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Oversight and Investigations

Field Hearing Examines Need for Long Term Solution to Fight Pine Beetle Epidemic, Prevent Wildfires

| Posted in Press Release

On Sunday, the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands held a field hearing in Hill City, South Dakota on the “Impact of the Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic in the Black Hills.” Subcommittee Chairman Rob Bishop (UT-01) and Representative Kristi Noem (SD-At Large) attended the hearing and heard from government officials, local industry and private land owners who testified…

Groups Call for Passage of Republican Legislation to Enhance Border Security on Federal Lands

| Posted in Press Release

Today the House National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee held a hearing on H.R. 1505, the National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act, legislation introduced by Subcommittee Chairman Rob Bishop (UT-01) to enhance border security on federal lands. H.R. 1505 would ensure the Border Patrol, not federal land managers, have operational control of our borders and are not…

Hastings Praises Subcommittee Passage of Interior Approps Bill

| Posted in Press Release

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement after the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee passed the FY 2012 spending bill: "This spending bill accomplishes the difficult goal of ending runaway government spending while still providing funding to both protect and harness our nation’s natural resources. By setting…

Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands to Hold South Dakota Field Hearing on Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic

| Posted in Committee Action

On Sunday, July 10, 2011 the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands will hold an Oversight Field Hearing in Hill City, South Dakota on the “Impacts of the Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic in the Black Hills.” Mountain Pine Beetles have spread throughout the West and reached epidemic levels in America’s forests. These beetles specifically infect and…

Hastings, Bishop Meet with DOI Officials to Discuss Wild Lands Order and Future Wilderness Policy

| Posted in Press Release

Today, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) and Parks, Forest and Public Lands Subcommittee Chairman Rob Bishop (UT-01) met privately with Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey and Department of the Interior Deputy Secretary David Hayes to discuss the Wild Lands Secretarial Order. The meeting was intended to clarify the intentions of Secretary Salazar’s…

Here We Go Again: Obama Administration Blocks Access To American Energy, Sends Jobs Overseas, Increases Dependence on Foreign Energy

| Posted in Press Release

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement after Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced a six month extension of a ban on uranium mining outside the borders of the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. “Today’s announcement by the Obama Administration plunges America even deeper into the depths of dependence on…

Chairman Hastings’ Statement on Secretary Salazar’s Wilderness Proposal

| Posted in Press Release

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement in response to Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Ken Salazar’s letter to Congress concerning wilderness area designations: “Based on the Obama Administration’s track record in this area, I’m taking a ‘trust but verify’ approach to their actions. The Administration only set aside its…

Obama Administration is No Friend of Rural America

| Posted in Blog

Today, the Obama Administration announced the formation of the White House Rural Council. The Council, to be chaired by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, aims to “strengthen rural communities and promote economic growth.” However, the goals of the Council are at direct odds with the Obama Administration’s previous actions and job-killing agenda. Below is a breakdown of just a few of…

End the Lockout of Border Patrol to Federal Lands - Vote "Aye" on the Lummis Amendment

| Posted in Dear Colleagues

Dear Colleague, The Lummis Amendment to the 2012 Homeland Security Appropriations bill is focused on the serious problem of our Nation’s border security taking a back seat to environmental laws and the regulatory whims of Department of the Interior land managers. An October 2010 GAO report revealed that critical access by the Border Patrol to federal land is routinely blocked and…