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Water, Wildlife and Fisheries

Members Review Proposals to Modernize Federal Fisheries Management

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Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held a legislative hearing on a series of bills aimed at improving federal fisheries management for commercial and recreational fisherman. “Many of you here today probably consider this to be a fishery hearing, but I assure you it is much more than that. Whether we are talking about a commercial, recreational, or charter boat operation,…

Bishop Statement on House Appropriations Package

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Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement on House passage of H.R. 3354, the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act of 2018: “This package builds on the administration’s efforts to reduce bureaucracy and promote regulatory certainty across the Department of the Interior and other federal land management agencies.” H.R. 3354 includes policies and funding…

Committee Passes Bills to Spur Private Investment in Water Infrastructure, Increase Federal Transparency

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources passed H.R. 3281 (Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-CO), the “Reclamation Title Transfer and Non-Federal Infrastructure Incentivization Act,” and H.R. 2371 (Rep. Paul Gosar, R-AZ), the “Western Area Power Administration Transparency Act.” H.R. 3281 streamlines the process of transferring select Bureau of Reclamation projects or facilities to local water…

Bishop Statement on Formal WOTUS Withdrawal

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Today, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers formally proposed the withdrawal of the Waters of the U.S. Rule in the Federal Register. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement: “This long-overdue withdrawal is a win for farmers, states, communities and private property rights. I want to thank the Trump Administration for their steadfast…

Committee Calls for Improved Science, Local Flexibility and Regulatory Certainty in Magnuson-Stevens

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Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held a hearing examining the successes and needed updates to the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA). Passed in 1976, MSA is the primary law governing fisheries in federal waters. The law requires federal fishery managers to impose an annual catch limit on both commercial and recreational fisheries. Critics of this system argue that it represents…

House Passes Water Bill to Promote Abundant Water Supply to California and the West

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Today, the House passed H.R. 23 (Rep. David Valadao, R-CA), the “Gaining Responsibility on Water Act” or “GROW Act.” The bill addresses underlying federal policy, regulatory and administrative failures that have contributed to the mismanagement of water supplies across the West.   “Dogmatic paradigms and failed federal policies that promote water indigence must end,” Chairman Rob…

Committee Passes Bill to Protect Water Rights

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Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources advanced H.R. 2939, the “Water Rights Protection Act of 2017.” Introduced by Rep. Scott Tipton (R-CO), the bill protects privately held water rights from federal overreach.   “In recent years, we have seen federal agencies ignore the concept of private property rights and the tradition of deferring to state water law in an attempt to…

Bishop: Pumped Storage Integral to "All of the Above" Energy Strategy

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Today, the House passed H.R. 1967, the “Bureau of Reclamation Pumped Storage Hydropower Development Act.” Introduced by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), the bipartisan bill authorizes expanded pumped storage hydropower at select Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) facilities. “For an ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy we need ‘all-of-the-above’ energy infrastructure. This bill bolsters a diverse and…

Bishop Statement on WOTUS Recission

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Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its decision to rescind the Obama Administration’s Waters of the United States Rule (WOTUS). Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement: “This rule aggrandized federal bureaucrats at the expense of farmers’ water and private property rights. EPA’s decision to stay and now rescind WOTUS is another welcome act from…

House Passes "One Stop-Shop" Permitting Bill to Expand Water Storage Infrastructure

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Today, the House passed H.R. 1654, the “Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act,” by a bipartisan vote of 233-180. Introduced by Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA), the bill creates a “one-stop-shop” permitting process through the Bureau of Reclamation for new or expanded surface storage facilities. It streamlines agency permit requirements that sometimes impose unnecessary costs and burdens on…