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Panel: Regulatory Uncertainty, Red Tape Discourages Responsible Energy Development

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Today, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held an oversight hearing on the status of onshore oil and gas leasing and drill permitting processes on federal lands. Members and witnesses discussed improvements to the duplicative and costly bureaucratic policies discouraging operators from leasing federal minerals.   “[N]onfederal production far outpaces federal production…

Excessive Litigation Diverts Interior from Core Mission, Congressional Mandates

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Today, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing examining how excessive litigation is draining taxpayer resources and preventing the Department of the Interior (DOI) from fulfilling its core statutory functions and responsibilities.   “Special interests repeatedly exploit our legal system to further their own agendas and sidestep the legislative and regulatory…

Bishop Statement on Puerto Rico Oversight Board and PREPA

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Yesterday, the Puerto Rico Financial Oversight and Management Board rejected the Puerto Rico Electricity Power Authority (PREPA) restructuring support agreement (RSA) between Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló and PREPA’s creditors.  Chairman Rob Bishop issued the following statement:   “Congress provided a path to stability in Puerto Rico. Yesterday, the Board deviated…

Committee Passes Bill to Improve the Health and Resiliency of Federal Forests

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Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources passed H.R. 2936, the “Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017.” Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) introduced the bipartisan bill to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and dramatically improve the health of federal forests and rangelands. “Our forest health crisis can no longer be neglected. Active management is needed to reduce the risk of…

Committee Passes Bill to Protect Water Rights

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Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources advanced H.R. 2939, the “Water Rights Protection Act of 2017.” Introduced by Rep. Scott Tipton (R-CO), the bill protects privately held water rights from federal overreach.   “In recent years, we have seen federal agencies ignore the concept of private property rights and the tradition of deferring to state water law in an attempt to…

Committee Advances Bill to Ease Impediments to Recreation on Public Lands

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Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources passed H.R. 289, the “Guides and Outfitters Act” or “Go Act.” Introduced by Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), the bill aims to increase public access to recreation activities on federal lands by streamlining the federal permitting process. “For too long, prohibitive costs have been the consequence of duplicative environmental reviews and…

Committee Passes Slate of Mining Reform Bills

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Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources passed a slate of mining reform bills: H.R. 1731, the “Revitalizing the Economy of Coal Communities by Leveraging Local Activities and Investing More Act of 2017” or the “RECLAIM Act,” H.R. 2053, the “Mining School Enhancement Act,” and H.R. 2937, the “Community Reclamation Partnerships Act.”   “The last eight years have wreaked havoc…

Committee Passes Locally Driven Land Exchange Bill to Promote Economic Development in Nevada

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Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources passed H.R. 1107, the “Pershing County Economic Development and Conservation Act.” Introduced by Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV), the bill codifies a bipartisan agreement between major stakeholders in Pershing County, Nevada to benefit conservation, improve federal land management and promote economic development. “This bipartisan, locally-driven…

Committee Passes Bill to Facilitate Alaska's King Cove Land Exchange

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Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources passed H.R. 218, the “King Cove Land Exchange Act.” Introduced by Rep. Don Young (R-AK), this bipartisan bill authorizes a land exchange to facilitate the construction of a road linking the City of King Cove to the City of Cold Bay to access a modern airport. “For too long access to healthcare for the tribes and residents of King Cove has…

Bishop Welcomes Rep. Gianforte to the Natural Resources Committee

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Today, the House Republican Steering Committee appointed Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-MT) to the House Committee on Natural Resources. Rep. Gianforte will serve on the Subcommittee on Federal Lands and the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement:   “I’m excited to welcome Rep. Gianforte to our team. Greg brings western values and…