House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement today regarding passage of H.R. 1473, the Continuing Resolution that funds the federal government through FY2011 and cuts spending by nearly $40 billion:

“This bill is the first step in getting our Nation’s fiscal house in order and sends a strong signal to the American people that Congress is serious about cutting spending. In addition to saving taxpayers billions of dollars, this bill includes important provisions to ensure public lands remain open to the public, allow for the sensible management of species, and further strengthen the safety of offshore drilling. Specifically, this bill prevents the Interior Department from using funds to implement the Wild Lands order – a backdoor attempt to implement de facto Wilderness and potentially place millions of acres of land off-limits to public recreation, energy production and other job-creating activities. It also restores common sense by returning the management of gray wolf populations back to the states. Finally, this bill increases funding for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which Democrats failed to do last year. This will increase oversight of offshore drilling operations and hopefully lead to the approval of permits in a more timely and efficient manner so people in the Gulf can get back to work.”

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