Natural Resources
Onshore Energy Bill Draws Praise as Subcommitte Continues Broad Overhaul of Federal Lands Energy...
The Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources heard testimony on a discussion draft of the “Opportunities for the Nation and States to Harness Onshore Resources Act” or “ONSHORE Act.” The bill allows states with established regulatory programs to seek primacy for the implementation of federal permitting responsibilities for oil and gas development on federal lands
Panel: Bipartisan Bills Enhance ESA Protections, Boost Hydropower Reliability
The Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held a legislative hearing on H.R. 3144 (Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-WA) and H.R. 3916 (Rep. Ken Calvert, R-CA), the “Federally Integrated Species Health Act” or “FISH Act,” bills to improve the recovery of Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed fish while providing certainty for water and power users.
Committee Passes “Native American Energy Act”
The House Committee on Natural Resources passed H.R. 210. Introduced by Rep. Don Young (R-AK), the “Native American Energy Act” addresses the federal government’s overregulation of Indian lands to promote energy development by Indian tribes and Alaska Native Corporations
Subcommittee Begins Comprehensive Onshore Federal Lands Energy Policy Overhaul with Review of Targeted Reform...
The Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources began a comprehensive legislative overhaul of federal onshore energy development with a legislative hearing to review targeted bills that reform the existing federal regulatory framework
Bishop Statement on Infrastructure Executive Order
House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement in reaction to President Trump’s executive order on establishing accountability in the environmental review and permitting process for infrastructure projects
Committee Passes Bills to Spur Private Investment in Water Infrastructure, Increase Federal Transparency
The House Committee on Natural Resources passed H.R. 3281 (Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-CO), the “Reclamation Title Transfer and Non-Federal Infrastructure Incentivization Act,” and H.R. 2371 (Rep. Paul Gosar, R-AZ), the “Western Area Power Administration Transparency Act.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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
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.
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
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.
