Washington, D.C. (March 20, 2014) – In February, US Forest Service officers and canine units conducted a raid on the Taos Ski Valley. Multiple tickets were issued for various offenses, including driving with a cracked windshield. According to the Taos News, it was part of a “saturation patrol,” due to a demand from the Director of the Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations, David Ferrell, that officers reach a quota of 100 citations annually. Read more »
Washington, D.C. (April 9, 2014) – This afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.Con.Res. 96, the Budget Resolution for fiscal year 2015, with a vote of 219-205. The fiscal year 2015 Budget Resolution balances the budget in ten years by cutting spending by $5.1 trillion, and it ensures greater access to federal lands for energy exploration, better forest management, wildfire suppression, and balanced land management. Read more »
Washington, D.C. (April 1, 2014) – Last week the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) released a new report profiling a former EPA staffer that was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for stealing over $900,00 in taxpayer money. John C. Beale was no ordinary EPA staffer; in fact, he was a senior policy advisor and highest-paid employee at the EPA by the time he resigned in April 2013. Before being sentenced, Beale admitted to taking months of paid time off by making colleagues believe that he was working for the CIA. Read more »
Washington, D.C. (March 27, 2014) – Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced their decision to list the Lesser Prairie Chicken under the Endangered Species Act. Members of the Congressional Western Caucus responded to this decision with the following statements: Read more »
Washington, D.C. (March 26, 2014) – This afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1459, the Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act with a vote of 222-201. This legislation allows the American people to have a say in the decision-making process leading up to a national monument designation. Read more »
Washington, D.C. (February 4, 2014) –On the same day President Obama delivered his fifth State of the Union address, Congressional Democrats sought to stop a bill that would have created nearly 74,000 acres of new wilderness. The partisan showdown at the Natural Resources Committee was right in line with President Obama’s anti-Congress narrative during his speech. In his speech, President Obama threatened local communities and Congressional leaders by saying he would “use his authority [under the Antiquities Act] to protect more of our pristine federal lands for future generations."
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WASHINGTON,D.C.- State Department officials said they were still weighing whether or not to reject the proposed Keystone XL pipeline even after Friday’s release of a final environmental assessment that concluded the project’s construction would not significantly alter global greenhouse gas emissions. Read more »
Washington, D.C. (January 8, 2014) – Democrats in the House of Representatives are once again asking President Obama to bypass Congress and unilaterally proclaim large swaths of federal lands as national monuments. Congress taking the lead role in proposing national monuments guarantees the opportunity for input from surrounding communities, public hearings , and a full review of the pros and cons of a given designation. The one-sided approach Congressional Democrats are asking for shuts local communities and land users out of the planning process. Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, after continuous pressure from members of the Western Caucus, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell has dissolved the National Blueways System created by the controversial Secretarial Order 3321. The Secretary’s action also dissolves the National Blueways Committee, which was composed entirely of federal officials and which claimed the authority to unilaterally designate entire river watersheds as “National Blueways.” These designations held the potential to expand the reach of the federal government over non-navigable waters currently under state jurisdiction. Read more »
Washington, D.C. (December 10, 2013) – On Monday, the Obama Administration published a rule in the Federal Register that gives wind farms an unlimited 30-year “take permit” to accidentally kill or injure bald and golden eagles. Congressman Steve Pearce, Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, responded to the rule with the following statement: Read more »
