Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources held a markup on four bills including H.R. 5032 (Rep. Dave Brat, R-VA). The bill removes a federal land-use restriction on a piece of land in the town of Louisa, Virginia so that it may be repurposed to provide residents with a safe supply of drinking water.
Louisa has spent millions of dollars studying ways to comply with… Read more »
Today, H.R. 4245 sponsored by Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-ME) and Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) passed on suspension by voice vote. H.R. 4245 exempts sea urchins, sea cucumbers and other seafood exports from duplicative federal requirements imposed on buyers and sellers of related products by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
“This is a big win for Maine jobs,” Rep. Poliquin said. “Our… Read more »
Today, President Barack Obama expanded the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii by 442,781 square miles. Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) and Congresswoman Aumua Amata (American Samoa) issued the following statements:
“The sweeping size of this expansion is unjustified,” Bishop stated. “It will impose great harm to a critical local… Read more »
Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held an oversight hearing on conflicting ideas between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) that could threaten portions of California’s water supply.
NMFS proposed holding back water behind Shasta Dam through the summer and fall to preserve cold water for the Winter-run Chinook… Read more »
TO: Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell
FROM: Rob Bishop, Chairman House Committee on Natural Resources
Dear Ms. Attorney General and Madame Secretary:
In a February 26, 2015 correspondence (Letter) to Secretary Sally Jewell and former Attorney General Eric Holder, I outlined a number of items that needed to be sent to Congress prior to… Read more »
Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held an oversight hearing on “The Implications of President Obama’s National Ocean Policy.”
President Obama established the National Ocean Council (Council) in 2010, composed of 24 federal officials. The Council is required to develop a framework for coastal and marine spatial planning—an initiative viewed as “zoning” oceans for… Read more »
Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held an oversight hearing to examine the limited growth of hydropower and barriers to expansion.
Hydropower is clean, renewable and emissions-free yet still faces large hurdles in the federal regulatory process. Washington state witness Jessica Matlock, Director of Government Relations for Snohomish County Public Utility District No. 1,… Read more »
Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held a legislative hearing on three bills: H.R. 1869, “Environmental Compliance Cost Transparency Act of 2015,” H.R. 2993, “Water Recycling Acceleration Act of 2015,” and H.R. 4582, “Save Our Salmon (SOS) Act."
H.R. 1869 (Rep. Paul Gosar, R-AZ) provides more transparency and reporting related to environmental costs incurred by the… Read more »
OP-ED: Bold Thinking Needed on Title Transfers
By Congressman Rob Bishop
Chairman, House Committee on Natural Resources
Throughout much of the last century, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation projects have played a significant role in western settlement and development. These projects have provided those in Utah—and elsewhere in the West— critical… Read more »
Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held a budget oversight hearing to review irresponsible spending and harmful regulation under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Bureau of Reclamation and the Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs).
Members criticized the Administration for continuing to curtail… Read more »
