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Hastings: Court Misses the Mark on ESA Settlement Ruling

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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…

Hastings: Republican Budget Prioritizes American Energy to Create New Jobs and Increase Revenues

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House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement praising the Republican budget released today by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan: “The Republican budget is a responsible plan to cut spending, lower the debt, and ensure long-term job and economic growth. It prioritizes expanded American energy production and recognizes that new…

Members Introduce Four Common Sense Bills to Update the Endangered Species Act

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House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04), Rep. Cynthia Lummis (Wyoming-at large), Rep. Randy Neugebauer (TX-19), and Rep. Bill Huizenga (MI-02) today introduced four limited bills to improve and update the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The bills are supported by all of the Members of the ESA Congressional Working Group, representing districts across the nation, and…

Chairman Hastings Prepares to Issue Subpoena on White Bluffs Bladderpod Listing Decision

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Today, at a House Natural Resources Full Committee oversight hearing, Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) pressed U.S. Fish and Wildlife (FWS) Service Director Dan Ashe on the Department’s non-compliance with the Committee’s request for documents regarding the process and science surrounding the FWS’ decision to list the White Bluffs bladderpod as a threatened species. A letter was sent to the…

House Approves Measure to Ensure Public Participation in National Monument Designations

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Today, the House of Representatives passed HR 1459, the Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act by a bipartisan vote of 222 - 201. This bill, introduced by Public Lands and Environmental Regulation Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Rob Bishop (UT-01), would require public participation before a presidentially-declared National Monument is made official under the…

Obama Administration’s Budget Falls Short for Water Storage, Hydropower and Long-Term Drought Relief

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Today, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power held an oversight hearing examining the spending priorities outlined in the President’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget request for the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), the Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs), and the U.S. Geological Survey’s Water program. The hearing highlighted the importance of charting a roadmap to…

House Approves Bill to Ensure Affordable Electricity for American Families and Businesses

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Today, the House of Representatives approved H.R. 2824, the Preventing Government Waste and Protecting Coal Mining Jobs in America Act, with a bipartisan vote of 229-192. Sponsored by Representative Bill Johnson (OH-06) and Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee Chairman Doug Lamborn (CO-05), this important legislation would protect American jobs, taxpayer dollars, and affordable…

Subpoena Issued to Department of the Interior Deputy Inspector General for Unredacted Report on Stream Buffer Zone Rule

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House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) today issued a subpoena to Department of the Interior Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall for an unredacted copy of the Office of Inspector General (IG) report on the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement’s (OSM) efforts to rewrite the 2008 Stream Buffer Zone Rule and a small number of related OIG…

Local Farmers, Community Members Call for Immediate Action to Resolve the California Water Crisis

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Today, the House Natural Resources Committee held an oversight field hearing in Fresno, CA on “California Water Crisis and Its Impacts: The Need for Immediate and Long-Term Solutions.” At the hearing, Members and witnesses discussed the need to resolve differences and pass legislation to bring immediate and long-term water supplies to California. In February, the House passed H.R. 3964,…

Administration Continues to Withhold Information on SRS Funds

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On Friday, February 14, 2014, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) sent a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack requesting more information about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) assertion that the department was still legally obligated to recover the sequestered FY 2012 SRS payments that were already paid out to states and is considering…