Dear Secretary Salazar: It is paramount that the American people have confidence that the Department of the Interior (“Department”) officials who manage federal lands and resources on their behalf are acting with the highest of ethical standards. Since last year, the Committee on Natural Resources (“Committee”) has been conducting oversight of how political appointees and senior career… Read more »

At the beginning of this Administration, President Obama placed significant emphasis on the importance of scientific integrity in his Administration's policies and practices. In the President's March 9, 2009 Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies, he stated that "[t]he public must be able to trust the science and scientific process informing public policy… Read more »

Dear Secretary Salazar: The Department of the Interior ("Department") established the Investigations and Review Unit ("IRU") in 2010, reportedly to respond to allegations of wrongdoing and unethical behavior by the offshore oil and gas industry and the Department officials who regulate those activities and to help coordinate the Department's response to significant… Read more »

Dear Mr. Secretary: At the beginning of this Administration, President Obama placed significant emphasis on the importance of scientific integrity in his Administration's policies and practices. In the President's March 9, 2009 Memorandum tor the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies, he stated that "[t]he public must be able to trust the science and scientific… Read more »

Dear Secretary Chu: As you know, the House Committee on Natural Resources ("Committee") is conducting oversight on issues surrounding your March 16, 2012 Memorandum ("Memorandum") to the Power Marketing Administrations. In an October 11, 2012 letter the Department of Energy ("Department") was asked to produce several categories of documents and communications related to the issuance… Read more »

Dear Secretary Salazar: Two years ago you received the first in a series of letters asking for information and documents that would explain the deeply concerning decisions made by the Department and the Office of Surface Mining ("OSM") over the last few years related to the decision to discard nearly 5 years of rulemaking and begin a rewrite of Stream Buffer Zone Rule. The Committee has… Read more »

Dear Mr. President: I write to request that you act without further delay to nominate a permanent Inspector General for the Department of the Interior ("Department"). The operations and management of the Department's Office of Inspector General ("IG") are in serious need of independent leadership.  Nearly four years ago to the day, you appointed the Department's… Read more »

We are writing to request at least a 60-day extension of the comment period and at least a 90-day extension of the final listing deadline for the proposed rule to list the Lesser Prairie-Chicken (LPC) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. We also request that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), in coordination with the Western Association of Fish and… Read more »

We are writing regarding the National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA") of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the federal costs associated with agencies' compliance, including those reimbursed to federal agencies by third-parties. Specifically, the NEPA process includes the required evaluation of the environmental effects of a federal action or nexus, including… Read more »

Dear Director Ashe and Administrator Lubchenco: I write regarding your agencies’ recent proposed rule that would make sweeping changes to regulations for analyzing the economic impacts of critical habitat designations under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). I understand that the comment period for this proposed rule is scheduled to expire on October 23, 2012. Considering the sweeping… Read more »