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Chairmen Question DOJ Treatment of EPA in Animas River Disaster

| Posted in Press Release

Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT), House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and House Oversight and Government Reform Interior Subcommittee Chairman Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) requesting a briefing. Specifically, the chairmen request DOJ explain its decision not to…

Bloomberg: Fight Pipeline, Drill for Oil: Either Way, Tribes Want Control of Their Lands

| Posted in In Case You Missed It

By: Catherine Traywick The Southern Ute Indian Tribe of southwestern Colorado has a higher long-term credit rating than Wells Fargo & Co., and more oil and natural-gas wells than it has members. Welcome to the other side of the tribal land energy conundrum. While the Standing Rock Sioux have drawn considerable media coverage for their fight against the Dakota Access…

USGS Study Reveals Extensive Impacts of Obama Administration’s War on Mineral Development

| Posted in Press Release

U.S. Secretary of the Interior (DOI) Sally Jewell is developing controversial plans to cordon off approximately 10 million acres of federal lands located in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming from mineral development. The withdrawals are one plank of the Obama administration's broader regulatory scheme to create a de-facto Endangered Species Act listing for the sage grouse.…

Wall Street Journal: It’s Time for the Feds to Get Out of Indian Country

| Posted in In Case You Missed It

By: Terry L. Anderson and Shawn Regan As Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump court the minority vote, they have paid virtually no attention to one of the most impoverished groups—Native Americans. More than any other group, American Indians are shackled by bureaucratic red tape that deprives them of the same rights and dignity as other Americans. The continuing…

Deputy Director William Werkheiser to Rep. Gohmert

| Posted in Letters

TO: Rep. Louie Gohmert FROM: U.S. Geological Survey Deputy Director William Werkheiser Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for your letter dated September 23, 2016, requesting information related to two scientific integrity incidents that occurred at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Geochemistry Laboratory (EGL) Inorganic Section, which the USGS closed on March 1, 2016.  Read…

Bishop: Obama Administration’s Lack of Wildfire Strategy Keeps Communities At Risk

| Posted in Press Release
Tags: Wildfires

Washington, D.C. – White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shaun Donovan and U.S. Forest Service (FS) leadership today hosted a national media call on wildfire activity in California and nationally. House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement in response to the Administration’s flawed and lackluster…

Panel: Tribes Flourish When the Federal Government Gets Out of Their Way

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources held an oversight hearing titled, “Tribal Prosperity and Self-Determination through Energy Development.”  Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) and Congressman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) joined a panel of expert witnesses to discuss obstacles and potential for energy and natural resource development on tribal lands. Indian energy resources hold…

Bishop: Interior’s Response to Management Failure at Effigy Mounds is Unacceptable

| Posted in Press Release

After correspondence and two staff briefings with the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the National Park Service (NPS) on the decades of systemic mismanagement of natural and cultural resources at Effigy Mounds National Monument (EFMO), the House Committee on Natural Resources is conducting further oversight. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) released the following statement: “The…

Bishop: Obama Administration’s Final Species Petition Regulations Demonstrate Need for ESA Reform

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced final revisions to regulations governing the petition process under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement: “This announcement is a call for help from the administration and an acknowledgement that ESA is broken. These revisions give…

Bishop: Native Hawaiian Rule is Unconstitutional

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the U.S. Department of the Interior issued the final rule to create a Native Hawaiian government. The rule, which is highly disputed and raises difficult constitutional issues, includes new administrative procedures and criteria for establishing such relationships. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) released the following statement: “What the President wants, the President gets. This rule…