Thursday, March 28, 2024
Authors Posts by Natural Resources

The House Committee on Natural Resources, chaired by Rob Bishop of Utah, considers legislation about American energy production, mineral lands and mining, fisheries and wildlife, public lands, oceans, Native Americans, irrigation and reclamation. The Committee is comprised of 44 Representatives, 26 Republicans and 18 Democrats. Learn more about Chairman Bishop and meet all of the Committee Members. You can also find recent activity, read about the history of the Committee, the rules and the Committee's jurisdiction.

Contact:

Phone: (202) 225-2761
Fax: (202) 225-5929

Natural Resources

Committee Passes Bill to Improve Transparency, Management of Federal Land Ownership

The House Committee on Natural Resources passed H.R. 2199, the “Federal Land Asset Inventory Reform Act of 2017” or the “FLAIR Act.” Introduced by Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), the bipartisan bill requires the Department of the Interior to create a publicly available register of federal real property to increase transparency and improve management of the federal estate.
Natural Resources

Panel: Expanding Offshore Access a Boon for Coastal Communities, Integral to Future Energy Security

The Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held an oversight hearing on federal offshore oil and gas development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Panel members discussed the benefits of expanding access to the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific and Alaska for coastal communities, job creation nationally, and increased revenues for both states and the U.S. Treasury.
Natural Resources

Panel: Regulatory Uncertainty, Red Tape Discourages Responsible Energy Development

The Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held an oversight hearing on the status of onshore oil and gas leasing and drill permitting processes on federal lands. Members and witnesses discussed improvements to the duplicative and costly bureaucratic policies discouraging operators from leasing federal minerals.
Natural Resources

Committee Passes Bill to Protect Water Rights

The House Committee on Natural Resources advanced H.R. 2939, the “Water Rights Protection Act of 2017.” Introduced by Rep. Scott Tipton (R-CO), the bill protects privately held water rights from federal overreach.
Natural Resources

Rep. LaHood Introduces “Community Reclaimers” Bill to Expedite Abandoned Mine Land Cleanup

Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL) introduced H.R. 2937, the “Community Reclamation Partnerships Act.” This bill authorizes partnerships between states and non-governmental entities for the purposes of expanding abandoned mine reclamation projects.
Natural Resources

House Passes Bipartisan Bill to Improve Electricity Reliability and Vegetation Management

The House passed H.R. 1873, the “Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act,” by a bipartisan vote of 300-118. Introduced by Reps. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR), the bipartisan bill provides streamlined processes for the removal of hazardous vegetative overgrowth within or adjacent to electricity infrastructure on federal lands.
Natural Resources

House Passes “One Stop-Shop” Permitting Bill to Expand Water Storage Infrastructure

The House passed H.R. 1654, the “Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act,” by a bipartisan vote of 233-180. Introduced by Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA), the bill creates a “one-stop-shop” permitting process through the Bureau of Reclamation for new or expanded surface storage facilities. It streamlines agency permit requirements that sometimes impose unnecessary costs and burdens on entities seeking to construct new water storage infrastructure.
Natural Resources

Hearing Focuses on Bills to Protect Endangered Salmon, Empower Local Management on Federal Water...

The Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held a legislative hearing on two bills to lessen the costs of federal water and power infrastructure to American ratepayers.

Murkowski Announces Support for Three Energy Nominees

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today chaired a hearing for President Trump’s nominees for key positions at two federal agencies: Dan Brouillette to be Deputy Secretary of the Department of Energy (DOE), and Neil Chatterjee and Robert Powelson to be members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Natural Resources

Murkowski Announces Promotions and Additions to Energy Committee Staff

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today announced several recent promotions and additions to her Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee staff.
Natural Resources

Bishop Statement on EPA’s Pebble Mine Announcement

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an agreement to allow the Pebble Mine project in southwest Alaska to proceed to regular permitting under the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The proposed mineral development project was preemptively denied by the Obama administration outside of the traditional NEPA process
Natural Resources

Panel: Hydropower Reforms Needed to Streamline Relicensing and Incentivize New Development

The Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held an oversight hearing on the costly and lengthy process to relicense hydropower and to explore opportunities for new development.
Natural Resources

Panel Outlines Devastating Social and Economic Consequences of Antiquities Designations

Today, the Subcommittee on Federal Lands heard testimony on the consequences of Executive Branch overreach of the Antiquities Act. The panel discussed national monuments designated without significant local input or support or that included excessively large or restricted areas of land
Natural Resources

Bishop Announces Senior Committee Staff Changes

Kiel Weaver, staff director for the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans, is leaving the Committee to join the office of House Speaker Paul Ryan. Beginning May 1, Kiel will serve as the Speaker’s adviser on energy and environment issues. Bill Cooper, staff director for the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, and Rob Gordon, staff director for the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, are also departing the Committee.
Natural Resources

Panel Calls for Congressional Action to Expand Hydropower Infrastructure

The Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans discussed two bills that would expand hydropower infrastructure and clean energy for communities in Alaska and across the West
Natural Resources

Panel: Infrastructure Package Must Include Permitting Reforms to Access Raw Materials

The Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources discussed the importance of domestically sourced raw materials for the upcoming infrastructure package.
Natural Resources

Ballooning Federal Estate a Primary Barrier to Modernizing Infrastructure on Federal Lands

The Subcommittee on Federal Lands held an oversight hearing on ways to improve infrastructure and management at the National Park Service (NPS) and the Forest Service (USFS).
Natural Resources

House Passes Bill to Increase Water Storage at the Fontenelle Reservoir in Wyoming

Today, the House passed H.R. 648 (Rep. Liz Cheney, WY-at large) by an unanimous bipartisan vote of 408-0. H.R. 648 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a cooperative agreement with the State of Wyoming to modify the Fontenelle Dam and Reservoir as a way to increase storage capacity and mitigate erosion at no cost to the federal government
Natural Resources

Bishop Statement on Senate Passage of the CRA to Overturn BLM’s Planning 2.0 Rule

The Senate passed H.J. Res. 44 (Rep. Liz Cheney, WY-at large), a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to repeal the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Planning 2.0 rule.
Natural Resources

Subcommittee Explores Water Infrastructure Barriers and Solutions

During questioning, Subcommittee Chairman Doug Lamborn (R-CO) asked witness Andrew J. Colosimo, Government and Corporate Affairs Manager of Colorado Springs Utilities, to explain what makes the construction process so difficult, based on lessons from an existing water pipeline.

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