As part of House Republicans’ American Energy Initiative, the House Natural Resources Committee today held the first in a series of oversight hearings on “Identifying Roadblocks to Wind and Solar Energy on Public Lands and Waters.” House Republicans are committed to advancing an all-of-the-above energy approach, which includes renewable energy, in order to create jobs, lower energy costs… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings issued the following statement on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announcement to delist biologically recovered gray wolf populations in the Western Great Lakes and the Northern Rocky Mountains. The areas affected by the Western Great Lakes proposal are Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin, and portions of adjoining states. The… Read more »

Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) agreed, following a letter from House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings and Reps. Greg Walden, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Jaime Herrera Beutler, Tom McClintock and Wally Herger, to re-open for an additional 30 days public comment on the controversial proposed habitat modeling related to the Northern Spotted Owl. The announcement… Read more »

While in Louisiana, Chairman Doc Hastings had the opportunity to visit the Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge in Southeast Louisiana. During the tour, U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials briefed the Chairman on wetland restoration activities currently underway, energy production activities taking place in the Wildlife Refuge, and other important… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement today regarding passage of H.R. 1473, the Continuing Resolution that funds the federal government through FY2011 and cuts spending by nearly $40 billion: “This bill is the first step in getting our Nation’s fiscal house in order and sends a strong signal to the American people that Congress… Read more »

Today, the House Natural Resources Committee held an oversight hearing on how to harness American resources to create jobs and address rising gasoline prices. The Committee heard from several energy experts who discussed America’s vast energy reserves on federal lands. According to a recently released Congressional Research Service (CRS) report, the United States combined recoverable… Read more »

Secretary Salazar: As you may know, last November a number of Northwest Members of Congress wrote you to express strong concerns about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) Northern Spotted Owl Draft Revised Recovery Plan (Draft Plan) and to request that the public be given additional time and infonnation to comment on the Draft Plan. Many of those concerns remain unaddressed by the… Read more »

Today, at a House Natural Resources Committee Hearing on the Department of the Interior’s Fiscal Year 2012 Budget proposal, Interior Secretary Salazar said: “The 2012 budget reflects many difficult budget choices, cutting worthy programs and advancing efforts to shrink Federal spending...by eliminating and reducing lower priority programs...” There might be something wrong with the… Read more »

Today, the House Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs held an oversight hearing on the FY 2012 budget request for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The hearing focused on $1.69 billion request for FWS, $47.8 billion above FY ’10 levels, and increased funding for government land acquisition. “Two years ago, President Obama told a town hall meeting in Rio… Read more »

Regulations stifle drilling, push gas prices up at pump February 15, 2011 The Hill Rep. Doc Hastings, Chairman House Natural Resources Committee Americans across the country are facing rising gasoline prices that are squeezing families’ monthly budgets and businesses’ ability to prosper and create jobs. There’s a growing anxiety that, like the summer of 2008, prices will once again… Read more »