Manufacturers of computer chips, fiber-optic cables, semi-conductors, life-saving medical imaging devices, and other advanced technologies are already calling for passage of H.R. 527, The Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act. This bipartisan legislation, introduced this week by Chairman Doc Hastings, would prevent the closure of the Federal Helium Reserve, which by law is… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04), joined House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (OK-03), Rep. Randy Neubebauer (TX-19), and six other members of Congress in sending a letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS) Director Dan Ashe calling on him to promptly approve state and local plans to protect the Lesser Prairie Chicken and requesting… Read more »

House Natural Resources Public Lands and Environmental Regulation Subcommittee Chairman Rob Bishop (UT-01), along with Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04), Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (MI-06), Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard “Buck” McKeon (CA-25), and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (PA-09), today sent… Read more »

February 7, 2013 Reminder: Earmark Moratorium Applies to Bills Referred to Natural Resources Committee Dear Colleague: It is important for all Members to recognize that the moratorium on earmarks applies to matters and bills referred to the Natural Resources Committee. If you are preparing or writing a bill that falls within the jurisdiction of the Natural Resources… Read more »

We are writing to request at least a 60-day extension of the comment period and at least a 90-day extension of the final listing deadline for the proposed rule to list the Lesser Prairie-Chicken (LPC) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. We also request that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), in coordination with the Western Association of Fish and… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-WA), along with Ranking Member Ed Markey (D-MA), Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX) and Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ), today introduced H.R. 527, The Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act. This bipartisan legislation would prevent the closure of the Federal Helium Reserve, which by law is scheduled to close later this year resulting… Read more »

House Natural Resources Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement on President Obama’s nomination of Recreational Equipment Inc., “REI” CEO Sally Jewell to be Secretary of the Interior. “The Secretary of the Interior should be an advocate for protecting and actively harnessing our Nation’s lands and natural resources for public gain. If confirmed as Secretary of the… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement after reviewing Dr. Joseph R. Mason’s report on the “Economic Effects of Immediately Opening Federal Lands to Oil and Gas Leasing: A Response to the Congressional Budget Office.” The report projects significant growth in jobs and economic activity—$14.4 trillion GDP increase, almost 2 million… Read more »

We are writing regarding the National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA") of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the federal costs associated with agencies' compliance, including those reimbursed to federal agencies by third-parties. Specifically, the NEPA process includes the required evaluation of the environmental effects of a federal action or nexus, including… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) today issued the following statement regarding U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s proposal to list the wolverine as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The wolverine was one of hundreds of species included in a 2011 settlement agreement between the Department of the Interior and litigious environmental… Read more »