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National Ocean Policy

ICYMI: Wildfires and Washington: How Congress Can Stop Catastrophe Before It Starts

| Posted in In Case You Missed It

By:  Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) Deseret News Charred landscapes, torched buildings and the loss of property and life. These are the consequences of massive wildfires. Most Americans in the Eastern United States aren’t acquainted with this type of destruction. However, these scenes are all too familiar for those of us who live in the West. Congress and the U.S. Forest…

Slate of Bills from Utah Delegation Pass Committee

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources advanced several federal lands bills including H.R. 5751 (Chairman Rob Bishop, R-Utah), H.R. 3777 (Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah), H.R. 4824 (Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah), and H.R. 5597 (Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah). In what may be a Committee first, a bill from each member of the Utah congressional delegation was passed. “It’s been said that Utah…

Committee Passes Bill to Improve Regulatory Efficiency, Environmental Progress

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources passed H.R. 3133, the “Streamlining Environmental Approvals (SEA) Act of 2017.” Introduced by Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), the bill amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to remove duplicative permitting requirements that inhibit economic development and restoration projects. “Washington bureaucrats should never have the authority to…

Fishermen Need More Flexibility than NOAA Doles Out

| Posted in Press Release

Last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced a new rule that will provide regional fishery management councils with more flexibility in catch limits. The rule is aligned with a provision in the Committee’s H.R. 1335 (Rep. Don Young, R-AK), the “Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act.” House Committee on…

Six Years Later, Strong Uncertainty About President Obama's National Ocean Policy Remains

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held an oversight hearing on “The Implications of President Obama’s National Ocean Policy.” President Obama established the National Ocean Council (Council) in 2010, composed of 24 federal officials. The Council is required to develop a framework for coastal and marine spatial planning—an initiative viewed as “zoning” oceans for…

Committee Pushes Back on Potential Marine Monument Designations

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held an oversight hearing on the designations of Marine National Monuments, which are unilateral executive actions that usurp established regional fisheries management plans and impose significant economic and environmental impacts regionally and nationwide. In particular, the hearing focused on the threat of Marine National Monument…

Chairman Hastings’ Statement at Conference Committee Meeting on WRRDA

| Posted in Op-Eds and Speeches

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) delivered the following opening statement today at the Conference Committee meeting on the Water Resources Reform & Development Act (WRRDA): “Thank you Madam Chairman. I’m pleased to be here as we open this conference committee on this important legislation. America’s water infrastructure is vital to our…

Documents Requested in Continued Oversight of President Obama’s Executive Order on Ocean Zoning

| Posted in Press Release

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) sent five letters to Obama Administration agencies and departments requesting similar information on the development, legal authority, activities, staffing, and funding of President Obama’s National Ocean Policy and mandatory ocean zoning initiative. The letters sent to the Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of…

Farm Bureau, Agricultural Retailers, Cattlemen and Other Groups Support Flores Amendment to H.R. 1947

| Posted in Dear Colleagues

Dear Colleague, Today, the House will consider H.R. 1947, the “Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013.” As part of House Republicans’ effort to combat unnecessary spending and burdensome federal regulations, Representative Flores (TX-17) has sponsored an amendment that would require the USDA Inspector General (IG) to prepare and submit a report detailing all…

Committee Approves Legislation to Expand American Energy Production on Federal Lands and Waters, Create New American Jobs

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House Natural Resources Committee approved three bills to expand American offshore and onshore energy production in order to help create new American jobs, lower energy prices, generate new revenue, and make America more energy secure.  H.R. 2231, the Offshore Energy and Jobs Act, was approved by the Committee by a vote of 23-18.  This bill, by House Natural…