Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources continued its series of full committee oversight hearings on how to improve and update the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Today’s hearing focused on ESA litigation and how attorneys’ fees are being used by certain organizations to continue endless lawsuits. Witnesses at the hearing detailed specific cases throughout the country where ESA… Read more »

According to data recently obtained from the Department of Justice (DOJ) in response to document requests, the federal government has defended more than 570 Endangered Species Act (ESA)-related lawsuits costing U.S. taxpayers more than $15 million in attorney fees – in just the past four years. This data provides further evidence that the ESA has become litigation driven, where money and… Read more »

Today, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) sent a series of letters to the Obama Administration requesting further information on how much the federal government spends on Endangered Species Act (ESA)-related litigation and settlement costs. The ESA has become increasingly driven by litigation and is used by special interest groups as a way to bring hundreds… Read more »

Dear Secretary Salazar and Director Ashe: The Committee on Natural Resources (“Committee”) has jurisdiction over matters involving fisheries and wildlife, including the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (“ESA”), 16 U.S.C. §§ 1531-1599. The goal of the ESA was to preserve, protect and recover key domestic species. However, today the law is failing to achieve its primary purpose of species… Read more »

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… Read more »

HASTINGS: Time to improve the Endangered Species Act By House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings Washington Times May 18, 2012 When the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was signed into law in 1973 by President Nixon, he spoke about the importance of preserving “the rich array of animal life with which our country has been blessed.” I believe that goal is as important… Read more »

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… Read more »

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… Read more »

Today, the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands held a joint legislative and oversight hearing on H.R. 4094, the “Preserving Access to Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area Act,” and, “Access Denied: Turning Away Visitors to National Parks.” “Although today we focused on two examples, Biscayne National Park in Florida and Cape Hatteras in North Carolina,… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement on Judge Redden’s admitted bias to destroy Snake River Dams: Read more »