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Chairman Hastings’ Statement on President Obama’s Final Plan to Zone the Oceans
Press Release
Apr 16, 2013 - House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement after President Obama released the final implementation plan for the National Ocean Policy and mandatory ocean zoning initiative. “This final implementation plan raises more questions than answers and provides even less inf... More

Mr. President, Where are the Jobs??
Resourceful Information
Jan 25, 2013 - As many media outlets have pointed out, the one issue most notably absent from President Obama’s inaugural address this week was jobs. With unemployment at 7.8 percent and the economy and jobs still topping the list of Americans’ greatest concerns, it’s baffling why the President chose not to mention this in his first ... More

Chairman Hastings Calls on the Obama Administration to Provide Transparent Answers to Outstanding Questions, Disclose Documents on National Ocean Policy Prior to Imposing Final Implementation Plan
Press Release
Aug 15, 2012 - House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) today sent a letter to the co-chairs of President Obama’s National Ocean Council to repeat his request that the Obama Administration answer outstanding questions and document requests regarding President Obama’s National Ocean Policy and mandatory ocean zo... More

Chairman Hastings Letter to Council on Environmental Quality Chairwoman Nancy Sutley and Office of Science and Technology Policy Director John Holdren Requesting Answers to Outstanding Questions on National Ocean Policy Before Final Implementation
Letters
Aug 15, 2012 - Dear Chairwoman Sutley and Director Holdren: More than two years have passed since President Obama unilaterally issued a new National Ocean Policy that created an expansive federal bureaucracy to manage ocean activities and resources without any specific Congressional approval, and more than eight months have passed si... More

Chairman Hastings' Op-Ed on FOX News: Obama's national ocean policy threatens jobs and economic activities onshore and off
Op-Eds and Speeches
Jun 20, 2012 - Obama's national ocean policy threatens jobs and economic activities onshore and off By House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings Foxnews.com June 19, 2012 In the famous poem “Paul Revere’s Ride,” Revere instructs his fellow patriots to use lanterns to signal whether there’s an attack coming by land or s... More

House Votes to Halt Funding for Obama Administration's Mandatory Ocean Zoning
Press Release
May 9, 2012 - House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) and Representative Bill Flores (TX-17) released the following statements after the House passed, in a bipartisan vote of 246 to 174, an amendment offered by Rep. Flores to the FY 2013 Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appro... More

Farm Bureau Supports Flores Amendment to CJS; Says Ocean Policy Could Reach Every Farm and Ranch in the United States
Dear Colleagues
May 9, 2012 - Dear Colleague, Today, the House continues consideration of H.R. 5326, making appropriations for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2013, and for other purposes. As part of House Republicans’ effort to combat unnecessary spending and burdensom... More

Over 80 Groups Support Passage of Flores Amendment
Dear Colleagues
May 9, 2012 - Dear Colleague, Over 80 groups across a spectrum of sectors including agriculture, fishing, construction, manufacturing, mining, oil and natural gas, and renewable energy, have come together to support Representative Flores' (TX-17) amendment to prohibit funding for the implementation of President Obama’s National Ocea... More

Chairman Hastings' Statement at Conference Committee Meeting on Highway Bill
Op-Eds and Speeches
May 8, 2012 - House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) delivered the following opening statement today at the Conference Committee meeting on the Highway bill: “The federal government’s slow, cumbersome bureaucracy is consistently getting in the way of job creation and economic growth. Nowhere is this more ev... More

H.R. 5326 CJS Approps: Support the Flores Amendment to Prevent New Layers of Federal Bureaucracy
Dear Colleagues
May 8, 2012 - Dear Colleague, This week the House will vote on H.R. 5326, making appropriations for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2013, and for other purposes. As part of House Republicans effort to combat unnecessary spending and burdensome federal re... More

Members Send Letter To House Appropriators Asking for a "Time Out" on Funding for President Obama's Plan to Zone the Oceans
Press Release
Apr 25, 2012 - Led by Natural Resources Committee Member Bill Flores (TX-17), 23 Members today sent a letter to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (KY-05) asking that all FY 2013 appropriations bills include language to prohibit the use of funds for the implementation of President Obama’s ocean zoning and National Oce... More

23 House Republicans Letter to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers Requesting a Prohibition on Funding for the Implementation of President Obama's Ocean Zoning Policy
Letters
Apr 25, 2012 - Dear Chairman Rogers: Our oceans support more than 28 million American jobs. This activity, along with Coastal and Great Lake States maritime activities contribute to more than 80% of our domestic economy. Proper stewardship of this vital resource will always remain a National interest. Concerns have been raised, howev... More

Witnesses: President's Ocean Zoning Threatens Alaska's Economy
Press Release
Apr 3, 2012 - Today, the Natural Resources Committee held an oversight field hearing in Anchorage, Alaska on, “Alaska’s Sovereignty In Peril: The National Ocean Policy’s Goal to Federalize Alaska.” The hearing focused on how President Obama’s plan to mandate ocean zoning through implementation of the National Ocean Policy threatens ... More

Chairman Hastings Asks House Appropriators to Halt Funding and Hit "Pause" on President's Ocean Zoning Policy
Press Release
Apr 3, 2012 - House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) sent a letter yesterday to Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (KY-05) asking that each appropriations bill include language to prohibit the use of funds for the implementation of President Obama’s ocean zoning and National Ocean Policy. “The Natu... More

Chairman Hastings Letter to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers Requesting a Prohibition on Funding for the Implementation of President Obama's Ocean Zoning Policy
Letters
Apr 2, 2012 - Dear Chairman Rogers: The Obama Administration continues to move forward with zoning the oceans through implementation of the President's National Ocean Policy (Policy) without requesting funding specifically for this broad initiative and without answering basic questions about how funds are currently being diverted fr... More

Obama Administration Refuses to Allow Public More Time to Weigh-in on President Obama's Plan to Zone the Oceans
Press Release
Mar 28, 2012 - House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) today received notice from the Obama Administration that they will not agree to his request for a 90-day extension of the public comment period on the draft National Ocean Policy Implementation plan. “President Obama issued an Executive Order imposing a ne... More

Recreational, Commercial Fishermen Fear President's Ocean Zoning Plans Will Block Access, Create Conflict in Fishery Management
Press Release
Mar 22, 2012 - Today, the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs held an oversight hearing on “Empty Hooks: The National Ocean Policy is the Latest Threat to Access for Recreational and Commercial Fishermen.” Representatives from the charter, commercial and recreational fishing industries testified on the imp... More

Chairman Hastings Repeats Calls for Obama Administration to Extend Public Comment Period on National Ocean Policy
Press Release
Mar 20, 2012 - House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) today sent a letter to the co-chairs of President Obama’s National Ocean Council to once again request that the public comment period on the draft National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan be extended for an additional 90 days. Chairman Hastings first requ... More

Chairman Hastings Follow-up Letter to Council on Environmental Quality Chairwoman Nancy Sutley and Office of Science and Technology Policy Director John Holdren on the National Ocean Council Draft Implementation Plan
Letters
Mar 20, 2012 - Dear Chairwoman Sutley and Director Holdren: On February 23, 2012, I wrote requesting that the public comment period on the draft National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan be extended for an additional 90 days beyond the original February 27,2012 deadline. It was disappointing to leam that, despite the National Ocean P... More

Governors Express Ocean Policy Concerns with President Obama
Blog
Mar 14, 2012 - This week, Governors from 7 states penned a letter to President Obama addressing multiple offshore energy issues. In particular, they expressed concern with proposed coastal and marine spatial planning, one facet of the President’s National Ocean Policy. The Governors urged the President to carefully consider the burea... More

Chairman Hastings Letter to Council on Environmental Quality Chairwoman Nancy Sutley and Office of Science and Technology Policy Director John Holdren on the National Ocean Council Draft Implementation Plan
Letters
Feb 23, 2012 - Dear Chairwoman Sutley and Director Holdren: I am writing to you as the co-chairs of the National Ocean Council created under Executive Order 13547, which implemented the final recommendations of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force and created a new National Ocean Policy. In addition to the National Ocean Council, ... More

Chairman Hastings' Op-Ed in EnergyGuardian: Ocean policy reaches far beyond the sea
Op-Eds and Speeches
Jan 20, 2012 - Guest Opinion: Ocean policy reaches far beyond the sea By House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings Energy Guardian January 20, 2012 If there’s one accomplishment President Obama can take credit for during his first term in office, it’s expanding the size and reach of the federal government. While this m... More

Obama Administration Moves Forward with Plan to Zone the Ocean
Press Release
Jan 12, 2012 - Today President Obama’s National Ocean Council, created by an Executive Order in 2010, released a draft action plan to move forward with the Administration’s goal of imposing new mandatory “ocean zoning.” This initiative could place huge portions of the ocean off limits to all types of recreational, commercial and agri... More

Administration Dodges Questions on Obama’s Ocean Zoning Plan, Witnesses Begrudge Lack of Public Participation, Potential Implications
Press Release
Oct 26, 2011 - Today, the Natural Resources Committee held the second oversight hearing in a series on, “The President’s New National Ocean Policy - A Plan for Further Restrictions on Ocean, Coastal and Inland Activities.” At the hearing, Members questioned the Administration about President Obama’s Executive Order 13547 that imposed... More

Witnesses: President Obama’s Ocean Zoning Plan Will Stifle Economic Growth, Create Regulatory Uncertainty, Threaten Jobs
Press Release
Oct 4, 2011 - Today, the Natural Resources Committee held an oversight hearing on “The President’s New National Ocean Policy - A Plan for Further Restrictions on Ocean, Coastal and Inland Activities.” At the hearing, Members heard about the potential job and economic implications of President Obama’s Executive Order 13547, which cre... More

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