This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed ten House Committee on Natural Resources bills to support critical mineral development, reauthorize successful conservation programs, recognize important sites of American history and more. House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement in response:

“The bills we passed this week represent the wide variety of issues before the House Committee on Natural Resources. Thanks to the tireless work of members of the committee and of the broader House of Representatives, we found bipartisan paths forward to bolster mineral supply chains necessary for the health care industry, support vital conservation programs, enhance state parks, honor our American heritage and streamline disaster relief for vulnerable fisheries and local communities. I’d like to thank my colleagues for their thoughtful work on these legislative solutions and look forward to working with them as we continue to serve the American people.”

Background

H.R. 390, the Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area Enhancement Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), authorizes a study to expand the boundaries of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area (NHA) to include all of Saratoga and Washington counties in New York. 

H.R. 5103, the Fishery Improvement to Streamline Untimely Regulatory Hurdles Post Emergency Situation (FISHES) Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), would ensure the Office of Management and Budget complies with existing deadlines to review fishery disaster requests, preventing delay in this process.

H.R. 6395, the Recognizing the Importance of Critical Minerals in Healthcare Act of 2023, introduced by U.S. Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah), amends the Energy Act of 2020 to require the Secretary of the Interior to include the Secretary of Health and Human Services in consultations regarding designations of critical minerals, elements, substances and materials. This will ensure minerals important in the health care sector are considered for designations regarding critical minerals.

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

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. 7872, the Colorado River Salinity Control Fix Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah), will address a longstanding imbalance in the way the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program funds salinity control projects. The legislation incorporates work from the seven Colorado River Basin states, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. 

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. 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. 

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.

S. 3791, the America's Conservation Enhancement Reauthorization Act of 2024, introduced by U.S. Sen. Thomas Carper (D-Del.), reauthorizes successful conservation programs funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and other federal agencies.