Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources held a full committee markup and favorably reported 16 bills. Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman issued the following statement in response:

"From long-overdue reforms to the Endangered Species Act to blocking NOAA's extreme vessel speed rule, this committee is continuing to advance legislation that benefits Americans from all walks of life. These bills protect communities from wildfires, support forest management efforts in the Lake Tahoe Basin, increase domestic mineral production and more. I'm grateful to my colleagues for their dedicated work on such a wide variety of important issues for men and women in every corner of our country."

Background

H.R. 3283, the Facilitating the Deployment of Infrastructure with Greater Internet Transactions and Legacy Applications Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to regularly report to Congress on the extent to which the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) have established online portals for processing communications use authorizations. These portals will ultimately increase access to affordable and reliable broadband.

H.R. 4235, the Wildfire Technology Demonstration, Evaluation, Modernization and Optimization Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.), creates a federal testbed pilot program to identify and adopt new and innovative wildfire prevention, detection, communication and mitigation technologies. This will allow federal agencies to test emerging technologies at scale to improve fire suppression. 

H.R. 5103, the Fishery Improvement to Streamline Untimely Regulatory Hurdles Post Emergency Situation Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), enforces current timelines for the Office of Management and Budget to review fishery disaster requests.

H.R. 6085, introduced by U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), prohibits the implementation of the Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Rock Springs RMP revision. This legislation responds to the overwhelming local opposition to the RMP and protects domestic energy production and multiple uses for land in Wyoming.

H.R. 6107, the Urban Canal Modernization Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), categorizes maintenance work on urban canals of concern and allows the Bureau of Reclamation to assist in covering project costs. 

H.R. 6547, the Colorado Energy Prosperity Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from implementing the draft RMP and final supplemental EIS impacting land on the Western Slope of Colorado. The Biden-Harris administration proposal, if implemented, would lock up hundreds of thousands of acres of land and prevent energy development in Colorado.

H.R. 6843, introduced by U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), expands the boundaries of the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area (NHA) to include Lafourche Parish, La. 

H.R. 7332, the Utah State Parks Adjustment Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-Utah), transfers approximately 782 acres of federal land to the state of Utah for inclusion in the Utah State Parks System.

H.R. 8413, the Swanson and Hugh Butler Reservoirs Land Conveyances Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.), transfers federal recreational areas at the Swanson Reservoir and the Hugh Butler Reservoir to Frontier County and Hitchcock County in southern Nebraska.

H.R. 8704, introduced by U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), prevents the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's proposed rule expanding vessel speed restrictions, including requiring vessels from 35-65 feet to stay under a 10-knot speed limit, from going into effect. This legislation will keep the existing rule—which places a 10-knot speed limit on vessels 65 feet and longer—in place until Dec. 31, 2030. Additionally, this legislation creates a new grant program administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to deploy innovative technologies and other best practices to limit vessel strikes and other harmful interactions between ocean users and species like the North Atlantic right whale.

H.R. 8811, the America's Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act of 2024, introduced by U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.), reauthorizes and amends conservation programs authorized under the original ACE Act, which was first signed into law in 2020. These programs include the North American Wetland Conservation Program, the Chronic Wasting Disease Task Force and more.

H.R. 9533, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) Amendments Act of 2024, introduced by House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), makes critical reforms to the ESA to clarify existing definitions and establish an environmental baseline to measure successful outcomes. The legislation will incentivize the recovery of listed species, promote species conservation on private and public lands and create greater transparency and accountability in the ESA regulatory process. 

H.R. 6012, the Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act of 2023, introduced by U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), authorizes USFS to permit utility companies to fully remove hazard trees and other vegetation within the vicinity of distribution or transmission lines without going through a separate timber sale. If the utilities eventually sell the material, this legislation requires the proceeds to be returned to USFS, less any transportation costs.

H.R. 6826, introduced by U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.), designates the visitor and education center at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine as the Paul S. Sarbanes Visitor and Education Center.

H.R. 8219, the Lahaina National Heritage Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), directs the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with state and local partners, to study the suitability and feasibility of designating Lahaina as an NHA. 

S.612, the Lake Tahoe Restoration Reauthorization Act, introduced by U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), will support restoration activities at Lake Tahoe by extending the authorization for cooperative authorities and the period of time funding can be spent on fuel reduction, erosion control, and reforestation around Lake Tahoe. U.S.  Reps. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), John Duarte (R-Calif.) and Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) are leading House companion legislation.