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Bishop Opening Statement on House-Senate Energy Conference Meeting

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Today, House and Senate conferees met for opening statements on S. 2012, the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2016. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) released the following statement: “We need more Americans to share in the low prices afforded by American energy abundance. That includes improving the permitting process to allow rights-of-way across federal lands and getting affordable…

Bishop’s Tribal Recognition Act Advances to Restore Constitutional Intent

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Washington, D.C. – Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources held a markup on four bills including H.R. 3764 (Rep. Rob Bishop), the Tribal Recognition Act of 2015. The bill restores the constitutional framework to tribal recognition authorities vested with Congress under Article I. Following the passage of H.R. 3764, Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following…

Bill Preventing the Next Flint Passes Committee

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Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources held a markup on four bills including H.R. 5032 (Rep. Dave Brat, R-VA). The bill removes a federal land-use restriction on a piece of land in the town of Louisa, Virginia so that it may be repurposed to provide residents with a safe supply of drinking water.   Louisa has spent millions of dollars studying ways to comply with…

House Passes Bipartisan Poliquin Bill to Strengthen U.S. Seafood Industry

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Today, H.R. 4245 sponsored by Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-ME) and Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) passed on suspension by voice vote. H.R. 4245 exempts sea urchins, sea cucumbers and other seafood exports from duplicative federal requirements imposed on buyers and sellers of related products by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). “This is a big win for Maine jobs,” Rep. Poliquin said. “Our…

House Passes Bill to Modernize the Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing Process

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Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 5577, the “Innovation in Offshore Leasing Act,” by voice vote. Introduced by Reps. Garret Graves (R-LA) and Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), it provides the Interior Secretary with the authority to conduct internet-based oil and natural gas lease sales for the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.  “This bill brings much needed modernization to our…

House Passes Thompson Bill to Protect Private Mineral Rights in the Allegheny National Forest

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Tonight, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3881 (Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson), the Cooperative Management of Mineral Rights Act of 2016, by a vote of 395-3. In the Allegheny National Forest (ANF) the federal government owns the surface rights, but the subsurface mineral rights have always been privately owned. Through a liberal interpretation of an antiquated statute and a…

BLM’s Sage Grouse Land Use Plan Is Bad News For Western States

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Washington, D.C. – Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released seven memos on its land use plans for the sage grouse, covering 10 Western states. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement: “The Administration’s decision not to list the sage grouse last year was a cynical ploy all along. These plans, written as if the sage grouse were listed, are proof it was an…

Bishop Statement on President’s PROMESA Oversight Board Appointments

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House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement on President Obama’s appointments to the Financial Management and Oversight Board (Oversight Board) established through the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (Public Law No. 114-187). “We applaud the President’s swift action on these appointments so that the…

Bishop, Amata: Hawaii Marine Monument Expansion is Unjustified, Devastating for Local Economies

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Today, President Barack Obama expanded the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii by 442,781 square miles. Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) and Congresswoman Aumua Amata (American Samoa) issued the following statements: “The sweeping size of this expansion is unjustified,” Bishop stated. “It will impose great harm to a critical local…

Bishop: National Park Service Centennial Serves as an Opportunity to Address Management Challenges

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House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement commemorating the Centennial of the National Park Service:   “Our national parks are a uniquely American concept. Unfortunately, 100 years after its inception, the National Park Service is encumbered by management failures. Limited resources are siphoned to new acquisitions while the…