Dear Mr. Lew:
Upon taking office, President Obama issued a memorandum to Department and Agency heads entitled “Scientific Integrity” that stated: “The public must be able to trust the science and scientific process informing public policy decisions. Political officials should not suppress or alter scientific or technological findings and conclusions. If scientific and technological… Read more »
Dear Secretary Chu:
The Committee on Natural Resources (“Committee”) is conducting oversight on issues surrounding your March 16, 2012 Memorandum to the Power Marketing Administrations (“PMAs”). After two full Committee hearings and a number of congressional letters of concern, it is abundantly clear that there are many unanswered questions on the reasoning and implementation of this… Read more »
Dear Secretary Salazar:
On May 23, 2012, a letter was sent requesting documents concerning the Department of the Interior’s (“Department”) decision to withdraw 1 million acres in northern Arizona from new uranium mining claims and copies of 399 pages concerning communications between the Superintendent of the Grand Canyon National Park and outside groups that had been previously withheld… Read more »
Dear Mr. Aldy:
On May 27, 2010, the Department of the Interior ("Department") issued a final report entitled "Increased Safety Measures for Energy Development on the Outer Continental Shelf' ("Drilling Moratorium Report") that recommended a moratorium on otlshore oil and gas drilling. The Executive Summary of the Drilling Moratorium Report incorrectly stated that peer reviewers had… Read more »
Dear Mr. Kemkar and Ms. Ishee:
On July 18, 2012, you were both invited to voluntarily appear at a planned July 25, 2012 Committee on Natural Resources (“Committee”) hearing regarding the Obama Administration’s decision imposing a Gulf of Mexico drilling moratorium and the drafting and editing of the May 27, 2010 report entitled, “Increased Safety Measures for Energy Development on the… Read more »
Dear Secretary Chu:
As you know, your March 16, 2012 Memorandum to the Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs) has generated many questions and controversy. As a result, both Republican and Democratic House Members and Senators have joined together to send letters of concern over your proposal and the House passed a bipartisan proposal as part of an appropriations measure to prohibit… Read more »
Dear Ms. Kendall:
For several months, the Committee on Natural Resources has been looking into questions about possible political interference, lack of independence, and conflict of interest involving an investigation by the Office of Inspector General (“IG”) into the editing of a Department of the Interior offshore drilling report in May 2010.
In order to learn more about the… Read more »
Dear Chairwoman Sutley and Director Holdren:
More than two years have passed since President Obama unilaterally issued a new National Ocean Policy that created an expansive federal bureaucracy to manage ocean activities and resources without any specific Congressional approval, and more than eight months have passed since a draft plan was released containing more than 50 proposed actions… Read more »
Dear Secretary Salazar:
We write to draw your attention to two national security issues that have been raised in oversight hearings before the House Committee on Natural Resources in recent months.
Foreign-multinational energy companies currently hold development leases and operate in the American Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and on Federal lands. One recent example is the move by… Read more »
