House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings released the following statement regarding the Department of the Interior’s list of proposed Conservation Lands and Wilderness designations: “To date, Congress has designated over one hundred million acres of our public lands as Wilderness – an area larger than the state of California – and last month the Natural Resources Committee… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) and Subcommittee on Water and Power Chairman Tom McClintock (CA-04) sent the following letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu following the alarming November 7th DOE Inspector General “Management Alert” report on the Western Area Power Administration’s (WAPA) risky, Solyndra-like loan authority and Rep.… Read more »

After imposing a nearly three-year moratorium on new offshore drilling by discarding the 2010-2015 lease plan that allowed for new development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), the Obama Administration announced a draft plan today that closes the majority of the OCS to new energy production through 2017. The Administration’s draft five-year plan prohibits new offshore drilling and… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement after the October jobs report was released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics: “The job numbers released today are hardly encouraging to the thousands and thousands of people still struggling to find work. While President Obama has been campaigning around the country, pushing a new so-called… Read more »

Today, the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs held an oversight hearing on, “Florida Everglades Restoration: What are the Priorities?” The hearing focused on how the Obama Administration’s proposed establishment of the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area will contribute to the overall goal of restoring the Florida… Read more »

Today, the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands held a legislative hearing on four bills including H.R. 3155, the “Northern Arizona Mining Continuity Act of 2011.” Introduced by Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02), H.R. 3155 would prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from banning uranium mining on 1 million acres outside the borders of the Grand Canyon National… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement following the conclusion of today’s hearing: “Let me be very clear, if the companies officially cited for the oil spill had outright refused to provide witnesses, testimony or answers to the Committee, then I would be leading the effort to compel them to appear, by subpoena if necessary. But… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) today released the following statement in response to President Obama’s announcement to use presidential powers granted under the 1906 Antiquities Act to designate part of Fort Monroe as a National Monument: “In contrast to prior uses of the Antiquities Act that were done unilaterally and in the dark of night, this national… Read more »

Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1904, the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act, with a bipartisan vote of 235-186. Sponsored by Natural Resources Committee Member Paul Gosar (AZ-01), H.R. 1904 authorizes a fair value land exchange that will unlock the third largest undeveloped copper resource in the world. The bill will create thousands of jobs, generate… Read more »

Today, the Natural Resources Committee held the second oversight hearing in a series on, “The President’s New National Ocean Policy - A Plan for Further Restrictions on Ocean, Coastal and Inland Activities.” At the hearing, Members questioned the Administration about President Obama’s Executive Order 13547 that imposed a mandatory ocean zoning initiative. A second panel of witnesses… Read more »