Today, the Department of the Interior announced plans to reverse the former administration’s 10 million acre mineral withdrawal across six western states, overhaul the de facto Sage Grouse listing and improve management of the species through greater state input. Chairman Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement:
“These withdrawals were never about Sage Grouse conservation. It was… Read more »
Today, the House passed H.R. 2937, the “Community Reclamation Partnerships Act.” Introduced by Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL), the bill authorizes partnerships between states and non-governmental entities for the purpose of expanding abandoned mine reclamation projects. The bill addresses impediments potential “Community Reclaimers” face in the reclamation process by allowing states to assume… Read more »
Today, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a legislative hearing on three bills to bring greater certainty to the mining industry and shield economic development and energy projects from politically motivated actions.
“[T]he effects [of the Obama Administration’s coal moratorium] were felt most by the people in my state who lost good paying mining jobs and the… Read more »
Today, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held an oversight hearing “Seeking Innovative Solutions for the Future of Hardrock Mining.”
“Hardrock mining on federal land in the United States has a storied past, a challenging present and multiple needs for reform,” Subcommittee Chairman Paul Gosar (R-AZ) said. “From rocks to roads, rare earths to green technologies, and iron… Read more »
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… Read more »
Today, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) released the final Stream Protection Rule. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) released the following statement:
“The Obama administration jammed this futile, job-killing rule through under the wire. The only silver lining with today’s release is that their eight-year waste of taxpayer money finally comes to an end. I look… Read more »
Today, the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management denied the renewal of two long-held federal mineral leases in the Iron Range region of northeastern Minnesota. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement:
“Once again this administration is showing its true colors by eliminating blue collar jobs and impairing rights with the stroke of a pen. Livelihoods and… Read more »
Today, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources discussed mining legislation to address the failed response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Animas spill three months ago and reform policies that currently impede abandoned mine cleanup nationally.
H.R. 3843 introduced by Subcommittee Chairman Doug Lamborn (CO-5), the “Locatable Minerals Claim Location and… Read more »
Today, the House passed H.R. 1937, the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act of 2015 with bipartisan support by a vote of 254-177. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) released the following statement:
“China is winning and we are losing. Rather than harness our abundant mineral resources for the betterment of our national security, economic stability, and basic… Read more »
Today, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement following passage of H.R. 4, the Jobs for America Act, by a bipartisan vote of 253-163. This legislation included H.R. 1526, the Restoring Heathy Forests for Healthy Communities Act, sponsored by Chairman Doc Hastings and H.R. 761, the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production… Read more »
