Skip to Content

Press Release

State and Local Officials Decry Administration’s Wild Lands Order

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources held an oversight hearing on the impact of the Administration’s “Wild Lands” order. The Committee heard from Western governors and elected local officials who expressed their concern over the proposed Wild Lands order and its negative impact on jobs, economic growth and American energy production. What They Are Saying about the Wild Lands…

Hastings Statement on Approval of First Deepwater Drilling Permit

| Posted in Press Release

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement after the Interior Department announced the approval of Noble Energy’s deepwater drilling permit: “Over four months after the deepwater drilling moratorium was officially lifted in the Gulf of Mexico, the Administration is finally issuing the first permit. While this is good news, today’s…

Chairman Hastings Announces New Committee Communications Staff

| Posted in Press Release

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…

Chairman Hastings on Strategic Petroleum Reserve Proposal: Our Real Reserves Are in the Gulf, Alaska, OCS and Public Lands

| Posted in Press Release

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…

Federal Court Orders Obama Administration to Act on Stalled Deepwater Drilling Permits

| Posted in Press Release

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…

Chairman Hastings Statement on President’s Great Outdoors Initiative

| Posted in Press Release

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…

Interior Dept. Announces Delays to U.S. Oil Shale Production

| Posted in Press Release

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…

President’s Budget Would Raise Energy Prices, Cost American Jobs

| Posted in Press Release

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…

Hastings Questions Administration’s Proposed Rewrite of Mining Regulations that could Cost Thousands of American Jobs

| Posted in Press Release

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…

All-of-the-Above Energy Production Needed off Atlantic Coast

| Posted in Press Release

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…