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… Read more »
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… Read more »
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… Read more »
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… Read more »
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… Read more »
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… Read more »
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… Read more »
Today, the House passed H.R. 1873, the “Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act,” by a bipartisan vote of 300-118. Introduced by Reps. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR), the bipartisan bill provides streamlined processes for the removal of hazardous vegetative overgrowth within or adjacent to electricity infrastructure on federal lands.
“This bill streamlines another… Read more »
Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held a legislative hearing on two bills to lessen the costs of federal water and power infrastructure to American ratepayers.
H.R. 2083 (Rep. Jaime Herrera-Beutler, R-WA), the bipartisan supported “Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act,” allows states and tribes to lethally take non-native sea lions under certain… Read more »
Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held a legislative hearing on two bills to increase federal transparency, safeguard private and state water rights, and provide certainty to water and power users.
The “Water Rights Protection Act” discussion draft (Rep. Scott Tipton, R-CO) protects state water law and private property rights from future federal… Read more »
