Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) led the committee's Republican leadership in a letter urging Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) to postpone the upcoming full committee markup in light of the urgent crises facing Americans. In part, the members wrote: "We have grave concerns about the extremely partisan budget reconciliation package… Read more »

Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) led a special order on the House floor, where members showcased the devastating consequences this administration's inaction on western water is having during a severe drought season. "For months now, we have sounded the alarm, only to be met with inaction from both the administration and our… Read more »

Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) joined Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and other Republican members in a letter to U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, urging them to take swift action to address the… Read more »

Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued a proposed rule to withdraw a 2021 Trump administration rule that would have excluded 3.4 million acres of critical habitat for the northern spotted owl. "Yet again, this administration is backing an anti-science proposal that will only make the problem worse. The Fish and Wildlife Service has already proven that declining… Read more »

Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources held a markup, reporting a total of 14 bills out of committee. Twelve of these bills were bipartisan - including U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks' (R-Iowa) recently-introduced Veterans in Parks (VIP) Act - and passed by unanimous consent.  However, committee Democrats also advanced legislation that would be detrimental to… Read more »

Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced it will be rolling back a significant portion of Endangered Species Act (ESA) reforms put in place by the Trump administration. House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement in response: "Today's ESA announcement is yet another example of how out of touch the Biden… Read more »

Today, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) released its budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2022. House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement in response: "It's very telling that the administration chose to roll out their budget more than three months behind schedule on a Friday before a holiday weekend, right when many… Read more »

Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources held a markup, reporting a total of eight bills out of committee. Several of these bills were bipartisan, and passed by unanimous consent: H.R. 438, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), amends the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children Act to extend the deadline for a report by the Alyce… Read more »

Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Water, Oceans and Wildlife Subcommittee Ranking Member Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.) led a forum on the catastrophic drought situation across the American West.  "It says a lot that we have a diverse collection of western members and witnesses who can speak firsthand about the drought’s impacts,"… Read more »

Today, the Department of the Interior (DOI) announced a proposed rule to revoke the final regulation regarding the incidental take of migratory birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement in response: "Legislators and government agencies have a responsibility to… Read more »