Letters
Raul Ruiz, House members urge keeping gray wolf on endangered list
The Desert Sun March 19, 2014 WASHINGTON - Seventy-five House members - including Palm Desert Democrat Raul Ruiz and Carmel Democrat Sam Farr - wrote to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on Wednesday urging her to scrap a proposal to remove the gray wolf from the federal endangered species list. In a letter written by Oregon Rep. Pete DeFazio, the senior Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, the lawmaker referred to last month's independent review requested by the U.S. Fish & … Continue Reading
03.20.14
DeFazio, 74 other House members ask administration to scrap wolf de-listing proposal
Statesman Journal By Raju Chebium March 19, 2014 WASHINGTON - Oregon Rep. Pete DeFazio and 74 other House lawmakers wrote to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on Wednesday asking her to scrap a proposal to remove the gray wolf from the federal endangered species list. A letter written by DeFazio and signed by 72 other House Democrats and two Republicans referred to last month's independent review requested by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. That study, done by researchers at the Univer… Continue Reading
03.20.14
Congressman who stalled Tule Springs monument bill gets tour
LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL By HENRY BREAN March 17, 2014 Less than a month after he stalled efforts to create a new national monument in the fossil-rich hills north of Las Vegas, Rep. Rob Bishop took a short hike through Tule Springs and held bits of mammoth bone in his fingers. "This is cool," said the Republican congressman from Utah. "We're going to have to work this out." Bishop visited the proposed monument site Monday as part of a whirlwind, three-hour tour that also offered … Continue Reading
03.20.14
With Fire Season Approaching, Calls For Changing Fire Management
Jefferson Public Radio March 19, 2014 This summer is shaping up to be a hot season for wildfires, especially on the West Coast. Federal officials and lawmakers took the opportunity Monday to urge passage of legislation that would treat big wildfires like other natural disasters. Wildfire in Oregon (via Bureau of Land Management Oregon/Flickr) They say this would fix a problem that's hampered efforts to prevent the fires in the first place. Ed Delgado heads the federal office that pred… Continue Reading
03.20.14
Congress takes up the politics of California's drought in a Central Valley hearing
Associated Press March 19, 2014 FRESNO, California - Farmers holding signs protesting dramatic cuts to their irrigation supplies packed Fresno City Hall for a congressional hearing Wednesday, delving into the politics of California's drought crisis striking the state's agricultural heartland. Visalia farmer Michael Malmgren's sign had the words "Water is the heart of the matter," surrounding a big, pink heart. The House Natural Resources Committee's hearing on Cali… Continue Reading
03.18.14
Gray wolves deserve continued protection: Guest opinion
The Oregonian By Rep. Peter DeFazio March 15, 2014 For two years, a lone gray wolf has traversed rugged Oregon terrain and crossed invisible state borders searching for a mate. The wolf, known as OR-7, is one of only 64 gray wolves known to roam Oregon and he was the first known wolf to enter California in decades. Since he split from his fledgling northeastern Oregon pack, his 3,000 mile journey has been chronicled by local and national press and captured the attention of many in Orego… Continue Reading
03.13.14
House Dems ask BLM to extend comment period on Arctic drilling project
E&E News By Phil Taylor March 13, 2014 Three senior House Democrats yesterday urged the Interior Department to allow more time for the public to comment on a proposed oil and gas project in northwest Alaska, saying it could have a major impact on how future drilling occurs in the region. Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, ranking member of the Natural Resources Committee, along with Reps. John Dingell of Michigan and Betty McCollum of Minnesota, said the Bureau of Land Management should pro… Continue Reading
03.13.14
President Obama designates Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands a national monument
The Press Democrat Mary Callahan March 12, 2014 With a stroke of his pen - six pens, actually - President Barack Obama turned a remote piece of the Mendocino Coast into a national destination Tuesday in an Oval Office ceremony that locals in attendance described as something right out of a dream. The Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands is now officially part of the 1,100-mile California Coastal National Monument, protected under a presidential proclamation long sought by locals. A large co… Continue Reading
03.13.14
Interior chief says improved infrastructure can help Calif.'s water woes
E&E News By Debra Kahn March 12, 2014 BYRON, Calif. -- Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said yesterday that new water storage projects could help address long-term supply issues in California, if not the current historic drought. Jewell's remarks came while touring a massive federal water-pumping plant in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the confluence of two of California's largest rivers, after a meeting with agricultural water users who rely on exports from the delta. … Continue Reading
03.12.14
Feds respond to CNMI concerns on Fukushima radiation hazard
Saipan Tribune By Haidee V. Eugenio March 9, 2014 At Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan's (Ind-MP) request, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has agreed to provide the CNMI with "material and logistical support to respond to public concern about radiation hazards from the Fukushima nuclear accident," three years after the massive March 2011 Japan quake and tsunami that also triggered radioactive leaks from damaged nuclear power plant reactors. "FDA is able to provide radiation page… Continue Reading
03.12.14
Hastings calls Obama's Calif. designation an overreach
E&E News By Phil Taylor March 11, 2014 If President Obama wanted to permanently protect a scenic swath of Northern California coastline, he should have pushed his Democratic colleagues in the Senate to do so rather than act unilaterally, a top House Republican said today. Natural Resources Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) today criticized Obama's decision to add 1,665 acres of public lands to the California Coastal National Monument using his powers under the Antiquities Act. Obama… Continue Reading
03.11.14
Meager aid for N.J. marine industry stirs anger
Philly Inquirer Jacqueline L. Urgo, Inquirer Staff Writer March 11, 2014 Despite a pool of more than $75 million in federal appropriations for fisheries disaster relief from Hurricane Sandy and other storm damage, at only $1.5 million, New Jersey has received a pittance compared with other regions, according to state legislators and anglers associations. Marine industry losses in both commercial and recreational fishing because of Sandy have been estimated at $121 million in New J… Continue Reading
03.10.14
Obama to expand protections along Calif. coast
E&E News By Phil Taylor March 8, 2014 President Obama tomorrow will add 1,665 acres of public lands to the California Coastal National Monument, a signal that the White House is seeking to protect more lands as conservation bills stall in Congress. The Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands will be the first onshore addition to the Clinton-era monument, which consists of more than 20,000 small islands and pinnacles between Mexico and Oregon. The expansion, made possible under the 19… Continue Reading
03.10.14
Maine's members of Congress lobby for wind project
Portland Herald By Kevin Miller March 9, 2014 Members of Maine's congressional delegation have been actively involved in promoting the University of Maine's offshore wind turbine project, directly lobbying top energy officials and luring them to the state for personal tours of the research facilities. Most of Maine's representatives to Congress have been ardent supporters of both inland and offshore wind. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and her former Republican colleague, Se… Continue Reading
03.06.14
White House threatens to veto NEPA, coal bills
E&E News By Manuel Quinones and Robin Bravender March 6, 2014 The White House yesterday threatened to veto two House Republican bills meant to push back against the Obama administration's regulatory agenda. One of the measures would fast-track federal environmental permitting decisions. The other would block a forthcoming rule to protect waterways from coal mining. The House is expected to pass both in the next few days. Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Tom Marino's H.R. 2641 -- t… Continue Reading
03.06.14
Republicans assail FWS over hatchery management
E&E News By Jessica Estepa March 6, 2014 House Republicans questioned the Fish and Wildlife Service's management of fish hatcheries, accusing the agency in a Natural Resources subcommittee hearing of failing to weigh economic interests in its decisions. Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs Subcommittee Chairman John Fleming scrutinized a 2013 agency report assessing the impacts of budget cuts on the hatchery system. The Louisiana Republican took issue with the agency… Continue Reading
03.05.14
House sends first wilderness bill since 2009 to Obama
E&E News By Jessica Estepa and Phil Taylor March 5, 2014 Congress reached a milestone yesterday with the passage of its first wilderness bill in nearly five years. The House passed by voice vote S. 23, which would designate about 30,000 acres at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore along the northwest coast of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. The measure, which passed the Senate last year, now heads to President Obama for his signature. More than 1 million people visit the seasho… Continue Reading
03.04.14
Boehner not dusting off his drilling plan
The Hill By Russel Berman March 4, 2014 Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) won't revive his 2011 proposal to use oil drilling revenue for infrastructure when the House takes up a new highway bill later this year, lawmakers and aides say. Members of both parties are desperately searching for a revenue source to plug a shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund, which could run out of money as early as August, a month before the full transportation bill expires. The highway bill was one of s… Continue Reading
03.04.14
House Dems propose increasing storage to deal with Calif. drought
E&E News By Debra Kahn March 4, 2014 House Democrats are proposing a long-term fix to California's historic drought in hopes of bringing together bitter opponents in the state's water wars. Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) introduced a trio of bills Friday to expand existing reservoirs and build one new facility on California's rivers. By taking more water off the rivers during floods, the state would have more supplies when rain is scarce, he argued. "Every region and polit… Continue Reading
03.04.14
Democratic witnesses at House hearing warn against Hastings proposal
E&E News By Jessica Estepa Februar 28, 2014 When it comes to rewriting the main fisheries law in the United States, witnesses today cautioned the House Natural Resources Committee against making any major changes that would undermine the progress already made under the act. "We believe large-scale changes to the [Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act] are not warranted, and any changes made to the act should be carefully considered," said Dorothy Lowman, ch… Continue Reading