Today, fifteen Congressmen sent a letter to Janice Schneider, Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of the Interior, expressing serious concerns with the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) repeated postponement of lease sales. In particular, the Members raised concerns about the appearance of significant influence from special interest and environmental groups, which prompted… Read more »
Today, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a legislative field hearing in Idaho Springs, Colorado on H.R. 3734, the “Mining Schools Enhancement Act,” introduced by Rep. Cresent Hardy (R-NV). This bill, in combination with H.R. 3843 (Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO)), the “Locatable Minerals Claim Location and Maintenance Fees Act,” and H.R. 3844 (Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA)), the… Read more »
Yesterday the Senate passed S. 209, the “Indian Tribal Energy Development and Self-Determination Act Amendments of 2015,” a bill similar to H.R. 538, the “Native American Energy Act” that passed the House on October 8, 2015. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) released the following statement:
“I am pleased the Senate has followed suit and acted on legislation to alleviate barriers that… Read more »
At yesterday’s oversight hearing on the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Role in the EPA’s Animas Spill, both Republicans and Democrats on the Committee raised numerous questions about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) involvement with the peer review process of the Bureau of Reclamation’s (BOR) study on the EPA’s Animas spill, particularly in light of USACE’s technical… Read more »
TO: Lieutenant General Thomas Bostick
FROM: Louie Gohmert, Chairman Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Dear General Bostick:
On August 5, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") caused the spill of approximately 3 million gallons of contaminated mine water from the Gold King Mine in San Juan County, Colorado. The contaminated plume traveled through the Animas… Read more »
TO: The Honorable Gene Dodaro
FROM: Rob Bishop, Chairman
Dear Mr. Dodaro:
On August 5, 2015, an Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") crew working at the Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado spilled approximately 3 million gallons of contaminated mine water into Cement Creek. The plume then flowed into the Animas River, a tributary of the San Juan River. Four states and… Read more »
Following the oversight hearing on the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Role in the EPA’s Animas Spill where Secretary Sally Jewell testified but failed to substantively answer the Committee’s questions, Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) requested an independent review from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) about the scope, objectivity, and thoroughness of the DOI report,… Read more »
During the Committee’s oversight hearing on the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Role in the EPA’s Animas Spill, Committee members raised concerns about the DOI’s response to the spill, the lack of transparency and objectivity and the narrow scope of the Bureau of Reclamation’s (BOR) report. Secretary Sally Jewell’s testimony four months after the spill raised several concerns,… Read more »
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2130, the “Red River Private Property Protection Act” by a vote of 253-177. The Committee passed the legislation in September. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) commented upon passage:
“The ‘Red River Private Property Protection Act’ stops the Bureau of Land Management’s unwanted, unwarranted attempt to seize thousands of acres of land… Read more »
