Republican Views on H.R. 860, the "Coral Reef Conservation Act Reauthorization and Enhancement Amendments" Read more »

Republican Views on H.R. 556, the "Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act" Read more »

Click to enlarge Background: Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that he expects President Obama will talk to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia about rising oil prices: Q: Robert, oil prices hit $68 a barrel today -- very substantially up in recent weeks. When the President goes to Saudi Arabia, is [he] going to talk to King Abdullah about that? Is he… Read more »

Ranking Republican Doc Hastings (R-WA) Yesterday marked the 100th day since President Obama signed the $787 billion “stimulus” bill — but the Administration still hasn’t delivered transparency or proven how these taxpayer dollars will create new jobs. For example, the Department of Interior recently… Read more »

As the Administration celebrates the first 100 days of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings sent the attached letter to Dr. Rowan Gould, Acting Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), to request that the Department of the Interior provide greater transparency regarding FWS stimulus projects. In his letter,… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings released the following statement today regarding Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar’s decision to maintain the final 4(d) special rule for polar bears.  This ensures that the listing of the polar bear as a “threatened” species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is not used to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from… Read more »

Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings called upon Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to maintain the final 4(d) special rule for polar bears, which states that the listing of the polar bear as a “threatened” species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) should not be used to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from lawful activities, such as the… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings released the following statement regarding the Presidential Memorandum to require federal agencies to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service about a project’s potential impact on endangered plants and wildlife: “Our country is in the midst of a terrible economic recession and… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) spoke on the House floor today against the rule for H.R. 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations Act, highlighting a secret Democrat policy rider (Sec. 429) that threatens job creation and economic growth across the country. Hastings yesterday attempted to offer an amendment to remove this rider, but was blocked by the… Read more »

Congressional Democrats have inserted a dangerous rider (Sec. 429) into the Fiscal Year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill that would allow the Department of Interior to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Section 429 allows the Interior Department to withdraw two Endangered Species Act rules (one on Section 7 consultation and another on polar bears) within 60 days of… Read more »