House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement today after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it would extend the public comment period an additional 60 days for the proposed critical habitat designation of the western yellow-billed cuckoo. The Service’s actions are in direct response to a letter sent to the Service’s… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) sent a letter today to Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell responding to her September 9th letter on the Committee’s oversight efforts.   In the letter, Chairman Hastings explains how the Department has still not fully complied with subpoenas and oversight requests for documents, how the Department is… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement regarding President Obama’s announcement to unilaterally designate almost half of the Angeles National forest as the San Gabriel National Monument amid local opposition and without public input. “President Obama once again is using unilateral action to lock up hundreds of thousands of acres… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) along with 17 Members of Congress sent a letter to the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Dan Ashe, urging the Service to extend the comment period for the proposed critical habitat designation of the western yellow-billed cuckoo. This proposed listing, driven by a 2011 court mega-settlement and not by sound… Read more »

Yesterday, during a speech at Northwestern University, President Obama touted America’s abundant energy resources, including natural gas, and the jobs it provides:  “Our 100-year supply of natural gas is a big factor in drawing jobs back to our shores.” The President may sing the praises of natural gas in public speeches, but in reality, the actions of his Administration will… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement today after the Department of Energy announced that it would restore the Bonneville Power Administration’s (BPA) Human Resources authorities: “Today’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Energy is a positive step towards fully restoring the BPA’s long-held regional autonomy. The actions… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement regarding President Obama’s unilateral expansion of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument under the Antiquities Act:  “President Obama has repeatedly taken unilateral action to lock-up federal lands, and now he's doing the same thing to our oceans. There has been… Read more »

In a recent interview, the Chief of the Obama Administration’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) discussed how increased American oil production is helping to prevent price spikes in the world oil market.  As reported by Reuters: “Crude oil would cost at least $150 a barrel due to supply disruptions in the Middle East and North Africa were it not for rising production in North… Read more »

Today, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement following passage of H.R. 4, the Jobs for America Act, by a bipartisan vote of 253-163. This legislation included H.R. 1526, the Restoring Heathy Forests for Healthy Communities Act, sponsored by Chairman Doc Hastings and H.R. 761, the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production… Read more »

Today, the House of Representatives approved H.R. 2, the American Energy Solutions for Lower Costs and More American Jobs Act, with a bipartisan vote of 226-191. This package of legislation would expand U.S. energy production and reduce bureaucratic red-tape in order to lower energy prices, create and protect over a million good-paying American jobs, strengthen our economy, and improve… Read more »