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Witnesses Agree on the Need for Increased Tribal Self-Governance

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs held a legislative hearing on H.R. 4350, the Northern Cheyenne Lands Act, and H.R. 409, the Indian Trust Asset Reform Act. These two bills would allow for increased tribal control of trust assets and fulfill a long-standing federal promise to the Northern Cheyenne Tribe in Montana. “Unemployment rates on…

Federal Red-Tape and Inconsistent Decision Making Hampering Efforts to Keep the Lights On and Reduce Forest Fire Risk

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources held an oversight hearing on “Keeping the Lights On and Reducing Catastrophic Forest Fire Risk: Proper Management of Electricity Rights of Way on Federal Lands.” The hearing examined the need for improved management and better communication with electric utilities on electricity rights of way on federal lands so that falling, dead,…

Committee Approves Legislation to Update and Improve the Endangered Species Act

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House Natural Resources Committee approved four targeted bills that would improve and modernize the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The primary focus of these four bills is to promote data and cost transparency and species recovery. These bills have been endorsed by over 25 organizations including, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Family Farm Alliance, National Rural Electric…

Mike Rowe: Work Hard AND Smart

| Posted in In Case You Missed It

Yesterday, the House Committee on Natural Resources held an oversight hearing on “American Energy Jobs: Opportunities for Skilled Trades Workers.” The hearing examined the well-paying jobs opportunities for technical and skilled workers that have been created by the recent American energy boom. Mike Rowe, former host of Discovery’s “Dirty Jobs” and CEO of mikeroweWorks testified at this…

Work Hard AND Smart

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources held an oversight hearing on “American Energy Jobs: Opportunities for Skilled Trades Workers.” The hearing examined the well-paying jobs opportunities for technical and skilled workers that have been created by the recent American energy boom. Unemployment in the United States remains at 6.7 percent, whereas states like North Dakota with a…

Natural Resources Committee Website Recognized as One of the Best in Congress

| Posted in Press Release

The House Committee on Natural Resources’ majority website today was recognized, for a third consecutive Congress, one of the best websites in Congress by the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF). The Committee received a Gold Mouse award, one of only three House Committees to receive this honor for the 113th Congress. “For three consecutive sessions of Congress, the Natural…

Chairman Hastings Delivers Speech on the Magnuson-Stevens Act

| Posted in Op-Eds and Speeches

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) delivered the following speech today at the University of Washington, School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences, Symposium on the Magnuson-Stevens Act: “Thank you for having me here today to discuss the Magnuson-Stevens Act and our current efforts in Congress to update and modernize the law. I have the privilege of serving…

Hastings Calls on Senate to Act on Healthy Forest Management and Jobs Bill

| Posted in Op-Eds and Speeches

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) delivered the following speech today at the Western Regional Forest Resources Association Spring Meeting in Pasco, WA. In the speech, Chairman Hastings talked about the House bill (H.R. 1526) that would put tens of thousands of Americans back to work, provide stable funding for counties to use for education and…

26 Northwest Lawmakers Highlight the Importance of the Columbia River Treaty

| Posted in Press Release

Today, all 26 lawmakers representing Washington, Oregon, Montana, and Idaho urged President Obama to make the future of the 1964 Columbia River Treaty a priority for 2014. In a letter led by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-WA), and House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Peter DeFazio (D-OR), the 26 lawmakers highlighted the…

GAO Audit of the National Environmental Policy Act Reveals Lack of Accountability and Transparency

| Posted in Press Release

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) today released a comprehensive audit of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The audit found that the federal government does not have a system to track data and costs associated with performing NEPA reviews, NEPA delays are lengthy and vary agency to agency, and that litigation is a major driver in the environmental review process. The…