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Federal Lands

Hastings Letter to Director Ashe Requesting Answers Regarding Decision to Close National Wildlife Refuges During the Government Shutdown

| Posted in Letters

Dear Director Ashe: The Committee on Natural Resources ("Committee") requests that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ("Service") take steps as necessary to keep and not destroy records related to the decision to order the National Wildlife Refuge System closed. Hunters, fishermen, and other visitors are now being blocked from these sites, many of which are unfenced and not regularly…

Witnesses: Current Law Should Be Followed For Lacey Act Listings

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs held an oversight hearing on the “Department of the Interior’s proposal to establish a Categorical Exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for adding species to the Lacey Act’s list of injurious wildlife.” This hearing examined the potential effects of the Fish and…

ICYMI: A look into Magnuson-Stevens with On the Record with Greta Van Susteren

| Posted in Blog

Last week, On the Record with Greta Van Susteren took a look at Northeastern fishermen whose businesses have been affected by the Magnuson-Stevens Act. On Wednesday, the House Natural Resources held a hearing on the "Re-authorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act" where witnesses called for increased flexibility in the Re-authorization of the act.

Witnesses & Members Agree on the Need for Transparency in Data Used for ESA Decisions

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House Natural Resources Committee held an oversight hearing on “Transparency and Sound Science Gone Extinct?:The Impacts of the Obama Administration's Closed-Door Settlements on Endangered Species and People.” The hearing examined the need for data transparency as it relates to federal decisions on implementing the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This hearing was part of a…

Chairman Hastings Seeks Transparency on Report of Scientific Integrity Violations at Fish & Wildlife Service

| Posted in Press Release

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) today sent a letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Dan Ashe seeking additional information following the Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) Management Advisory, issued on July 11, 2013, regarding the FWS’s inaction on whistleblower complaints related to violations of the…