Dear Administrator Lubchenco: I am writing to follow up on my April 2, 2012 request for information about the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's ("NOAA") response to the mismanagement of the Asset Forfeiture Fund that was recently identified by the Department of Commerce's Office of Inspector General's ("IG"). The response, dated May 7, 2012 but not received by the… Read more »

The House Natural Resources Committee, chaired by Congressman Doc Hastings, today held an oversight hearing on mandatory costs and requirements that federal agencies within the Departments of the Interior, Commerce and Agriculture are imposing on non-federal hydropower producing dams when they are up for licensing or re-licensing by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). John… Read more »

Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources continued its series of full committee oversight hearings on how to improve and update the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Today’s hearing focused on ESA litigation and how attorneys’ fees are being used by certain organizations to continue endless lawsuits. Witnesses at the hearing detailed specific cases throughout the country where ESA… Read more »

According to data recently obtained from the Department of Justice (DOJ) in response to document requests, the federal government has defended more than 570 Endangered Species Act (ESA)-related lawsuits costing U.S. taxpayers more than $15 million in attorney fees – in just the past four years. This data provides further evidence that the ESA has become litigation driven, where money and… Read more »

Spearheaded by Natural Resources Committee Member Rep. Paul Gosar (AZ-01), as well as Rep. Jim Matheson (UT-02) and Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Tim Johnson (D-SD), 166 Congressmen and Senators recently sent a bipartisan, bicameral letter to Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu expressing concerns over his memorandum to the Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs). The memorandum could… Read more »

The House of Representatives today passed, in a bipartisan vote of 355 to 51, an amendment by Congressman Scott Tipton (CO-03) to the FY 2013 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act to prohibit the federal agencies under the bill from mailing out cash as an incentive to complete government surveys. “Enticing survey responses with cash incentives to prove a… Read more »

Today, the House Subcommittee on Water and Power held an oversight field hearing in Phoenix, Arizona entitled, “Evaporating Prosperity: How Federal Actions Are Driving Up Water and Power Costs, Threatening Jobs and Leaving Arizonans High and Dry.” At the hearing, Subcommittee Chairman Tom McClintock (CA-04) and Arizona Congressmen Paul Gosar and David Schweikert heard from witnesses about… Read more »

The Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources today held an oversight hearing on the "Obama Administration’s Actions Against the Spruce Coal Mine: Canceled Permits, Lawsuits and Lost Jobs." The hearing focused on the Obama Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency’s unprecedented move to revoke a previously issued coal permit that would create hundreds of jobs in Appalachia. A… Read more »

Today, the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands held an oversight hearing on the “Future of the National Mall.” Witnesses at the hearing discussed a broad prospective on the future of the National Mall including the need for cautious deliberation and Congressional consideration of potential changes and additions to the historic area. “Each year Congress must… Read more »

Today, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) sent a series of letters to the Obama Administration requesting further information on how much the federal government spends on Endangered Species Act (ESA)-related litigation and settlement costs. The ESA has become increasingly driven by litigation and is used by special interest groups as a way to bring hundreds… Read more »