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Forests

Chairman Hastings Statement on Transportation Bill Conference Report

| Posted in Press Release

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement regarding the Conference Report on H.R. 4348 – the Surface Transportation Extension: “This agreement includes several important, common sense measures to help create new American jobs, cut government red tape and provide the necessary resources for high-priority infrastructure projects vital…

Witnesses Support Bipartisan Bill to Establish Manhattan Project National Historical Park

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands held a legislative hearing on H.R. 5987, a bipartisan bill introduced by Natural Resources Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04), Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03) and Congressman Ben Lujan (NM-03) to establish a Manhattan Project National Historical Park that will include facilities at Hanford, Washington, Oak Ridge,…

Northwest Federal Forest Regulations Have Devastated Forest Health, Local Economies With Little Benefit to Northern Spotted Owl

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands held an oversight field hearing in Longview, Washington on, “Failed Federal Forest Policies: Endangering Jobs, Forests and Species.” The hearing examined how federal implementation of the Northwest Forest Plan and Endangered Species Act has affected local economies, forest health and the Northern Spotted Owl. “To put it…

Field Hearing Stresses Need for Active Forest Management to Suppress Bark Beetle Epidemic, Protect Water and Power Supplies

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House Subcommittees on Water and Power and National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands held a joint oversight field hearing in Montrose, Colorado entitled, “Logs in the Road: Eliminating Federal Red Tape and Excessive Litigation to Create Healthy Forests, Jobs and Abundant Water and Power Supplies.” At the hearing, Subcommittee Chairmen Rob Bishop (UT-01) and Tom McClintock…

Witnesses: Bills to Amend Lacey Act Would Correct Unintended Consequences of Law, Protect from Over-Criminalization

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs held a legislative hearing on two bills that would amend the Lacey Act, H.R. 3210, the “Retailers and Entertainers Lacey Implementation and Enforcement Fairness Act,” and H.R. 4171, the “Freedom from Over-Criminalization and Unjust Seizures Act of 2012.” The Lacey Act was first enacted in 1900 to protect native…

Chairman Hastings' Statement at Conference Committee Meeting on Highway Bill

| Posted in Op-Eds and Speeches

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) delivered the following opening statement today at the Conference Committee meeting on the Highway bill: “The federal government’s slow, cumbersome bureaucracy is consistently getting in the way of job creation and economic growth. Nowhere is this more evident than infrastructure and energy projects, where burdensome red…

Sportsmen, Conservation and Second Amendment Advocates Support Natural Resources Committee Legislation to Protect Hunting

| Posted in Blog

Multiple sportsmen, conservation and second amendment advocate organizations are calling for passage of H.R. 4089. Specifically, the Sportsmen's Heritage Act of 2012 reaffirms that fishing, hunting, and shooting are important and traditional activities that should continue on Forest Service (FS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. The bill provides a clear legislative basis for…

Witnesses Call for Increased Public Participation, Transparency in Federal Land Management Decision-Making Process

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands held an oversight field hearing in Elko, Nevada entitled, “Explosion of Federal Regulations Threatening Jobs and Economic Survival in the West.” At the hearing, Subcommittee Chairman Rob Bishop (UT-01) and Representative Mark Amodei (NV-02) heard testimony from the U.S. Forest Service, local officials and impacted…

Committee Passes Secure Rural Schools, PILT Legislation to Create Jobs, Stimulate Rural Economies & Restore Forest Health

| Posted in Press Release

The House Natural Resources Committee today passed H.R. 4019, the Federal Forest County Revenue, Schools and Jobs Act of 2012, by a vote of 26 to 17. The bill aims to restore economic stability in forested counties that lost valuable revenue used to support schools, infrastructure and emergency services when the timber industry sharply declined in the 1990s due to federal regulations and…

National and Local Organizations Support Committee Efforts to Create Jobs and Restore Healthy Forest Management

| Posted in Resourceful Information

Today, the Committee will mark up H.R. 4019, the Federal Forest County Revenue, Schools and Jobs Act of 2012, a long-term solution that would provide rural counties with a stable revenue stream, create jobs and grow rural economies. Numerous national and local organizations, including local officials from 70 counties in 13 states, have contacted Congress to show their support for…