House Natural Resources Committee Chairman-elect Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement regarding Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar’s Secretarial Order to allow the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to designate areas as “Wild Lands” – essentially giving the Administration the ability establish de facto Wilderness areas without Congressional approval:
“The Administration… Read more »
Today, during Full Committee markup of H.R. 5388, a bill to expand boundaries of the Cibola National Forest in the State of New Mexico, Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Ranking Member Rob Bishop (UT-01) offered an amendment to allow hunters the use of wheeled, muscle-powered carts for the removal of game. Shockingly, Resources Democrats unanimously voted… Read more »
Today, the House of Representatives will vote on the FY 2010 Supplemental Appropriations bill that contains a provision allowing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to transfer an unlimited amount of funds to the Department of the Interior (DOI) in the form of environmental mitigation payments demanded in return for allowing the U.S. Border Patrol to simply do its job to secure the… Read more »
Border Patrol Charged Millions for Habitat Damage, Republicans Say Enough 'Extortion'
June 21, 2010
FOXNews.com
Judson Berger
Republican lawmakers are calling on the Interior Department to stop charging what they describe as "extortion" money from the Border Patrol -- millions of under-the-radar dollars meant to cover environmental damage stemming from their everyday duties along the… Read more »
Border Patrol Navigating Reams of Regulation to Secure Federal Land
June 18, 2010
FOXNews.com
Border Patrol agents must navigate a patchwork of environmental regulations dating back decades in order to police for drug cartels, smugglers and illegal immigrants -- often on foot-and-horseback in some of the most vulnerable areas of the southwest border.
Border Patrol agents must… Read more »
Federal Regs on Environment May Be Hindering Border Security, Lawmakers Say
FOXNews.com
June 16, 2010
Federal environmental regulations that prevent border agents from expanded patrols of national wildlife parks appear to have had a hand in the government's decision to declare an 80-mile stretch of Arizona-Mexico border a virtual no-man's land.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has… Read more »
Yesterday, President Obama met with Mexican President Felipe Calderón to discuss a variety of issues including border security and protecting public lands along the U.S.-Mexico border. According to a joint statement:
“The Presidents underscored their commitment to manage the region in a way that enhances security and protects these areas for wildlife preservation, ecosystem restoration,… Read more »
Yesterday, during a Full Committee markup, Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee voted against two amendments offered by National Parks, Forest and Public Lands Subcommittee Ranking Member Rob Bishop (UT-01) to ensure that National Park designations are not used to block or oppose the construction of wind, solar or coal power projects.
Bishop Amendment to H.R. 2899,… Read more »
Only weeks after Republican Committee Ranking Members introduced legislation to ensure Border Patrol agents’ operational control of the border isn’t compromised by Department of Interior environmental policies, a shooting occurred on public lands near the border. On Friday, April 30, Pinal County Sheriff Deputy Louie Puroll was ambushed and shot by five drug smugglers in the Table Top… Read more »
As the Obama Administration and the Congressional Democrats scramble to cobble together a response to growing concerns on the U.S.-Mexico border - particularly on federal lands, where Border Patrol is unable to effectively monitor and patrol - a recent comment from Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Ken Salazar has shed some light on DOI’s inability to address the… Read more »
