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Witnesses Emphasize Need for Bills to Reduce Risk of Megafires to Aid Forest Health, Protect Local Communities, Create Jobs

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Today, the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands held a hearing on legislation intended to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, restore forest health, and address factors that contribute to insect infestation and wildfire. Decades of severe mismanagement of our public lands have contributed to increased forest density, overgrowth, and insect infestation,…

Committee Approves Bipartisan Job-Creating Energy Bill to Replace President Obama's No-New-Jobs, No-New-Energy Offshore Plan

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Today, the House Natural Resources Committee approved by a bipartisan 24-17 vote, H.R. 6082, the Congressional Replacement of President Obama’s Energy-Restricting and Job-Limiting Offshore Drilling Plan. The bill would replace the Obama Administration’s final offshore drilling plan, which keeps 85 percent of America’s offshore areas off-limits to energy production, with a real plan that…

OSM Director Pizarchik to Testify at Thursday's Oversight Hearing on Status of Coal Regulations

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The House Natural Resources Committee has confirmed that Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) Director Joseph Pizarchik will testify at a July 19th oversight hearing on the status of the Department of the Interior’s rewrite of a 2008 coal regulation that could cost thousands of jobs and economic harm in 22 states, as well as the failure of the Department to respond…

After Interior Department Fails to Agree to Transcribed Interviews, Hastings States Intent to Call Officials to Testify at Drilling Moratorium Hearing

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House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) on Friday, July 13 sent a letter to Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar regarding the Committee’s request for transcribed interviews with five Department officials who were personally involved in developing the May 2010 Interior Department report that falsely stated independent engineers had peer reviewed and…

Murkowski, Hastings Press NOAA, BSEE About Arctic Protests

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U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska and Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Washington, sent a letter to Dr. Jane Lubchenco, the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and James Watson, Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), asking what measures NOAA and BSEE have taken to ensure that the…

House Passes Bipartisan Strategic and Critical Minerals Bill to Create U.S. Jobs and Strengthen National Security

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The House of Representatives today passed H.R. 4402, the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act, sponsored by Rep. Mark Amodei (NV-02), by a bipartisan vote of 256-160. The bill would streamline government red tape to allow the U.S. to more efficiently develop our Nation's strategic and critical minerals, such as rare earth elements, that are vital to job creation,…

Committee Approves Bipartisan Bill to Establish Manhattan Project National Historical Park

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The House Natural Resources Committee today approved by unanimous consent H.R. 5987, a bipartisan bill introduced by Natural Resources Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04), Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03) and Congressman Ben Lujan (NM-03) to establish a Manhattan Project National Historical Park that will include facilities at Hanford, Washington, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Los Alamos, New…

Interior Department Called to Testify on Status of Coal Regulation Rewrite and Complying With Subpoenas for Documents

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Today, as part of a more than yearlong investigation into the Obama Administration’s rewrite of a 2008 coal regulation, the Stream Buffer Zone Rule, that could cost thousands of jobs, negatively impact the economies of 22 states and significantly harm American energy production, Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) sent a letter to Department of the Interior Secretary…

Committee to Markup Plan to Replace President Obama's Energy-Restricting and Job-Limiting Offshore Drilling Plan

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House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) today unveiled draft legislation, H.R. 6082, the Congressional Replacement of President Obama’s Energy-Restricting and Job-Limiting Offshore Drilling Plan, to implement a new lease plan for developing the United States’ offshore energy resources over the next five years. A Full Committee markup of the bill will be held on…

House to Consider Another Job Creating Bill Next Week

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Next week, the House of Representatives will continue its focus on job creation and economic growth by voting on another bipartisan Natural Resources Committee bill, H.R. 4402, the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act, that will allow the U.S. to more efficiently develop our Nation's strategic and critical minerals, such as rare earth elements, that are vital to job…