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Oversight

Hastings on Helium Hypocrisy: Senate Should Act Today to Open our National Parks

| Posted in Floor Statements

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) delivered the following statement (as prepared for delivery) on the House floor calling on the Senate to act on common sense legislation to keep our National Parks open. “Mr. Speaker, yesterday the House passed and sent to the Senate a bipartisan bill to keep our National Parks open. Twenty-three Democrats joined with…

Obama Administration Closed Parks to WWII Veterans, but kept Open for Illegal Occupy Movement Camp

| Posted in Hot Air Alert

In an attempt to make the government shutdown as painful as possible, the Obama Administration yesterday chose to erect metal barricades around the World War II Memorial (an open air memorial that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) and stationed armed National Park Police to block World War II veterans from entering their memorial. It’s ironic that while our Nation’s heroes are met…

Hastings, Bishop Challenge Obama Administration Over Unnecessary and Arbitrary Closures of Open-air Parks and Monuments

| Posted in Press Release

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) and Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation Chairman Rob Bishop (UT-01) today sent a letter to National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis regarding the Obama Administration’s actions to restrict public access to the World War II Memorial and other open-air monuments, memorials and parks in Washington,…

Obama Administration Arbitrarily Choosing Which D.C. Monuments and Parks to Close Off to Veterans and Tourists

| Posted in Hot Air Alert

Yesterday, the Obama Administration began selectively erecting barricades to keep visitors, including large groups of World War II veterans, from visiting popular monuments such as the World War II Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and the National Mall. However, the Obama Administration is applying this policy inconsistently and choosing which memorials to block off and which to…

Chairmen Hastings and Bishop Letter to Director Jarvis Regarding the Decision to Unnecessarily and Arbitrarily Close Open-air Parks and Monuments

| Posted in Letters

Dear Director Jarvis: Through this letter, the Committee on Natural Resources ("Committee") requests that the National Park Service ("Park Service") take steps as necessary to keep and not destroy documents related to the decision this week to restrict public access to the National World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial,…

Chairman Hastings’ Statement on Resolution to Fund National Parks

| Posted in Press Release

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings delivered the following statement (as prepared) on the House floor today in support of H.J.Res. __, Open Our National Parks and Museums Act: “Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this legislation to fund National Parks. No one wanted a government shut down and one of the unfortunate consequences is that millions of…

USDA, OMB Miss Deadline to Comply with Subpoenas for Documents on Retroactive Cuts to Secure Rural School Payments

| Posted in Press Release

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) today sent follow-up letters to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) after they failed to meet the September 18th deadline to comply with subpoenas for documents on the Obama Administration’s decision to retroactively subject 2012 Secure Rural School (SRS) payments to the fiscal…

Witnesses Agree Federal Regulatory Changes will Benefit Current and Future Hydropower Projects

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power held an oversight hearing on “Keeping Hydropower Affordable and Reliable: The Protection of Existing Hydropower Investments and the Promotion of New Development.” This hearing highlighted how existing federal and non-federal hydropower resources are compromised by litigation and regulation, while new hydropower projects…

Chairman Hastings Letter to Secretary Vilsack Regarding Secure Rural Schools Subpoenas

| Posted in Letters

Dear Mr. Secretary: On September 4,2013, a subpoena was issued to you as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture ("USDA") for certain documents related to the Obama Administration's decision to retroactively sequester money paid to states under the Secure Rural Schools ("SRS") program. The subpoena required that the requested documents be provided to the Committee on Natural…

Chairman Hastings Letter to Director Mathews Burwell Regarding Secure Rural Schools Subpoenas

| Posted in Letters

Dear Director Sylvia Mathews Burwell: On September 4, 2013, a subpoena was issued to you as Director of the Office of Management and Budget ("OMB") for certain documents related to the Obama Administration's decision to retroactively sequester money paid to states under the Secure Rural Schools ("SRS") program. The subpoena required that the requested documents be provided to the…