WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, the House Committee on Natural Resources hosted a field hearing in Tulare, California, to examine California’s continued water storage issues and their impact on local communities. Congressional Western Caucus Executive Vice Chair Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Vice Chair and Chair of House Natural Resources Bruce Westerman (AR-04) and Western Caucus Members… Read more »
Western Caucus Chairman Paul Gosar (AZ-04) and Rep. Ralph Abraham (LA-05) released statements in response to House adoption of Amendment #106 and #140 combating the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Read more »
After 2,349 days, time is about to be up for President Obama’s dodge on the Keystone XL pipeline. America’s New Congress has made a unified effort to make jobs a priority for the American people, and S.1, the Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act, is en route to the president’s desk. Read more »
EPA’s Clean Power Plan came under intense scrutiny this week in the nation’s capital as regulators and stakeholders met to discuss the legality, cost, and feasibility of EPA’s proposed plan and its impacts on ratepayers and electric reliability. - See more at: http://energycommerce.house.gov/blog/worst-week-washington-epa%E2%80%99s-clean-power-plan#sthash.8h3wWG5m.dpuf Read more »
The GOP chairwoman of a new House watchdog subpanel will use her perch to target the Obama administration's climate, air pollution and public lands policies.
Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) was recently handed control of a new Interior Subcommittee of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee that is charged with oversight of U.S. EPA, the Interior Department, the Energy Department and… Read more »
The Obama administration this week wasted little time in voicing its opposition to jobs and secure energy. Less than 90 minutes into the start of the new Congress, the White House Tuesday signaled a veto threat on H.R. 3, the Keystone XL Pipeline Act, despite overwhelming bipartisan support for the measure in the House and Senate. While new members were being sworn in with their families, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest was squashing any hopes of presidential cooperation. "If this bill passes this Congress the president wouldn't sign it either,” he told reporters at a press conference. Adding, “The president has been pretty clear that he does not think circumventing a well-established process for evaluating these projects is the right thing for Congress.” On Wednesday, the White House followed up with a formal veto threat, arguing the bill would “cut short consideration of important issues relevant to the national interest.” Read more »
Today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the first-ever federal regulation of coal ash, a byproduct of coal-based power production. Congressman Kevin Cramer said the decision by EPA not to declare coal ash a hazardous waste is a step in the right direction, but stressed the byproduct is better regulated by individual states. Read more »
Today, Congressman Mark Amodei (NV-2) responded to Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell’s statement regarding a rider in the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2015 delaying for one year the potential Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing of the Sage Hen. He released the following statement: Read more »
The Interior and Environment portion of the Omnibus prioritizes funding to address the nation’s most important public lands issues, including fighting and preventing wildfires, maintaining our vast natural resources, and expanding domestic energy production. Overall, the legislation provides $30.4 billion for Interior and Environment programs. The bill also includes several policy… Read more »