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Streamlining Federal Permitting Key to Safe, Reliable Water Infrastructure
Press Release
Feb 14, 2018 - Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held an oversight hearing on the state of the nation’s water and power infrastructure. “Water infrastructure is perhaps the most important, yet overlooked, form of infrastructure in our nation,” District Manager of Kennewick Irrigation District Charles Freeman stated. ... More

Committee Passes Bill to Improve Regulatory Efficiency, Environmental Progress
Press Release
Jan 10, 2018 - Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources passed H.R. 3133, the “Streamlining Environmental Approvals (SEA) Act of 2017.” Introduced by Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), the bill amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to remove duplicative permitting requirements that inhibit economic development and restoration... More

Committee Passes Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization
Press Release
Dec 13, 2017 - Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources passed H.R. 200, the “Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act.” Introduced by Chairman Emeritus Don Young (R-AK), the bill reauthorizes and modernizes the Magnuson-Stevens Act by implementing regional flexibility, tailored ... More

Panel Reviews Bill to Spur Water Infrastructure Development Across the West
Press Release
Nov 30, 2017 - Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held a legislative hearing on H.R. 4419, the “Bureau of Reclamation and Bureau of Indian Affairs Water Project Streamlining Act.” Introduced by Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), the bill seeks to streamline and expedite water infrastructure development across the West by requi... More

Panel: Bipartisan Bills Enhance ESA Protections, Boost Hydropower Reliability
Press Release
Oct 12, 2017 - Today, 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 ce... More

Members Review Proposals to Modernize Federal Fisheries Management
Press Release
Sep 26, 2017 - Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held a legislative hearing on a series of bills aimed at improving federal fisheries management for commercial and recreational fisherman. “Many of you here today probably consider this to be a fishery hearing, but I assure you it is much more than that. Whether we are... More

Bishop Statement on House Appropriations Package
Press Release
Sep 14, 2017 - Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement on House passage of H.R. 3354, the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act of 2018: “This package builds on the administration’s efforts to reduce bureaucracy and promote regulatory certainty across the Department of the Interior and other federal ... More

Committee Passes Bills to Spur Private Investment in Water Infrastructure, Increase Federal Transparency
Press Release
Jul 26, 2017 - Today, 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.” H.R. 3281 streamlines the process of transferr... More

Bishop Statement on Formal WOTUS Withdrawal
Press Release
Jul 26, 2017 - Today, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers formally proposed the withdrawal of the Waters of the U.S. Rule in the Federal Register. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement: “This long-overdue withdrawal is a win for farmers, states, communities and private property righ... More

Committee Calls for Improved Science, Local Flexibility and Regulatory Certainty in Magnuson-Stevens
Press Release
Jul 19, 2017 - Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held a hearing examining the successes and needed updates to the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA). Passed in 1976, MSA is the primary law governing fisheries in federal waters. The law requires federal fishery managers to impose an annual catch limit on both commercial and r... More

House Passes Water Bill to Promote Abundant Water Supply to California and the West
Press Release
Jul 12, 2017 - Today, the House passed H.R. 23 (Rep. David Valadao, R-CA), the “Gaining Responsibility on Water Act” or “GROW Act.” The bill addresses underlying federal policy, regulatory and administrative failures that have contributed to the mismanagement of water supplies across the West. “Dogmatic paradigms and failed federal p... More

Committee Passes Bill to Protect Water Rights
Press Release
Jun 27, 2017 - Today, 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. “In recent years, we have seen federal agencies ignore the concept of private property rights and t... More

Bishop: Pumped Storage Integral to "All of the Above" Energy Strategy
Press Release
Jun 27, 2017 - Today, the House passed H.R. 1967, the “Bureau of Reclamation Pumped Storage Hydropower Development Act.” Introduced by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), the bipartisan bill authorizes expanded pumped storage hydropower at select Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) facilities. “For an ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy we need ‘all-of... More

Bishop Statement on WOTUS Recission
Press Release
Jun 27, 2017 - Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its decision to rescind the Obama Administration’s Waters of the United States Rule (WOTUS). Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement: “This rule aggrandized federal bureaucrats at the expense of farmers’ water and private property rights. EPA’... More

House Passes "One Stop-Shop" Permitting Bill to Expand Water Storage Infrastructure
Press Release
Jun 22, 2017 - Today, 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 perm... More

House Passes Bipartisan Bill to Improve Electricity Reliability and Vegetation Management
Press Release
Jun 21, 2017 - Today, 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 elect... More

Hearing Focuses on Bills to Protect Endangered Salmon, Empower Local Management on Federal Water Projects
Press Release
Jun 8, 2017 - Today, 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. H.R. 2083 (Rep. Jaime Herrera-Beutler, R-WA), the bipartisan supported “Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act,” allows state... More

Hearing Focuses on Bills to Protect Property Rights, Increase Federal Transparency
Press Release
May 18, 2017 - Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held a legislative hearing on two bills to increase federal transparency, safeguard private and state water rights, and provide certainty to water and power users. The “Water Rights Protection Act” discussion draft (Rep. Scott Tipton, R-CO) protects state water law and... More

Panel: Hydropower Reforms Needed to Streamline Relicensing and Incentivize New Development
Press Release
May 3, 2017 - Today, 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. “Navigating through the federal bureaucracy necessary to obtain the proper licensing to get these new hydropower projects running is ex... More

Committee Passes Bipartisan Bill to Safeguard Electric Transmission, Enhance Grid Reliability
Press Release
Apr 27, 2017 - Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources passed H.R. 1873, the “Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act,” bipartisan vote of 24-14. Representatives Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR) introduced the bipartisan bill to improve the safety and reliability of the electric grid on federal lands. “I... More

Chairman Letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary Zinke on Indian Water Rights
Letters
Apr 27, 2017 - TO: The Honorable Jeff Sessions and The Honorable Ryan Zinke FROM: Chairman Rob Bishop Dear Sirs: The Natural Resources Committee (Committee) has primary authorizing jurisdiction over the legislative resolution of Indian water rights claims within the House of Representatives. Additionally, given the longstanding polic... More

Panel Calls for Congressional Action to Expand Hydropower Infrastructure
Press Release
Apr 4, 2017 - Today, 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. “This hearing marks another step towards improving our nation’s infrastructure. Today’s main focus is on what we can do to empower regional, ... More

Reps. LaMalfa and Schrader Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Improve Electricity Reliability
Press Release
Apr 4, 2017 - Today, Representatives Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR) introduced H.R. 1873, the “Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act.” The bipartisan bill, cosponsored by Reps. Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Jim Costa (D-CA), Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ), improves the safety and reliability of the e... More

Marine Monument Designations Sideline Communities and the Domestic Fishing Industry
Press Release
Mar 15, 2017 - Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held an oversight hearing on the creation and management of marine monuments and sanctuaries. The panel overwhelmingly objected to the lack of local input, transparency and scientific scrutiny in the marine monument designation process. “Federal decision-making directl... More

House Passes Bill to Increase Water Storage at the Fontenelle Reservoir in Wyoming
Press Release
Mar 15, 2017 - 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 erosio... More

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