development.” - Charlotte Brower, North Slope Alaska Borough Mayor

“Safe and responsible oil and gas development is the only industry that has remained in our region long enough to foster village improvements that have improved our quality of life…We understand that the currently-known onshore resources are not enough to stem the decline in production; they only reduce its severity. New exploration is needed. Oil, as they say, is where you find it. We have hydrocarbons-coal, natural gas and oil, and in some places we have them in abundance. Resource potential exists on both State- and federally-owned owned lands, as well as private lands owned by North Slope Alaska Natives, including prospects in the NPR-A. NPR-A and the Alaskan offshore represent the future.” - Richard K. Glenn, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation’s Lands & Natural Resources Executive Vice President

H.R. 1965, the “Federal Lands and Energy Security Act” and H.R. 1394, the “Planning for American Energy Act of 2013” are important pieces of legislation that would expand onshore energy production by streamlining the permitting process, providing leasing certainty, and facilitating oil shale development.

“The federal government owns millions of acres prospective for oil and gas across the Inter-Mountain West. The unmistakable conclusion is that the prosperity, the jobs, the harvest of domestic resources – from unconventional oil and gas plays, enhanced recovery projects and technology breakthroughs to come – can only be realized to their potential by mandating the Department of the Interior devise and publicize a plan to: encourage development, provide leasing certainty and streamline oil and gas permitting.” - Jack R. Ekstrom, Whiting Petroleum Corporation’s Vice President of Government & Corporate Relations

H.R. 555, the “BLM Live Internet Auctions Act” would update the federal oil and natural gas leasing process by authorizing live internet auctions. This would save taxpayer dollars by updating an antiquated and outdated system.

“The BLM Live Internet Auctions Act that you are considering would allow the BLM to harness the power of a vast Internet‐based oil and gas auction marketplace, which presents a host of new opportunities to the BLM…Through modernization, you allow the BLM to increase the participation and competition for every lease sale, and increase their revenue through higher parcel values and lower internal costs. This can happen for the BLM through the BLM Live Internet Auctions Act. This piece of legislation opens the door, by giving the Secretary of the Interior the authorization to establish an Internet leasing program. This common sense piece of legislation can truly change the future of the BLM’s leasing program.”-William W. Britain, EnergyNet.com, Inc CEO

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Breakfast Links

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:00:00 GMT

The Natural Resources Morning News Round-up:

The Hill – Ben Geman: “Lawmakers press Interior to slow down on fracking rules”
Fuel Fix – Jennifer A. Dlouhy: “Unlikely alliance: Political foes plea for more time on fracturing rule”
The Hill – Zack Colman: “White House threatens veto of Keystone bill”
Fuel Fix – David R. Baker: “Using solar power to pump oil”
Capital Press – Matthew Weaver: “Sagebrush comment period may re-open, county official says”
Associated Press: “Gov. Brown orders streamlining of water transfers”

ICYMI: AAA sees gas prices rising into Memorial Day weekend

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:00:00 GMT

AAA sees gas prices rising into Memorial Day weekend
By Talia Buford
5/21/2013

The seasonal Memorial Day rise in gasoline prices is likely to bump up the cost of filling up the car this weekend, but much of the pain will hit motorists in the Midwest and on the West Coast, where a confluence of factors is leading to all-time highs leading into the holiday.

AAA predicts that come Memorial Day weekend, the average price of a gallon of gasoline will rise above the $3.64 level motorists saw on Memorial Day in 2012 and the $3.79 recorded in 2011. The national average for a gallon of unleaded regular is currently $3.65, AAA said, the highest since March, but still 4 cents below the year-ago levels.

Gas prices, which have been hovering below year-ago levels for nearly three months, have climbed 14 cents in the last month, a reversal of the direction seen last year when prices fell in the run-up to the long Memorial Day holiday weekend.

In Minnesota and North Dakota, prices have soared by 68 and 63 cents, respectively, setting new all-time highs for this time of year, according to AAA’s Weekly Fuel Gauge report. Prices have climbed 50 cents in the last two weeks in Nebraska, Iowa and Oklahoma, stopping just 10 cents shy of those states’ all-time highs.

“Higher crude oil prices may be the reason that drivers in every state are paying more for gasoline than two weeks ago, but tight regional supplies and refinery maintenance — both planned and unplanned — are the reason for the dramatically higher pump prices in the Midwest and West Coast,” according to Avery Ash, regulatory affairs manager for AAA.

Those factors are coupled with the severe weather currently working its way through the Midwest, including twisters that ravaged North Texas last week and a tornado that hit Oklahoma City on Monday. No refineries have reported disruptions yet, Ash said, “but the potential remains for additional refinery issues in the already supply-strapped region.”

West Texas Intermediate crude oil prices closed at $96.71 per barrel on the NYMEX Monday, the highest price in six weeks.

Utah Governor Herbert Emphasizes Success of Western States in Land Management

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:00:00 GMT

Today, the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation held an oversight hearing featuring testimony by Utah Governor Gary Herbert, Chairman of the Western Governors’ Association. The hearing highlighted the challenges of western states regarding federal and state land management.

At the hearing, Members and Governor Herbert discussed how states are able to find their own solutions to land management, tailored to their unique circumstances. In contrast, the federal government is bound by a statutory and regulatory framework that keeps them from effective land management. Utah and other states are successfully managing their lands in ways that protect natural resources and promote a healthy economy, and protect public access.

“Governor Herbert illustrated during today’s hearing that states are effectively and efficiently managing the lands and resources located within their borders and can handle this in the future,” said Subcommittee Chairman Rob Bishop (UT-01). “As we heard today, the federal government isn’t always the better option and as federal budgets get appropriately tighter, we ought to begin examining redundancies between state and federal land management programs. Frankly, the federal government is so often more of a hindrance than a help. If we want to get serious about responsible development of our resources, better land management practices, and real recovery of wildlife species, we ought to be looking more to the states for solutions and not to federal bureaucrats in Washington. I appreciate Governor Herbert’s insight and it is encouraging to see that states are truly leading the way. It is my hope that Washington will finally wake up and see that states are better suited to deal with many of the issues which Washington has managed poorly over the years.”

“Sadly, we have strayed far from this vision of states as independent and robust policy innovators,” said Gov. Gary Herbert, UT. “No one understands state challenges and demographics better than the people who reside and govern there. No one is more committed to the most effective use of limited resources for the best possible outcome, for both our lands and our citizens, than those who will directly live with the consequences of those decisions.”

Governor Herbert also highlighted how poor federal government management has impacted the health of our national forests and public lands.

“National Parks have an estimated $11 billion maintenance backlog. The U.S. Forest Service has its own multi-billion dollar backlog,” said Gov. Gary Herbert. “Meanwhile, millions of acres of national forests have fallen victim to bark beetles and other insect and disease plights and are at risk to catastrophic wildfire. At the same time, a good portion of our federal grazing lands throughout the West are in poor condition. All of these conditions have resulted in an increase in the number and complexity of wildfires, leading further to exponentially higher suppression costs. Unfortunately, federal land management agencies operate within a statutory and regulatory framework that keeps them from effectively addressing rapid declines in range and forest health. Similarly, federal land management decisions today are paralyzed by litigation. Often, special interest groups use the judicial process to simply delay in an attempt to either wear out or bankrupt the opposition. This leads to further gridlock and the infamous ‘analysis paralysis’.”

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VIDEO: View from the Top of the Washington Monument

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:30:00 GMT

Last week, the National Park Service (NPS) finished the scaffolding surrounding the Washington Monument. The Washington Monument has been closed since being damaged in an Earthquake on August 23, 2011. This video released by the NPS shows a first person perspective from the top of the monument.

Breakfast Links

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:20:00 GMT

The Natural Resources Morning News Round-up:

Wall Street Journal – Kim Murphy: “Alaska governor launches bid to measure oil in Arctic refuge”
Joplin Globe – Andy Ostmeyer: “Federal agency proposes adding two Missouri mussels to endangered species list”
Washington Examiner editorial: “Do 'Right by Ike' with scaled-down memorial”
Washington Examiner – Eric P. Newcomber: “Congress takes aim at Eisenhower Memorial”