House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (UT-01) today issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) announcement of its decision to list the northern long-eared bat (NLEB) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  The population loss of the bat is primarily caused by a disease called white nose syndrome (WNS)… Read more »

House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (UT-01) issued the following statement this evening on the Obama Administration’s release of its first Report on the Implementation of the National Ocean Policy:  “The Administration's ocean policy is similar to its approach to federal lands, particularly in the West, in that it champions new layers of federal bureaucracy… Read more »

Rep. Doug Lamborn (CO-05), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources made the following opening statement at today's oversight hearing entitled "Effect of the President’s FY 2016 Budget and Legislative Proposals for the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service’s Energy and Minerals Programs on Private Sector Job Creation, Domestic Energy and Minerals… Read more »

House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Indian, Insular, and Alaska Native Affairs Don Young (R-AK), along with Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), and Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) sent a letter today to Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, requesting that the Department refrain from issuing a final… Read more »

Committee on Natural Resources Vice Chairman Cynthia Lummis (WY-At large) today questioned BLM Director Neil Kornze on how the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between BLM and the states will operate. “Who will approve well bore integrity issues? Will you approve those? Who will do the inspections? Will [states] be brought in? Who is… Read more »

Below is an exchange between exchange between Chairman Bishop and Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. MOUs? Chairman Bishop: “Have the states…screwed up? Are the state [water] engineers incompetent? Is that what the Forest Service is trying to say?” Bishop asked Chief Tidwell:  “No...” Lawsuits? Chief Tidwell: “We can maybe… Read more »

Rep. Tom McClintock (CA-04), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Federal Lands made the following opening statement at today's oversight hearing entitled "Examining the Spending Priorities and Missions of the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management in the President's FY 2016 Budget Proposals." Remarks as prepared - The Department of the Interior will generate $13.8 billion next… Read more »

Rep. John Fleming (R-LA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans made the following opening statement at today's oversight hearing entitled "Examining the Spending Priorities and Missions of the Bureau of Reclamation, the Power Marketing Administrations and USGS Water Division in the President’s FY 2016 Budget Proposal.” Remarks as prepared - Today the Subcommittee on… Read more »

Rep. Doug Lamborn (CO-05), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources made the following opening statement at today's oversight hearing entitled "Examining the Spending Priorities and Mission of the U.S. Geological Survey in the President’s FY 2016 Budget Proposal.” Remarks as prepared - We are here today to consider the President’s proposed fiscal year 2016 budget and… Read more »

Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) under the Department of the Interior released a long-anticipated and highly controversial finalized rule on hydraulic fracturing and well construction on federal lands. Chairman Rob Bishop (UT-01) released the following statement:  “I disagree with the underlying premise of this duplicative and nonsensical rule.  What this… Read more »