COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
1324 Longworth House Office Building
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
10:00 a.m.

• Press Release - Committee Approves Motion Authorizing Chairman to Issue Subpoenas to Compel Obama Administration Witnesses to Appear to Answer Questions on Gulf Drilling Moratorium Report (8/1/2012)
• Press Release - Committee Approves Bill to Help Prevent Catastrophic Wildfires, Improve Forest Health, Protect Local Communities (8/1/2012)
• Committee Action - Chairman Hastings Announces Full Committee Meeting to Consider Motion to Authorize Issuance of Subpoenas (7/27/2012)
• Committee Investigation - The Obama Administration's Decision to Include Gulf Drilling Moratorium in Interior Report

FULL COMMITTEE BUSINESS MEETING:

• To consider a motion to authorize the Chairman to issue subpoenas to individuals to appear before the Committee on Natural Resources.

FULL COMMITTEE MARKUP ON:

• H.R. 2706 (Miller of FL), To prohibit the sale of billfish. "Billfish Conservation Act of 2011"
• H.R. 3319 (Grijalva), To allow the Pascua Yaqui Tribe to determine the requirements for membership in that tribe.
• H.R. 4194 (Young of AK), To amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide that Alexander Creek, Alaska, is and shall be recognized as an eligible Native village under that Act, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 5319 (Tsongas), To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of the mainstem of the Nashua River and its tributaries in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for study for potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes. "Nashua River Wild and Scenic River Study Act"
• H.R. 5544 (Cravaack), To authorize and expedite a land exchange involving National Forest System land in the Laurentian District of the Superior National Forest and certain other National Forest System land in the State of Minnesota that has limited recreational and conservation resources and lands owned by the State of Minnesota in trust for the public school system that are largely scattered in checkerboard fashion within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and have important recreational, scenic, and conservation resources, and for other purposes. "Minnesota Education Investment and Employment Act"
• H.R. 6007 (Hall), To exempt from the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 certain water transfers by the North Texas Municipal Water District and the Greater Texoma Utility Authority. "North Texas Zebra Mussel Barrier Act of 2012"
• H.R. 6060 (Bishop of UT), To amend Public Law 106-392 to maintain annual base funding for the Upper Colorado and San Juan fish recovery programs through fiscal year 2019. "Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Extension Act of 2012"
• H.R. 6089 (Tipton), To address the bark beetle epidemic, drought, deteriorating forest health conditions, and high risk of wildfires on National Forest System land and land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management in the United States by expanding authorities established in the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003 to provide emergency measures for high-risk areas identified by such States, to make permanent Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management authority to conduct good-neighbor cooperation with States to reduce wildfire risks, and for other purposes. "Healthy Forest Management Act of 2012"

OPENING STATEMENT:

The Honorable Doc Hastings
Chairman

COMMITTEE ACTION:

The Committee on Natural Resources met in open session on Wednesday, August 1, 2012, to consider:

A motion made by Mr. Gohmert to authorize the Chairman to issue subpoenas to compel witnesses to appear before the Committee on Natural Resources regarding the Gulf Drilling Moratorium Report, was APPROVED by a roll call vote of 26 yeas and 17 nays.

H.R. 2706 (Miller of FL), To prohibit the sale of billfish. "Billfish Conservation Act of 2011"

The Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs was discharged from further consideration of H.R. 2706.

• An en bloc amendment offered by Mr. Fleming.001 was AGREED TO by unanimous consent.

Adopted and favorably reported to the House of Representatives, as amended, by unanimous consent.

H.R. 3319 (Grijalva), To allow the Pascua Yaqui Tribe to determine the requirements for membership in that tribe.

The Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs was discharged from further consideration of H.R. 3319.

• An amendment offered by Mr. Gosar.092 was AGREED TO by unanimous consent.

Adopted and favorably reported to the House of Representatives, as amended, by unanimous consent.

H.R. 4194 (Young of AK), To amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide that Alexander Creek, Alaska, is and shall be recognized as an eligible Native village under that Act, and for other purposes.

The Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs was discharged from further consideration of H.R. 4194.

Adopted and favorably reported to the House of Representatives by voice vote.

H.R. 5319 (Tsongas), To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of the mainstem of the Nashua River and its tributaries in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for study for potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes. "Nashua River Wild and Scenic River Study Act"

The Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands was discharged from further consideration of H.R. 5319.

• An amendment offered by Mr. Bishop of Utah #1 was AGREED TO by unanimous consent.

Adopted and favorably reported to the House of Representatives, as amended, by unanimous consent.

H.R. 5544 (Cravaack), To authorize and expedite a land exchange involving National Forest System land in the Laurentian District of the Superior National Forest and certain other National Forest System land in the State of Minnesota that has limited recreational and conservation resources and lands owned by the State of Minnesota in trust for the public school system that are largely scattered in checkerboard fashion within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and have important recreational, scenic, and conservation resources, and for other purposes. "Minnesota Education Investment and Employment Act"

The Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands was discharged from further consideration of H.R. 5544.

• An amendment offered by Mr. Bishop of Utah #1 was AGREED TO by voice vote.
• An amendment offered by Mr. Grijalva.AM2 was NOT AGREED TO by a roll call vote of 19 yeas and 25 nays.

Adopted and favorably reported to the House of Representatives, as amended, by a roll call vote of 25 yeas and 19 nays.

H.R. 6007 (Hall), To exempt from the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 certain water transfers by the North Texas Municipal Water District and the Greater Texoma Utility Authority. "North Texas Zebra Mussel Barrier Act of 2012"

The Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs was discharged from further consideration of H.R. 6007.

Adopted and favorably reported to the House of Representatives by unanimous consent.

H.R. 6060 (Bishop of UT), To amend Public Law 106-392 to maintain annual base funding for the Upper Colorado and San Juan fish recovery programs through fiscal year 2019. "Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Extension Act of 2012"

The Subcommittee on Water and Power was discharged from further consideration of H.R. 6060.

Adopted and favorably reported to the House of Representatives by unanimous consent.

H.R. 6089 (Tipton), To address the bark beetle epidemic, drought, deteriorating forest health conditions, and high risk of wildfires on National Forest System land and land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management in the United States by expanding authorities established in the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003 to provide emergency measures for high-risk areas identified by such States, to make permanent Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management authority to conduct good-neighbor cooperation with States to reduce wildfire risks, and for other purposes. "Healthy Forest Management Act of 2012"

The Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands was discharged from further consideration of H.R. 6089.

• An amendment offered by Mr. Tipton.040 was AGREED TO by a voice vote.
• An amendment offered by Mr. Grijalva.073 was NOT AGREED TO by a roll call vote of 19 yeas and 26 nays.
• An amendment in the nature of a substitute (Mr. Markey.ANS1) offered by Mr. Grijalva was NOT AGREED TO by a roll call vote of 19 yeas and 27 nays.
• An amendment in the nature of a substitute offered by Mr. Lujan.074 was NOT AGREED TO by a roll call vote of 20 yeas and 27 nays.

Adopted and favorably reported to the House of Representatives, as amended, by a roll call vote of 28 yeas and 19 nays.