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Energy and Mineral Resources

Bishop: OPEC and Russia Applaud the President’s Methane Announcement

| Posted in Press Release

Today, during a joint news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Obama announced plans to develop federal methane regulations on existing domestic energy sources.  Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement:   “If OPEC and Russia want to succeed in their war against American energy dominance, it’s this agenda that will allow them to do…

DOI Agencies Under Fire for Rampant Energy Regulation, Killing Jobs

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources questioned witnesses from the three major federal agencies on the President’s 2017 budget and the Administration’s overly-prescriptive federal regulations. The panel included representatives from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the Bureau of Land Management…

Bishop on Methane Rule: Regulation In Search of Legacy – at the Expense of People

| Posted in Press Release

Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement on the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) methane venting rule: “For close to a decade, we’ve witnessed unprecedented energy growth alongside steady reductions in emissions driven by innovation – not federal intervention. Emissions nose-dived as people thrived producing their own energy-rich…

Bishop: President Obama Begins Moratorium on Affordable Energy

| Posted in Press Release

Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement on the Obama Administration’s coal lease moratorium on Federal lands.   “Yep, there they go again. Americans now know the ‘all-of-the-above’ energy agenda the President repeatedly claimed to support was an election year lie. This unprecedented action will completely shut down coal leasing on…

Bishop: Energy is Essential to Puerto Rico’s Future Prosperity

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a hearing on the circumstances leading to the current financial crisis faced by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), the state-owned, self-regulated monopoly that operates as Puerto Rico’s  public utility. “Today we took a step forward to uncover the origins of Puerto Rico’s fiscal failures and identifying…

House Passes Bill to Increase Transparency and Cut Duplicative Regulations

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House, by a vote of 235-188, passed H.R. 1644, the Supporting Transparent Regulatory and Environmental Actions in Mining Act (STREAM Act). Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) released the following statement: “The Obama Administration’s development of the stream buffer zone rule exposes the President’s disdain for the rule of law and the concerns of people,” stated Chairman Bishop.…

Congress Seeks Answers from BLM on Postponement of Recent Oil and Gas Lease Sales

| Posted in Press Release

Today, fifteen Congressmen sent a letter to Janice Schneider, Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of the Interior, expressing serious concerns with the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) repeated postponement of lease sales.  In particular, the Members raised concerns about the appearance of significant influence from special interest and environmental groups, which prompted…

Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Bipartisan Mining Reform Legislation in an Underground Mining Classroom

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a legislative field hearing in Idaho Springs, Colorado on H.R. 3734, the “Mining Schools Enhancement Act,” introduced by Rep. Cresent Hardy (R-NV). This bill, in combination with H.R. 3843 (Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO)), the “Locatable Minerals Claim Location and Maintenance Fees Act,” and H.R. 3844 (Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA)), the…

Bishop Letter to U.S. Bureau of Land Management Director Neil Kornze

| Posted in Letters

TO: The Honorable Neil Kornze FROM: Rob Bishop, Chairman Dear Director Kornze:  I am writing to express concerns regarding the Bureau of Land Management's ("BLM") proposed updates to Onshore Orders 3, 4, and 5. Collectively, these orders address the measurement, collection and securing of information relating to produced oil and natural gas on federal lands. I understand the BLM…

Bishop: Onshore Orders Regulation Needs Stakeholder Input to Protect Future Federal Land Development

| Posted in Press Release

Today, Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) sent a letter to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Neil Kornze, outlining concerns with the BLM’s proposed revisions to how the federal government measures and verifies oil and gas production rates on federal lands (Onshore Orders 3,4, and 5). “I am deeply concerned that the BLM did not regularly engage industry stakeholders to ensure that any…