News List

Washington, D.C. (March 6, 2013) – On the eve of the Senate’s confirmation hearing, Members of the Congressional Western Caucus sent a letter to the President highlighting questions and concerns about Sally Jewell’s nomination for Secretary of the Department of the Interior (DOI). In the letter, caucus members emphasized the impact the DOI has on the West, and laid out the basic qualifications any Secretary of the Interior should possess. Read more »

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today supported a continuing resolution that extends government operations through the end of the fiscal year with a provision specifying that cuts under sequestration must be enacted for all non-security accounts as required by current law. Simpson, who chairs the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, was instrumental in ensuring that the CR included adequate funding for fire suppression shortfalls in FY13. Read more »

WASHINGTON D.C. – Congressman Cory Gardner (CO-04) applauded the House of Representatives for approving $48 million of Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) funding to help states like Colorado rebuild its watershed infrastructure after a summer of devastating fires. Read more »

Today, Congressman Scott Tipton (CO-03) grilled Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on his agency’s motive behind a controversial Forest Service plan to implement a directive that would require the transfer of privately held water rights to the federal government as a permit condition on National Forest System lands. The permit condition circumvents state water law and jeopardizes… Read more »

Washington, D.C. – Today, freshman Congressman Chris Stewart (R-Utah) was named Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment as part of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. Read more »

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Scott Tipton’s (CO-03) pro jobs clean energy development bill received a legislative hearing in the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power. The Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act (H.R. 678) would streamline burdensome red tape and reduce administrative costs for the installation of small canal and pipeline hydropower development projects. Read more »

Washington, D.C. – Congressman John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-TN) today joined with United States Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) to introduce the Crop Insurance Subsidy Reduction Act (H.R. 943), which would significantly reduce the amount of taxpayer dollars used to subsidize crop insurance. Read more »

WASHINGTON – Tuesday U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo) introduced H.R 957, The American Soda Ash Competitiveness Act. The bill, a version of which was originally introduced in March 2011, reinstates the 2% federal royalty rate paid by Wyoming’s natural soda ash producers that was raised in October of 2011 to 6%. Read more »

WASHINGTON,D.C.- President Obama announced today that he is nominating Dr. Ernest Moniz to be the next Secretary of Energy. Dr. Ernest Moniz, a physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, previously served as Undersecretary of Energy under President Clinton. Western Caucus Chairman Steve Pearce released the following statement in response to the announcement: Read more »

WASHINGTON,D.C.- President Obama announced today that he is nominating Gina McCarthy to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). McCarthy is currently the Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, which oversees air quality policy implementation. Western Caucus Chairman Steve Pearce released the following statement in response to the announcement: Read more »