Dear Secretary Salazar:
The Department of the Interior ("Department") established the Investigations and Review Unit ("IRU") in 2010, reportedly to respond to allegations of wrongdoing and unethical behavior by the offshore oil and gas industry and the Department officials who regulate those activities and to help coordinate the Department's response to significant… Read more »
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) yesterday released disturbing new data that shows the United States has been increasing its dependence on oil from one of the most unstable regions in the world. Middle Eastern oil now accounts for more than 25 percent of American oil imports—a nine year high that has come at the same time as record gasoline prices.
No wonder gasoline… Read more »
House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) today sent a letter to Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to follow up on a more than two and a half year investigation into the Obama Administration’s decision to throw out the 2008 Stream Buffer Zone coal regulation, and write a new regulation that could destroy up to 7,000 coal mining jobs and cause economic… Read more »
House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) today received the “Water Warrior” award from the Family Farm Alliance at their annual conference. The Family Farm Alliance is an advocate for family farmers, ranchers, irrigation districts, and allied industries in seventeen Western states. The award is given to individuals who have provided long-term support for western… Read more »
Dear Secretary Salazar:
Two years ago you received the first in a series of letters asking for information and documents that would explain the deeply concerning decisions made by the Department and the Office of Surface Mining ("OSM") over the last few years related to the decision to discard nearly 5 years of rulemaking and begin a rewrite of Stream Buffer Zone Rule. The Committee has… Read more »
House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) today released the following statement after the Department of the Interior finalized plans to lock up the majority of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) from energy production.
“As gasoline prices continue to increase for the 34th day in a row, the Obama Administration has responded by locking up a majority… Read more »
Yesterday marked 32 days in a row of increased gasoline prices, a 13 percent jump, according to the Automobile Association of America (AAA), which estimates the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is $3.74. When President Obama took office in January 2009, the average price for gallon of gasoline was $1.84. Since taking office, President Obama has prevented new American… Read more »
A Congressional Research Service (CRS) memo released this week shows that wages for workers in oil and gas extraction have increased over 23% since 2007. During a time period in which the U.S. has faced dire unemployment rates, rampant job loss, and near economic collapse, workers in the oil and gas industry have continued to see above average increases in earnings.
The oil and… Read more »
Today, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, and Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell sent a letter to Interior Secretary Nominee Sally Jewell asking for a re-examination of the Administration’s policies towards energy exploration and production on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The Administration has continually blocked access to energy… Read more »
During last night’s State of the Union, President Obama claimed his Administration has been actively working to speed up Applications for Permits to Drill (APDs) for energy producers on federal lands:
“That’s why my Administration will keep cutting red tape and speeding up new oil and gas permits.”
But facts are stubborn things and that statement simply is not true. Under President… Read more »
