Skip to Content

Federal Lands

Chairman Hastings' Op-Ed in The Washington Times: Time to improve the Endangered Species Act

| Posted in Op-Eds and Speeches

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…

Military Readiness and Southern Sea Otter Conservation Act (H.R. 4043)

| Posted in Committee Votes

Reporting H.R. 4043 Out of Committee (Passed 24-13. View Roll Call Vote) This bill would create Southern Sea Otter Military Readiness Areas in three specific areas off the southern California coast. Sea otter range expansion would go forward as determined by the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). However, military activities in these three military readiness areas would not be in…

House Votes to Halt Funding for Obama Administration's Mandatory Ocean Zoning

| Posted in Press Release

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) and Representative Bill Flores (TX-17) released the following statements after the House passed, in a bipartisan vote of 246 to 174, an amendment offered by Rep. Flores to the FY 2013 Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill to halt funding for the implementation of Executive…

Farm Bureau Supports Flores Amendment to CJS; Says Ocean Policy Could Reach Every Farm and Ranch in the United States

| Posted in Dear Colleagues

Dear Colleague, Today, the House continues consideration of H.R. 5326, making appropriations for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2013, and for other purposes. As part of House Republicans’ effort to combat unnecessary spending and burdensome federal regulations, Representative Flores (TX-17) will sponsor an…

Over 80 Groups Support Passage of Flores Amendment

| Posted in Dear Colleagues

Dear Colleague, Over 80 groups across a spectrum of sectors including agriculture, fishing, construction, manufacturing, mining, oil and natural gas, and renewable energy, have come together to support Representative Flores' (TX-17) amendment to prohibit funding for the implementation of President Obama’s National Ocean Policy. These industries support tens of millions of jobs and…

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…

H.R. 5326 CJS Approps: Support the Flores Amendment to Prevent New Layers of Federal Bureaucracy

| Posted in Dear Colleagues

Dear Colleague, This week the House will vote on H.R. 5326, making appropriations for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2013, and for other purposes. As part of House Republicans effort to combat unnecessary spending and burdensome federal regulations, Representative Flores (TX-17) is sponsoring an amendment…

Members Send Letter To House Appropriators Asking for a "Time Out" on Funding for President Obama's Plan to Zone the Oceans

| Posted in Press Release

Led by Natural Resources Committee Member Bill Flores (TX-17), 23 Members today sent a letter to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (KY-05) asking that all FY 2013 appropriations bills include language to prohibit the use of funds for the implementation of President Obama’s ocean zoning and National Ocean Policy for Fiscal Year 2013. The letter highlights concerns over…

23 House Republicans Letter to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers Requesting a Prohibition on Funding for the Implementation of President Obama's Ocean Zoning Policy

| Posted in Letters

Dear Chairman Rogers: Our oceans support more than 28 million American jobs. This activity, along with Coastal and Great Lake States maritime activities contribute to more than 80% of our domestic economy. Proper stewardship of this vital resource will always remain a National interest. Concerns have been raised, however, that the National Ocean Policy, created by Executive Order 13547,…