Skip to Content

Water, Wildlife and Fisheries

House Passes Water Bill to Promote Abundant Water Supply to California and the West

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House passed H.R. 23 (Rep. David Valadao, R-CA), the “Gaining Responsibility on Water Act” or “GROW Act.” The bill addresses underlying federal policy, regulatory and administrative failures that have contributed to the mismanagement of water supplies across the West.   “Dogmatic paradigms and failed federal policies that promote water indigence must end,” Chairman Rob…

Committee Passes Bill to Protect Water Rights

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources advanced H.R. 2939, the “Water Rights Protection Act of 2017.” Introduced by Rep. Scott Tipton (R-CO), the bill protects privately held water rights from federal overreach.   “In recent years, we have seen federal agencies ignore the concept of private property rights and the tradition of deferring to state water law in an attempt to…

Bishop: Pumped Storage Integral to "All of the Above" Energy Strategy

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House passed H.R. 1967, the “Bureau of Reclamation Pumped Storage Hydropower Development Act.” Introduced by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), the bipartisan bill authorizes expanded pumped storage hydropower at select Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) facilities. “For an ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy we need ‘all-of-the-above’ energy infrastructure. This bill bolsters a diverse and…

Bishop Statement on WOTUS Recission

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its decision to rescind the Obama Administration’s Waters of the United States Rule (WOTUS). Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement: “This rule aggrandized federal bureaucrats at the expense of farmers’ water and private property rights. EPA’s decision to stay and now rescind WOTUS is another welcome act from…

House Passes "One Stop-Shop" Permitting Bill to Expand Water Storage Infrastructure

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House passed H.R. 1654, the “Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act,” by a bipartisan vote of 233-180. Introduced by Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA), the bill creates a “one-stop-shop” permitting process through the Bureau of Reclamation for new or expanded surface storage facilities. It streamlines agency permit requirements that sometimes impose unnecessary costs and burdens on…

House Passes Bipartisan Bill to Improve Electricity Reliability and Vegetation Management

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House passed H.R. 1873, the “Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act,” by a bipartisan vote of 300-118. Introduced by Reps. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR), the bipartisan bill provides streamlined processes for the removal of hazardous vegetative overgrowth within or adjacent to electricity infrastructure on federal lands. “This bill streamlines another…

Hearing Focuses on Bills to Protect Endangered Salmon, Empower Local Management on Federal Water Projects

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held a legislative hearing on two bills to lessen the costs of federal water and power infrastructure to American ratepayers. H.R. 2083 (Rep. Jaime Herrera-Beutler, R-WA), the bipartisan supported “Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act,” allows states and tribes to lethally take non-native sea lions under certain…

Hearing Focuses on Bills to Protect Property Rights, Increase Federal Transparency

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held a legislative hearing on two bills to increase federal transparency, safeguard private and state water rights, and provide certainty to water and power users.       The “Water Rights Protection Act” discussion draft (Rep. Scott Tipton, R-CO) protects state water law and private property rights from future federal…

Panel: Hydropower Reforms Needed to Streamline Relicensing and Incentivize New Development

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held an oversight hearing on the costly and lengthy process to relicense hydropower and to explore opportunities for new development. “Navigating through the federal bureaucracy necessary to obtain the proper licensing to get these new hydropower projects running is extremely complex and cumbersome. The time and costs associated with…

Committee Passes Bipartisan Bill to Safeguard Electric Transmission, Enhance Grid Reliability

| Posted in Press Release

Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources passed H.R. 1873, the “Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act,” bipartisan vote of 24-14. Representatives Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR) introduced the bipartisan bill to improve the safety and reliability of the electric grid on federal lands. “I am very pleased that this bill passed through committee with strong…