House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) today announced new staff in the Committee’s communications office: Jamie Hennigan will serve as Director of Outreach for the Full Committee. In this newly established role, Jamie will work to build, coordinate and communicate with coalitions, interested groups and individuals on issues under the Committee’s… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement after House Democrats asked President Obama to release portions of the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR): “Americans are feeling the pain at the pump as gasoline prices climb towards four dollars a gallon. Tapping the SPR may provide some temporary relief but we must consider America’s… Read more »

Today, the Obama Administration’s de facto drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico was once again struck down in Federal Court. U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman granted a preliminary injunction requiring that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) act within 30 days on five pending permit applications from Ensco. “The court has now clearly found… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement regarding today’s White House event on America’s Great Outdoors: “America has a responsibility to care for our treasured public lands and ensure that they are there for future generations to enjoy. Proper conservation requires a balanced approach. This means protecting and maintaining the… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement after Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that the Department plans to review the current rules for commercial oil shale leasing: “This redundant step is yet another example of the Obama Administration proactively stopping American job-creating energy projects before they can begin. The… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement today regarding President Obama’s FY 2012 budget: “The United States cannot afford to continue President Obama’s trillion dollar budget deficits that ignore any sense of fiscal sanity. We have a real debt crisis that requires making tough decisions and setting priorities. Unfortunately, the… Read more »

Today, House Natural Resources Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) sent a letter to Joseph G. Pizarchik, Director of the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) expressing concern that the Obama Administration is proposing sweeping new rewrites to coal mining regulations that will cost U.S. jobs and decrease American energy production. According to the Administration’s own… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement today regarding Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Energy Secretary Steven Chu’s announcement of new offshore wind projects in the mid-Atlantic: “Offshore wind is an important part of a robust all-of-the-above energy plan. However, it’s unwise for the Obama Administration to exclusively focus… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement after Judge Martin Feldman yesterday found the Department of the Interior in contempt of court for continuing their moratorium on offshore drilling in the Gulf Coast. “The federal judge’s initial ruling striking the offshore moratorium and his most recent decision to hold Interior in contempt… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) is leading a bipartisan, multi-state effort to protect farmers and foresters in Washington state and across the country whose livelihoods are threatened by new burdensome federal regulations. Hastings, along with 17 Members of Congress, sent a letter to Chair of the Council of Environmental Quality Nancy Sutley asking her to… Read more »