Today, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power held an oversight hearing examining the spending priorities outlined in the President’s FY2014 budget requests for the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), the four Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs), and the U.S. Geological Survey’s Water Program. At the hearing, Members discussed the importance of restoring abundance… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement after President Obama released the final implementation plan for the National Ocean Policy and mandatory ocean zoning initiative. “This final implementation plan raises more questions than answers and provides even less information on what the Obama Administration will impose under the… Read more »

Today, the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation held a legislative hearing on nine bills to prevent the President from unilaterally designating National Monuments under the century-old Antiquities Act and to ensure greater public participation in the process. The Antiquities Act was designed to authorize the President to proclaim National Monuments when there was… Read more »

Today, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation held a legislative hearing on H.R. 1208, the “Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act” – bipartisan legislation by Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04), Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03), and Congressman Ben Luján (NM-03) that would establish a Manhattan Project… Read more »

Today, the House Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation held a legislative hearing on several pieces of legislation to restore active and healthy management of our national forests in order to provide a stable revenue stream for rural schools and counties and prevent devastating wildfires. The Subcommittee heard testimony on the “Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy… Read more »

Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 678, the Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act, with a bipartisan vote of 416-7. This legislation, sponsored by Rep. Scott Tipton (CO-03), would create new American jobs and expand production of clean, renewable hydropower by eliminating bureaucratic and regulatory hurdles. Specifically, the bill… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) today released the following statement regarding President Obama’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2014: “Once again, the President’s budget misses the mark. Over two months late, it’s obvious that this budget is not a credible plan to create jobs, strengthen our economy, boost energy production, or lower the debt.… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) today announced new staff in the Committee’s communications office: Mike Tadeo will serve as the Press Secretary for the Full Committee. Mike worked as the Communications Director for Congressman Bill Johnson of Ohio, a valued former Member of the Committee. Prior to coming to Washington, D.C., Mike worked as a Booker… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA – 04) sent letters today to U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Department of the Interior Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall seeking information about the Administration’s decision to not allow the continued operation of the Drakes Bay Oyster Company within the Point Reyes National Seashore in Northern… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) today unveiled a draft proposal to address the expiration of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program. The draft proposal, Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act, renews the federal government’s commitment to manage forest resources for the benefit of rural schools and counties by allowing active forest… Read more »