Today, Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04) and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Chairman Mike Simpson (ID-02) issued the following statements applauding passage of H.R. 8998, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2025. The legislation passed by a bipartisan vote of 210-205.
“This year’s Interior appropriations bill is a victory for rural and Western America,” said Chairman Newhouse. “This important legislation unlocks America’s energy and mineral resources to restore our energy independence, curbs administrative overreach and abuse of the Endangered Species Act, and helps reduce the burden on taxpayers. I applaud Chairman Simpson for his work with Western Caucus Members to include their priorities in the legislation.”
“The FY 2025 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill will help reduce energy costs, protect American jobs, and ensure that we can continue to access our public lands to recreate, hunt, and develop our natural resources,” said Rep. Simpson. “I am proud that this fiscally responsible bill reins in unnecessary spending and rejects the Biden administration's misguided regulatory agenda. In crafting this bill, I vowed to protect essential programs vital to states and local communities. I am pleased that the FY25 Interior and Environment Appropriations Act safeguards these programs by fully funding the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program, addresses needs across our Tribal communities, and includes a permanent pay fix for wildland firefighter pay. I thank Chairman Cole for his leadership and guidance and my colleagues' support on the floor today.”
Some of the provisions of H.R. 8998 are:
- Increasing funding for Wildland Fire Management programs at Department of the Interior and U.S. Forest Service.
- Permanently addressing wildland firefighter pay while increasing funding.
- Preventing the Bureau of Land Management’s Conservation and Landscape Health rule.
- Limits the weaponization of the Endangered Species Act against private landowners.
- Prohibiting funds to cancel oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.
- Requires oil and gas lease sales in the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico Planning Areas and in the Alaska region.
- Requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct quarterly onshore oil and gas lease sales.
- Blocking EPA’s car regulations on light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles.
- Expands access to critical minerals, reducing our domestic reliance on the Chinese supply chain.
- Prohibits funds to enforce certain Bureau of Land Management withdrawals in Minnesota and reinstates mineral leases in the Superior National Forest.
- Fully funding the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program.
