This week, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released new data showing that federal onshore oil and natural gas leases and permits are at the lowest levels in more than a decade. According to the data:
BLM leased 1.2 million acres in 2013, down from 1.8 million acres leased the year before and the smallest area since at least 1988, the earliest year BLM reported data.
… Read more »
Today, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) issued a subpoena to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) seeking documents surrounding the process and science behind the decision to list the White Bluffs bladderpod as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The Committee first requested documents on March 7, 2014 and, after the FWS missed the… Read more »
House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) delivered the following statement on the House floor today in support of S. 404, the Green Mountain Lookout Heritage Protection Act. This important bipartisan legislation is similar to H.R. 908 that was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on February 20, 2014 as part of the Public Access and Lands Improvement… Read more »
House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) issued the following statement on the announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on its plans to distribute the FY 2013 Secure Rural School (SRS) payments in full.
“Today’s announcement is a victory for rural counties that have been faced with uncertainty of whether they would have enough funds to pay for schools,… Read more »
Today, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held an oversight hearing on “Energy Independence: Domestic Opportunities to Reverse California’s Growing Dependence on Foreign Oil.” Overall, the United States is importing less oil than any point in the past decade, yet California’s foreign oil imports have dramatically increased. Today’s hearing focused on the drastic increase in… Read more »
Today, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs held an oversight hearing entitled, “Implementing the Cobell Settlement: Missed Opportunities and Lessons Learned.” This hearing examined the delays and uncertainty in the land buyback program authorized as part of the Cobell Settlement.
The Cobell Settlement provided for the resolution of individual… Read more »
Tomorrow, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources will hold a hearing on California energy and the drastic increase in foreign oil imports. The state has significant opportunities for energy production, including California’s Monterey Shale that the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that contains over 15 billion barrels of oil. However, as the infographic below… Read more »
Today at a Full Committee hearing, Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell testified that the Department’s programs and activities support millions of jobs and generate billions in revenue. While this is true, the Secretary failed to acknowledge the millions of jobs and billions in revenue that could be created if the Administration didn’t impose burdensome red-tape and… Read more »
Today, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) delivered the following prepared remarks at the National Water Resources Association Annual Meeting, highlighting hydropower as a clean, renewable energy resource; California water issues; and the need to update and improve the Endangered Species Act:
“Thank you for that kind introduction, Jim. It’s a pleasure once… Read more »
House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) issued the following statement regarding the federal court ruling upholding the Obama Administration’s closed-door Endangered Species Act (ESA) settlement agreement with the Center for Biological Diversity and WildEarth Guardians:
“I’m disappointed with today’s court ruling that upholds the Administration’s mega-settlement… Read more »
