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Obama Administration Places Vast Majority of OCS Off Limits

| Posted in Press Release

Although President Obama today announced what he called the “expansion of offshore oil and gas exploration,” in reality the President LOCKED UP more land to American energy production - as shown on the maps below. Click to enlarge map Under the Presidential and Congressional Moratoria in place from 1981 through September 2008, all of the Atlantic and the majority of the Pacific…

Hastings’ Statement on Corps of Engineers Release of Outline on How to Study Snake River Dam Removal

| Posted in Press Release

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…

As gas prices rise, President blocks energy production and job creation in vast majority of America’s offshore areas

| Posted in Press Release

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…

Hot Air Alert: One Month After Republicans Request “Missing Pages” on Plans for Potential New National Monuments, Nothing But Crickets from Interior Department

| Posted in Hot Air Alert

Exactly one month ago today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04); National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee Ranking Member Rob Bishop (UT-01); and 14 Members of Congress sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar requesting missing pages and additional information regarding the Administration’s secret plans to designate 13 million…

Ranking Member Hastings' Floor Speech Regarding the "Obama Moratorium" on Offshore Drilling

| Posted in Floor Statements

Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) delivered a floor speech highlighting the Obama Administration's refusal to move forward with the current five-year Outer Continental Shelf leasing plan, essentially creating an "Obama Moratorium" on new offshore energy production until 2012.  Full video and text of the speech follow: Click here to watch the floor…

88 House Republicans Send Letter to Salazar Calling on Administration to End “Obama Moratorium” on Offshore Drilling

| Posted in Press Release

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…

Democrats Hold Hearing on Administration’s Plan to Constrict Snakes in the Everglades

| Posted in Resourceful Information

Today, the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife will hold a joint oversight hearing with the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands to examine non-native constrictor snakes as invasive species in the Florida Everglades. The hearing follows Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Ken Salazar’s announcement to list nine non-native snakes (non-venomous…

Overcoming Democrat Opposition, Republicans Pass Amendment and Motion-to-Recommit that Protect Youth and Taxpayers

| Posted in Press Release

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…

House to Vote on Public Lands Service Corps Act

| Posted in Press Release

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,…

Hastings Introduces Bipartisan Cabin Fee Fairness Legislation

| Posted in Press Release

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…