Today, the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs held an oversight hearing on, “Florida Everglades Restoration: What are the Priorities?” The hearing focused on how the Obama Administration’s proposed establishment of the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area will contribute to the overall goal of restoring the Florida… Read more »

Today, the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands held a legislative hearing on four bills including H.R. 3155, the “Northern Arizona Mining Continuity Act of 2011.” Introduced by Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02), H.R. 3155 would prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from banning uranium mining on 1 million acres outside the borders of the Grand Canyon National… Read more »

Motion to Table (Passed 17-13. View Roll Call Vote) A motion was made by Ranking Member Markey to subpoena the CEOs of the companies cited in the JIT/BOEMRE oil spill report. Mr. Lamborn offered a motion to table. The hearing on November 2nd occurred at the request of the Democrat Minority, who exercised their right under the Rules of the House and the Committee to demand a second day… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement following the conclusion of today’s hearing: “Let me be very clear, if the companies officially cited for the oil spill had outright refused to provide witnesses, testimony or answers to the Committee, then I would be leading the effort to compel them to appear, by subpoena if necessary. But… Read more »

With Twitter, we the people have the unique opportunity to immediate and sometimes behind-the-scenes access to our elected officials as events unfold on Capitol Hill and around the country. Today, Chairman Doc Hastings’ press office joined Twitter. Follow him at @DocHastings And get the latest tweets from Natural Resources Committee Republicans, including their solutions for creating… Read more »

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) today released the following statement in response to President Obama’s announcement to use presidential powers granted under the 1906 Antiquities Act to designate part of Fort Monroe as a National Monument: “In contrast to prior uses of the Antiquities Act that were done unilaterally and in the dark of night, this national… Read more »

In Down Economy, Washington Lawmaker Pushes for More Logging By Dan Springer October 26, 2011 FOX News Tired of going back to the government every year with their hands out, rural counties are looking for a way to get off the federal dime and put unemployed loggers back to work. Washington Rep. Doc Hastings says he has an answer that would tackle both problems. “I think we need to… Read more »

Lawmakers say environmental laws should be waived for Border Patrol operations October 27, 2011 Associated Press Kevin Freking Federal agents trying to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border say they’re hampered by laws that keep them from driving vehicles on huge swaths of land because it falls under U.S. environmental protection, leaving it to wildlife — and illegal immigrants and smugglers… Read more »

Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1904, the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act, with a bipartisan vote of 235-186. Sponsored by Natural Resources Committee Member Paul Gosar (AZ-01), H.R. 1904 authorizes a fair value land exchange that will unlock the third largest undeveloped copper resource in the world. The bill will create thousands of jobs, generate… Read more »

Today, the Natural Resources Committee held the second oversight hearing in a series on, “The President’s New National Ocean Policy - A Plan for Further Restrictions on Ocean, Coastal and Inland Activities.” At the hearing, Members questioned the Administration about President Obama’s Executive Order 13547 that imposed a mandatory ocean zoning initiative. A second panel of witnesses… Read more »