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Chairman Hastings: Sec. Salazar’s Merger of BLM and OSM Could Cost Jobs, Harm Economy, Increase Cost of Energy

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House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement regarding Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar’s Order to merge the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Office of Surface Mining (OSM): “I have serious concerns about this Secretarial Order to suddenly and dramatically alter the management of coal mining and the multiple-use of Western…

Chairman Hastings’ Statement on Departure of Rep. Fleischmann, Addition of Rep. Amodei to Natural Resources Committee

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House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement announcing the departure of Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03) and the addition of Mark Amodei (NV-02) to the Natural Resources Committee: “Chuck brought the perspective of East Tennessee to the Committee and was a great asset this Congress as he worked to create American jobs and get our economy…

Subcommittee Reviews Slate of Wilderness and Public Land Bills

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Today, the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands held a legislative hearing on eight bills related to Wilderness and public lands. The bills included measures to modify the boundaries of current federal land holdings, establish new Wilderness areas, and allow for the disposal of surplus federal lands. “Monuments, Wilderness and other land-use designations have…

Expanded Santa Ana Sucker Critical Habitat Designation Threatens Regional Economic Growth, Water Supply

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Today, the House Subcommittee on Water and Power held a field oversight hearing in Highland, California on, “Questionable Fish Science and Environmental Lawsuits: Jobs and Water Supplies at Risk in the Inland Empire.” Chairman Tom McClintock (CA-4), and Reps. Jerry Lewis (CA-41) and Ken Calvert (CA-44) heard from local officials, stakeholders and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on how…

Witnesses Decry NOAA’s Unsubstantiated Stellar Sea Lion Science Jeopardizing Commercial Fishing Industry, Coastal Economies

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Today, the House Natural Resources Committee held a Full Committee field hearing on “NOAA's Steller Sea Lion Science and Fishery Management Restrictions - Does the Science Support the Decisions?” Members in attendance, including Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) and Rep. Don Young (AK-At large), heard from the Administration, state officials, scientists and the commercial fishing industry on…

PILT Payments, Access to Federal Lands Vital to Rural Communities

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The House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands today held an oversight hearing on “Payments in Lieu of Taxes” (PILT). Witnesses at the hearing underscored the importance of the program to rural communities with federally owned land, especially in the West, and the impact federal land management decisions have on surrounding communities. With PILT slated to expire at…

Local Gulf Business Leaders Testify on Lingering Economic and Energy Effects One Year After President’s Moratorium Lifted

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The House Natural Resources Committee today held an oversight hearing on “One Year after President Obama’s Gulf of Mexico 6-Month Moratorium Officially Lifted: Examining the Lingering Impacts on Jobs, Energy Production and Local Economies.” A year after the official moratorium was lifted in the Gulf, permitting, energy production and economic activities still have not returned to…

Chairman Hastings Statement on Lingering Impacts a Year After President Obama’s Official Gulf Moratorium Lifted

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House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) today delivered the following statement at the Full Committee oversight hearing on “One Year after President Obama’s Gulf of Mexico 6-Month Moratorium Lifted: Examining the Lingering Impacts on Jobs, Energy Production and Local Economies.” “In May 2010, shortly after the tragic Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill, the…

Chairman Hastings Asks Salazar to Testify Before Committee on Hydraulic Fracturing

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Today, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) sent the following letter to Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar asking him once again to testify before the Committee regarding the Department’s plans to issue rules on hydraulic fracturing on federal lands within the next “month or so.” Chairman Hastings first wrote Secretary Salazar a letter on December 1,…

Chairman Hastings Statement on September Job Numbers

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House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement after the Department of Labor released the September jobs report: “After a horrendous August, where the economy saw a net total of zero jobs created, September’s numbers weren’t much better. The unemployment rate is continuing to hold steady above 9 percent while President Obama campaigns on…