CLEAR Act: "House Democrats should ask themselves if they are about to vote for a bill that is simply a setup to enact a cap-and-trade tax into law." White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs kept the dream of a cap-and-trade national energy tax alive this week by confirming that it’s still not too late to exploit the tragedy in the Gulf in order to push through this job-killing measure.… Read more »

Read the full Dear Colleague HERE. A hallmark of this Democrat controlled Congress has been the dramatic increase in spending, and they keep that tradition going strong with the CLEAR Act. The bill includes an over $30 billion increase in new, mandatory spending over the next 30 years for programs that are completely unrelated to the oil spill. Even more egregious, Democrats have added… Read more »

Although the House is expected to vote tomorrow on “oil spill” legislation (The CLEAR Act), things aren’t going as well over on the other side of the Capitol. According to The Hill: “Senate Democrats and Republicans appear on a collision course that would sink chances of passing oil-spill and energy legislation amid disagreements over both substance and process.” House Democrats must be… Read more »

Basic Facts on the CLEAR Act (H.R. 3534) The CLEAR Act is being sold as a response to the Gulf oil spill crisis, yet the bill itself stretches far beyond addressing this tragedy to include page after page of provisions that are unrelated to the oil spill, will kill American jobs, and are premature by acting before Congress has the full facts from the numerous ongoing investigations… Read more »

To expand the boundaries of the Cibola National Forest in New Mexico (H.R. 5388) July 22, 2010 Full Committee Markup Reporting H.R. 5388 out of Committee (Passed by Voice Vote) H.R. 5388 transfers two Bureau of Land Management (BLM) parcels of land around the Cibola National Forest in New Mexico.  The two parcels, the Manzano area and the Crest of Montezuma, are 896 acres and 917… Read more »

The Great Ape Conservation Act (H.R. 4416) July 22, 2010 Full Committee Markup Reporting H.R. 4416 out of Committee (Passed by Voice Vote) This legislation extends the Great Ape Conservation Fund to finance projects to help conserve Great Apes (chimpanzees, gorillas, baboons, orangutans and gibbons) and would increase the authorization for the program from $5 million to $7.5 million a… Read more »

Committee Republicans Send Letter to Interior Department Acting Inspector General Mary Kendall Calling For Investigation on DOI Report Recommending Drilling Moratorium Read more »

The Consolidated Land Energy and Aquatic Resources Act (H.R. 3534) July 14, 2010 Full Committee Markup Reporting H.R. 3534 out of Committee (View Roll Call Vote) Although promoted as a bill to establish new laws and regulations in response to the Deepwater Horizon spill, The CLEAR Act includes numerous provisions that are unrelated to the spill response or reforms to offshore drilling.… Read more »

Resolution of Inquiry Requesting Additional Documents on the Secretary of Interior’s Proposed Treasured Landscape Initiative (H.Res. 1254) May 5, 2010 Full Committee Markup Reporting H.Res. 1254 out of Committee (View Roll Call Vote) This Resolution of Inquiry directs the Secretary of the Interior to turn over to the House of Representatives specific information relating to Department… Read more »

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park Leasing and Boundary Expansion Act of 2010 (H.R. 4438) May 5, 2010 Full Committee Markup Reporting H.R. 4438 out of Committee (Voted favorably by voice vote) The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park Leasing and Boundary Expansion Act of 2010 would expand the boundary of the Park to include an additional 151 acres, only a small… Read more »