Following is a statement from Congressman Doc Hastings (WA-04) on the Snake River dam removal “study plan” prepared and released today by Army Corps of Engineers at the direction of the Obama Administration. Hastings is an outspoken defender of the Northwest’s hydropower dams as clean, renewable sources of low-cost energy. Hastings serves as the top Republican on the House Natural… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement regarding President Obama’s announcement that his Administration will delay a new offshore drilling plan until 2012 and include only a fraction of offshore land that was available under the 2010-2015 lease plan: “With this announcement, the Obama Administration is attempting to pull the… Read more »

Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04), House Republican Leader John Boehner, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor and 85 other Republicans sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar demanding that the Administration begin to implement the 2010-2015 five-year lease plan for the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). This plan would open, for the first… Read more »

Today during Floor debate in the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), on behalf of House Natural Resources Committee Republicans, successfully won on a Motion to Recommit (MTR) vote that made substantial changes to H.R. 1612, the Public Lands Service Corps Act of 2009. Despite a Democrat-recommended "No" vote on the Lummis MTR, the motion ultimately passed by an… Read more »

Today, the House of Representatives will consider H.R. 1612, the Public Lands Service Corps Act of 2009. The bill would expand the authorization of the Public Land Corp program that employs thousands of young people in conservation oriented jobs on public lands. While Republicans support the goals of this program and encourage public participation in the care of America’s public lands,… Read more »

Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) introduced H.R. 4888, the Cabin Fee Act of 2010 to address volatile yearly fees for families who own cabins in our National Forests. He was joined by Representatives Jim Costa (CA-20), Rob Bishop (UT-01), Tom McClintock (CA-04), George Radanovich (CA-19), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05), Cynthia Lummis (WY-at… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement regarding today’s announcement that the Democrat Majority will reschedule the Energy and Minerals Subcommittee hearing on the President’s FY 2011 Budget: “I am thankful that the Majority agrees with Republicans on the necessity of holding this oversight hearing. Few issues are more… Read more »

On Saturday, March 13, 2010, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar briefly toured Arizona’s southern border. While he can now check the visit off his to-do list, Secretary Salazar has yet to address how the implementation of environmental regulations by Department of Interior land managers are impeding border security efforts and contributing to drug and human trafficking, violent crimes,… Read more »

Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04), Energy and Minerals Subcommittee Ranking Member Doug Lamborn (CO-05) and six other Members of the Committee sent a letter to Energy and Minerals Subcommittee Chairman Jim Costa requesting that the oversight hearing on the President's Fiscal Year 2011 budget be immediately rescheduled. The President’s budget… Read more »

Following a request from House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services announced today that it would extend the public comment period on its draft proposal to revise the critical habitat designation for bull trout until April 5, 2010. “I appreciate Fish and Wildlife Service’s willingness to allow more time for public comment,”… Read more »