59-006
2006
| Union Calendar No. 437 |
[Graphic image not available]
DECEMBER 21, 2006- Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
| COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES | |
| RICHARD W. POMBO, California, Chairman | |
| NICK J. RAHALL II, West Virginia, Ranking Democrat Member | |
| DON YOUNG, Alaska JIM SAXTON, New Jersey ELTON GALLEGLY, California JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR., Tennessee WAYNE T. GILCHREST, Maryland KEN CALVERT, California BARBARA CURBIN, Wyoming GEORGE RADANOVICH, California WALTER B. JONES, North Carolina CHRIS CANNON, Utah JOHN E. PETERSON, Pennsylvania JIM GIBBONS, Nevada GREG WALDEN, Oregon THOMAS G. TANCREDO, Colorado J.D. HAYWORTH, Arizona JEFF FLAKE, Arizona RICK RENZI, Arizona STEVAN PEARCE, New Mexico HENRY E. BROWN, JR., South Carolina THELMA D. DRAKE, Virginia LUIS G. FORTUN˙AE6O, Puerto Rico CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS, Washington BOBBY JINDAL, Louisiana LOUIE GOHMERT, Texas MARILYN N. MUSGRAVE, Colorado VACANCY |
DALE E. KILDEE, Michigan ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American Samoa NEIL ABERCROMBIE, Hawaii SOLOMON P. ORTIZ, Texas FRANK PALLONE, JR., New Jersey DONNA M. CHRISTENSEN, Virgin Islands RON KIND, Wisconsin GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California TOM UDALL, New Mexico RAUL M. GRIJALVA, Arizona MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO, Guam JIM COSTA, California CHARLIE MELANCON, Louisiana DAN BOREN, Oklahoma GEORGE MILLER, California EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts PETER A. DEFAZIO, Oregon JAY INSLEE, Washington MARK UDALL, Colorado DENNIS A. CARDOZA, California STEPHANIE HERSETH, South Dakota |
| On January 26, 2005, pursuant to H. Res. 48, the Majority (Republican) Members were elected to the Committee. | |
| On January 26, 2005, pursuant to H. Res. 49, the Minority (Democrat) Members were elected to the Committee. | |
| On February 2, 2005, pursuant to H. Res. 62, the following Members were elected to the Committee: George Miller, California; Edward J. Markey, Massachusetts; Peter A. DeFazio, Oregon; Jay Inslee, Washington; Mark Udall, Colorado; Dennis A. Cardoza, California; and Stephanie Herseth, South Dakota. | |
| On February 2, 2005, Mark E. Souder resigned from the Committee. | |
| On February 16, 2005, pursuant to H. Res. 112, Marilyn N. Musgrave was elected to the Committee. | |
| On May 5, 2005, Devin Nunes resigned from the Committee. |
| STANDING SUBCOMMITTEES OF THE COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES | |
| Subcommittee on National Parks | |
| STEVAN PEARCE, New Mexico, Chairman | |
| DONNA M. CHRISTENSEN, Virgin Islands, Ranking Democrat Member | |
| JIM SAXTON, New Jersey ELTON GALLEGLY, California JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR., Tennessee GEORGE RADANOVICH, California WALTER B. JONES, North Carolina HENRY E. BROWN, South Carolina, Vice Chair LUIS G. FORTUN˙AE6O, Puerto Rico MARILYN N. MUSGRAVE, Colorado RICHARD W. POMBO, Ex-Officio |
DALE E. KILDEE, Michigan NEIL ABERCROMBIE, Hawaii RON KIND, Wisconsin TOM UDALL, New Mexico MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO, Guam CHARLIE MELANCON, Louisiana NICK J. RAHALL II, Ex-Officio |
| Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health | |
| GREG WALDEN, Oregon, Chairman | |
| TOM UDALL, New Mexico, Ranking Democrat Member | |
| JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR., Tennessee WAYNE T. GILCHREST, Maryland CHRIS CANNON, Utah JOHN E. PETERSON, Pennsylvania, Vice Chair THOMAS G. TANCREDO, Colorado J.D. HAYWORTH, Arizona JEFF FLAKE, Arizona RICK RENZI, Arizona HENRY E. BROWN, JR., South Carolina CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS, Washington PRICHARD W. POMBO, Ex-Officio |
DALE E. KILDEE, Michigan NEIL ABERCROMBIE, Hawaii DAN BOREN, Oklahoma PETER A. DEFAZIO, Oregon JAY INSLEE, Washington MARK UDALL, Colorado DENNIS A. CARDOZA, California STEPHANIE HERSETH, South Dakota NICK J. RAHALL II, Ex-Officio |
| Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources | |
| JIM GIBBONS, Nevada, Chairman | |
| RAUL M. GRIJALVA, Arizona, Ranking Democrat Member | |
| DON YOUNG, Alaska BARBARA CUBIN, Wyoming CHRIS CANNON, Utah JOHN E. PETERSON, Pennsylvania STEVAN PEARCE, New Mexico THELMA D. DRAKE, Virginia, Vice Chair BOBBY JINDAL, Louisiana LOUIE GOHMERT, Texas RICHARD W. POMBO, Ex-Officio |
ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American Samoa SOLOMON P. ORTIZ, Texas JIM COSTA, California CHARLIE MELANCON, Louisiana DAN BOREN, Oklahoma EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts NICK J. RAHALL II, Ex-Officio |
SUBCOMMITTEE ON WATER AND POWER
- KEN CALVERT, California
- BARBARA CUBIN, Wyoming
- GREG WALDEN, Oregon
- THOMAS G. TANCREDO, Colorado
- J.D. HAYWORTH, Arizona
- STEVAN PEARCE, New Mexico
- CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS, Washington,
- Vice Chair
- LOUIE GOHMERT, Texas
- RICHARD W. POMBO, Ex-Officio
- RAUL M. GRIJALVA, Arizona
- JIM COSTA, California
- GEORGE MILLER, California
- MARK UDALL, Colorado
- DENNIS A. CARDOZA, California
- VACANCY
- VACANCY
- NICK J. RAHALL II, Ex-Officio
SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISHERIES AND OCEANS
- DON YOUNG, Alaska
- JIM SAXTON, New Jersey, Vice Chair
- WALTER B. JONES, North Carolina
- THELMA D. DRAKE, Virginia
- LUIS G. FORTUN.AE6O, Puerto Rico
- BOBBY JINDAL, Louisiana
- MARILYN N. MUSGRAVE, Colorado
- RICHARD W. POMBO,
Ex-Officio
- ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA,
- American Samoa
- NEIL ABERCROMBIE, Hawaii
- SOLOMON P. ORTIZ, Texas
- RON KIND, Wisconsin
- MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO, Guam
- NICK J. RAHALL II, Ex-Officio
TASK FORCE ON IMPROVING THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT
- KEN CALVERT, California
- GEORGE RADANOVICH, California
- CHRIS CANNON, Utah
- JIM GIBBONS, Nevada
- GREG WALDEN, Oregon
- RICK RENZI, Arizona
- STEVAN PEARCE, New Mexico
- HENRY BROWN, South Carolina
- THELMA D. DRAKE, Virginia
- LOUIE GOHMERT, Texas
- RICHARD W. POMBO, Ex-Officio
- GEORGE MILLER, California
- ED MARKEY, Massachusetts
- FRANK PALLONE, New Jersey
- GRACE NAPOLITANO, California
- JAY INSLEE, Washington
- MARK UDALL, Colorado
- RAUL GRIJALVA, Arizona
- JIM COSTA, California
- NICK J. RAHALL II, Ex-Officio
| Task Force on Updating the National Environmental Policy Act | |
| CATHY MCMORRIS, Washington, Chairman | |
| TOM UDALL, New Mexico, Ranking Democrat Member | |
| KEN CALVERT, California GEORGE RADANOVICH, California CHRIS CANNON, Utah JIM GIBBONS, Nevada GREG WALDEN, Oregon RICK RENZI, Arizona STEVAN PEARCE, New Mexico HENRY BROWN, South Carolina THELMA D. DRAKE, Vriginia LOUIE GOHMERT, Texas RICHARD W. POMBO, Ex-Officio |
GEORGE MILLER, California ED MARKEY, Massachusetts FRANK PALLONE, New Jersey GRACE NAPOLITANO, California JAY INSLEE, Washington MARK UDALL, Colorado RAUL GRIJALVA, Arizona JIM COSTA, California NICK J. RAHALL II, Ex-Officio |
FULL COMMITTEE STAFF
DEMOCRATIC STAFF
SUBCOMMITTEE STAFF
SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS
ROOM H2-187 FORD, PHONE 202/226-7736
SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISHERIES AND OCEANS
ROOM H2-188 FORD, PHONE 202/226-0200
SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES
ROOM 1626 LONGWORTH, PHONE 202/225-9297
SUBCOMMITTEE ON WATER AND POWER
ROOM 1522 LONGWORTH, PHONE 202/225-8331
SUBCOMMITTEE ON FORESTS AND FOREST HEALTH
ROOM 1337 LONGWORTH, PHONE 202/225-0691
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
Hon. KAREN L. HAAS,
Clerk of the House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
DEAR MS. HAAS: Pursuant to clause 1(d)(1) of Rule XI and Rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives, here is a report of the legislative and oversight activities of the Committee on Resources during the 109th Congress.
Sincerely,
RICHARD W. POMBO, CHAIRMAN.
| C O N T E N T S |
Page
Letter of Transmittal
Overview
Full Committee
Legislative Activities
Oversight Activities
Subcommittee on National Parks
Legislative Activities
Oversight Activities
Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans
Legislative Activities
Oversight Activities
Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
Legislative Activities
Oversight Activities
Subcommittee on Water and Power
Legislative Activities
Oversight Activities
Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health
Legislative Activities
Oversight Activities
Task Force on the National Environmental Policy Act
28, 29
Oversight Activities
28, 29
Printed Hearings
Legislation Passed House
List of Public Laws
Committee Prints
Committee Legislative Reports
Oversight Summary
2d Session
109-735
--LEGISLATIVE AND OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES, 109TH CONGRESS
OVERVIEW
The Committee on Resources met on February 2, 2005, for an organizational meeting of the 109th Congress under the direction of Chairman Richard W. Pombo. The Committee Membership was 52 Members with 28 Republicans and 24 Democrats.
The Committee established five subcommittees: National Parks (Stevan Pearce, Chairman); Fisheries and Oceans (Wayne Gilchrest, Chairman); Energy and Mineral Resources (Jim Gibbons, Chairman); Water and Power (George Radanovich, Chairman); and Forests and Forest Health (Greg Walden, Chairman).
JURISDICTION
The jurisdiction of the Committee on Resources, as prescribed by Clause 1(l) of Rule X of the Rules of the House is as follows:
(1) Fisheries and wildlife, including research, restoration, refuges, and conservation.
(2) Forest reserves and national parks created from the public domain.
(3) Forfeiture of land grants and alien ownership, including alien ownership of mineral lands.
(4) Geological Survey.
(5) International fishing agreements.
(6) Interstate compacts relating to apportionment of waters for irrigation purposes.
(7) Irrigation and reclamation, including water supply for reclamation projects and easements of public lands for irrigation projects; and acquisition of private lands when necessary to complete irrigation projects.
(8) Native Americans generally, including the care and allotment of Native American lands and general and special measures relating to claims that are paid out of Native American Funds.
(9) Insular possessions of the United States generally (except those affecting the revenue and appropriations).
(10) Military parks and battlefields, national cemeteries administered by the Secretary of the Interior, parks within the District of Columbia, and the erection of monuments to the memory of individuals.
(11) Mineral land laws and claims and entries thereunder.
(12) Mineral resources of the public lands.
(13) Mining interests generally.
(14) Mining schools and experimental stations.
(15) Marine affairs, including coastal zone management (except for measures relating to oil and other pollution of navigable waters).
(16) Oceanography.
(17) Petroleum conservation on the public lands and conservation of the radium supply in the United States.
(18) Preservation of prehistoric ruins and objects of interest on the public domain.
(19) Public lands generally, including entry, easements, and the grazing thereon.
(20) Relations of the United States with Native Americans and Native American tribes.
(21) Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline (except ratemaking).
| Activities Report | |
| Committee on Resources Statistics | |
| Total number of bills and resolutions referred | 813 |
| Total number of meeting days: | |
| Full Committee (46) | |
| Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources (19) | |
| Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans (33) | |
| Subcommittee Forests and Forest Health (30) | |
| Subcommittee on National Parks (33) | |
| Subcommittee on Water and Power (39) | |
| Task Force on the National Environmental Policy Act (7) | |
| Total | 207 |
| Total number of bills ordered reported from Committee | 130 |
| Total number of reports filed | 127 |
| Total number of bills referred to/discharged by Committee on Resources and passed by the House of Representatives | 217 |
| Total number of public laws | 118 |
| Total number of bills enacted into law* | 163 |
*Includes 5 House/Senate Resolutions, 1 Private Law, and all bills awaiting signature by the President.
FULL COMMITTEE
I. LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES
A. Legislative and Administrative Hearings and Markups
February 2, 2005--Full Committee met to organize for the 109th Congress.
February 10, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 512, to require the prompt review by the Secretary of the Interior of the longstanding petitions for Federal recognition of certain Indian tribes, and for other purposes.
April 13, 2005--Markup held on a Committee Print `Domestic Energy Security Act'.
April 20, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 1595, to implement the recommendations of the Guam War Claims Review Commission.
May 18, 2005--Markup held on H.R. 38, to designate a portion of the White Salmon River as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System; H.R. 125, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to construct facilities to provide water for irrigation, municipal, domestic, military, and other uses from the Santa Margarita River, California, and for other purposes; H.R. 362, to designate the Ojito Wilderness Study Area as wilderness, to take certain land into trust for the Pueblo of Zia, and for other purposes; H.R. 394, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a boundary study to evaluate the significance of the Colonel James Barrett Farm in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the suitability and feasibility of its inclusion in the National Park System as part of the Minute Man National Historical Park, and for other purposes; H.R. 432, Private Bill; to require the Secretary of the Interior to permit continued occupancy and use of certain lands and improvements within Rocky Mountain National Park; H.R. 481, to further the purposes of the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Establishment Act of 2000; H.R. 517, to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, and for other purposes; H.R. 539, to designate certain National Forest System land in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System; H.R. 599, to provide a source of funds to carry out restoration activities on Federal lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture, and for other purposes; H.R. 774, to adjust the boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park in the State of Colorado; H.R. 853, to remove certain restrictions on the Mammoth Community Water District's ability to use certain property acquired by that District from the United States; H.R. 873, to provide for a nonvoting delegate to the House of Representatives to represent the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and for other purposes; H.R. 975, to provide consistent enforcement authority to the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Forest Service to respond to violations of regulations regarding the management, use, and protection of public lands under the jurisdiction of these agencies, and for other purposes; H.R. 1084, to authorize the establishment at Antietam National Battlefield of a memorial to the officers and enlisted men of the Fifth, Sixth, and Ninth New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry Regiments and the First New Hampshire Light Artillery Battery who fought in the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, and for other purposes; H.R. 1428, to authorize appropriations for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and for other purposes; H.R. 1492, to provide for the preservation of the historic confinement sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II, and for other purposes; H.R. 1797, to provide for equitable compensation to the Spokane Tribe of Indians of the Spokane Reservation for the use of tribal land for the production of hydropower by the Grand Coulee Dam, and for other purposes; H.R. 1905, to amend the Small Tracts Act to facilitate the exchange of small tracts of land, and for other purposes; H.R. 2130, to amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to authorize research programs to better understand and protect marine mammals, and for other purposes; and H.R. 2362, to reauthorize and amend the National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992.
September 21, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 3824, to amend and reauthorize the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide greater results conserving and recovering listed species, and for other purposes.
September 22, 2005--Markup held on H.R. 3824, to amend and reauthorize the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide greater results conserving and recovering listed species, and for other purposes; H.R. 1129, to authorize the exchange of certain land in the State of Colorado; H.R. 2383, to redesignate the facility of the Bureau of Reclamation located at 19550 Kelso Road in Byron, California, as the `C.W. `Bill' Jones Pumping Plant'; H.R. 2875, to amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to provide for the conduct of projects that protect forests, and for other purposes; H.R. 3351, to make technical corrections to laws relating to Native Americans, and for other purposes; and S. 1339, to reauthorize the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program Act of 1994.
September 28, 2005--Markup held on a Committee Print `National Energy Supply Diversification and Disruption Prevention Act'.
October 19, 2005--Markup held on H. Con. Res. 267, Expressing the sense of the Congress upholding the Makah Tribe treaty rights; H.R. 323, to redesignate the Ellis Island Library on the third floor of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, located on Ellis Island in New York Harbor, as the `Bob Hope Memorial Library'; H.R. 326, to amend the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area Act of 2000 to adjust the boundary of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area and to extend the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance under that Act; H.R. 679, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey a parcel of real property to Beaver County, Utah; H.R. 1096, to establish the Thomas Edison National Historical Park in the State of New Jersey as the successor to the Edison National Historic Site; H.R. 1183, to require the Secretary of the Interior to provide public access to Navassa National Wildlife Refuge and Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge; H.R. 1436, to remove certain use restrictions on property located in Navajo County, Arizona; H.R. 1564, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain buildings and lands of the Yakima Project, Washington, to the Yakima-Tieton Irrigation District; H.R. 1972, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of including in the National Park System certain sites in Williamson County, Tennessee, relating to the Battle of Franklin; H.R. 3443, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain water distribution facilities to the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District; H.R. 3818, to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into partnership agreements with entities and local communities to encourage greater cooperation in the administration of Forest Service activities on and near National Forest System lands, and for other purposes; and S. 229, to clear title to certain real property in New Mexico associated with the Middle Rio Grande Project, and for other purposes.
October 26, 2005--Markup held on Recommendations for Budget Reconciliation.
October 27, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 3405, to prohibit the provision of Federal economic development assistance for any State or locality that uses the power of eminent domain power to obtain property for private commercial development or that fails to pay relocation costs to persons displaced by use of the power of eminent domain for economic development purposes.
November 16, 2005--Markup held on H.R. 452, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the Soldiers' Memorial Military Museum located in St. Louis, Missouri, as a unit of the National Park System; H.R. 1071, to direct the Secretary of Energy to make incentive payments to the owners or operators of qualified desalination facilities to partially offset the cost of electrical energy required to operate such facilities, and for other purposes; H.R. 1090, to designate a Forest Service trail at Waldo Lake in the Willamette National Forest in the State of Oregon as a national recreation trail in honor of Jim Weaver, a former Member of the House of Representatives; H.R. 1190, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a feasibility study to design and construct a four reservoir intertie system for the purposes of improving the water storage opportunities, water supply reliability, and water yield of San Vicente, El Capitan, Murray, and Loveland Reservoirs in San Diego County, California in consultation and cooperation with the City of San Diego and the Sweetwater Authority, and for other purposes; H.R. 1595, to implement the recommendations of the Guam War Claims Review Commission; H.R. 1728, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating the French Colonial Heritage Area in the State of Missouri as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes; H.R. 2720, to further the purposes of the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 by directing the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to carry out an assessment and demonstration program to control salt cedar and Russian olive, and for other purposes; H.R. 3124, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to allow the Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation to increase the diameter of a natural gas pipeline located in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area; H.R. 3153, to reauthorize the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basin endangered fish recovery implementation programs; H.R. 3626, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the feasibility of enlarging the Arthur V. Watkins Dam Weber Basin Project, Utah, to provide additional water for the Weber Basin Project to fulfill the purposes for which that project was authorized; H.R. 3897, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Madera Irrigation District for purposes of supporting the Madera Water Supply and Groundwater Enhancement Project; H.R. 3929, to amend the Water Desalination Act of 1996 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to assist in research and development, environmental and feasibility studies, and preliminary engineering for the Municipal Water District of Orange County, California, Dana Point Desalination Project located at Dana Point, California; H.R. 4192, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to designate the President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home in Hope, Arkansas, as a National Historic Site and unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes; H.R. 4195, to authorize early repayment of obligations to the Bureau of Reclamation within Rogue River Valley Irrigation District or within Medford Irrigation District; H.R. 4292, to amend Public Law 107-153 to further encourage the negotiated settlement of tribal claims; and S. 362, to establish a program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United States Coast Guard to help identify, determine sources of, assess, reduce, and prevent marine debris and its adverse impacts on the marine environment and navigation safety, in coordination with non-Federal entities, and for other purposes.
December 8, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 4322, to provide for Indian trust asset management reform and resolution of historical accounting claims, and for other purposes.
March 15, 2006--Markup held on H.R. 4882, to ensure the proper remembrance of Vietnam veterans and the Vietnam War by providing a deadline for the designation of a visitor center for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial; and H.R. 4200, to improve the ability of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to promptly implement recovery treatments in response to catastrophic events affecting Federal lands under their jurisdiction, including the removal of dead and damaged trees and the implementation of reforestation treatments, to support the recovery of non-Federal lands damaged by catastrophic events, to revitalize Forest Service experimental forest, and for other purposes.
March 15, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 4893, to amend section 20 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to restrict off-reservation gaming.
March 16, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 4857, to better inform consumers regarding costs associated with compliance for protecting endangered and threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
March 29, 2006--Markup held on H.J. Res. 78, approving the location of the commemorative work in the District of Columbia honoring former President Dwight D. Eisenhower; H.R. 122, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Eastern Municipal Water District Recycled Water System Pressurization and Expansion Project; H.R. 374, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to take certain tribally-owned reservation land into trust for the Puyallup Tribe; H.R. 413, to establish the Bleeding Kansas and the Enduring Struggle for Freedom National Heritage Area, and for other purposes; H.R. 518, to require the Secretary of the Interior to refine the Department of the Interior program for providing assistance for the conservation of neotropical migratory birds; H.R. 1307, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate portions of the Musconetcong River in the State of New Jersey as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes; H.R. 2563, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct feasibility studies to address certain water shortages within the Snake, Boise, and Payette River systems in Idaho, and for other purposes; H.R. 2978, to allow the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation to enter into a lease or other temporary conveyance of water rights recognized under the Fort Peck-Montana Compact for the purpose of meeting the water needs of the Dry Prairie Rural Water Association, Incorporated, and for other purposes; H.R. 3418, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Central Texas Water Recycling and Reuse Project, and for other purposes; H.R. 3462, to provide for the conveyance of the Bureau of Land Management parcels known as the White Acre and Gambel Oak properties and related real property to Park City, Utah, and for other purposes; H.R. 3682, to redesignate the Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia as the Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge; H.R. 3967, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to reallocate costs of the Pactola Dam and Reservoir, South Dakota, to reflect increased demands for municipal, industrial, and fish and wildlife purposes; H.R. 4013, to amend the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 to provide for conjunctive use of surface and groundwater in Juab County, Utah; H.R. 4080, to extend the contract for the Glendo Unit of the Missouri River Basin Project in the State of Wyoming; H.R. 4084, to amend the Forest Service use and occupancy permit program to restore the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture to utilize the special use permit fees collected by the Secretary in connection with the establishment and operation of marinas in units of the National Forest System derived from the public domain, and for other purposes; H.R. 4200, to improve the ability of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to promptly implement recovery treatments in response to catastrophic events affecting Federal lands under their jurisdiction, including the removal of dead and damaged trees and the implementation of reforestation treatments, to support the recovery of non-Federal lands damaged by catastrophic events, to revitalize Forest Service experimental forest, and for other purposes; H.R. 4204, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to transfer ownership of the American River Pump Station Project, and for other purposes; H.R. 4686, to reauthorize various fisheries management laws, and for other purposes; S. 584, to require the Secretary of the Interior to allow the continued occupancy and use of certain land and improvements within the Rocky Mountain National Park; S. 1165, to provide for the expansion of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, Honolulu County, Hawaii; and S. 1869, to reauthorize the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, and for other purposes.
March 29, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 3350, to amend the Native American Business Development, Trade Promotion, and Tourism Act of 2000 to establish the Tribal Development Corporation Feasibility Study Group.
April 5, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 4893, to amend section 20 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to restrict off-reservation gaming.
April 25, 2006--Field hearing held in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on H.R. 4940, to amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and for other purposes; and H.R. 5018, to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and for other purposes.
May 3, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 5018, to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and for other purposes; and H.R. 1431, to amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to modify requirements for the appointments and training of members of Regional Fishery Management Councils, and for other purposes.
May 17, 2006--Markup held on H.R. 5018, to authorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and for other purposes.
June 14, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 4761, to provide for exploration, development, and production activities for mineral resources on the outer Continental Shelf, and for other purposes.
June 20, 2006--Hearing held on S. 1003, Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Amendments of 2005.
June 21, 2006--Markup held on H.R. 512, to require the prompt review by the Secretary of the Interior of the longstanding petitions for Federal recognition of certain Indian tribes, and for other purposes; H.R. 854, to provide for certain lands to be held in trust for the Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe; H.R. 2069, to authorize the exchange of certain land in Grand and Uintah Counties, Utah, and for other purposes; H.R. 2134, to establish the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of the American Latino Community to develop a plan of action for the establishment and maintenance of a National Museum of the American Latino Community in Washington, DC, and for other purposes; H.R. 2925, to amend the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991 to extend the authority for drought assistance; H.R. 3085, to amend the National Trails System Act to update the feasibility and suitability study originally prepared for the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail and provide for the inclusion of new trail segments, land components, and campgrounds associated with that trail, and for other purposes; H.R. 3817, to withdraw the Valle Vidal Unit of the Carson National Forest in New Mexico from location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and for other purposes; H.R. 4165, to clarify the boundaries of Coastal Barrier Resources System Clam Pass Unit FL-64P; H.R. 4275, to amend Public Law 106-348 to extend the authorization for establishing a memorial in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor veterans who became disabled while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States; H.R. 4294, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into cooperative agreements to protect natural resources of units of the National Park System through collaborative efforts on land inside and outside of units of the National Park System, and for other purposes; H.R. 4301, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain parcels of land acquired for the Blunt Reservoir and Pierre Canal features of the initial stage of the Oahe Unit, James Division, South Dakota, to the Commission of Schools and Public Lands and the Department of Game, Fish, and Parks of the State of South Dakota for the purpose of mitigating lost wildlife habitat, on the condition that the current preferential leaseholders shall have an option to purchase the parcels from the Commission, and for other purposes; H.R. 4376, to authorize the National Park Service to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on behalf of Springfield Technical Community College, and for other purposes; H.R. 4612, to redesignate Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park in the State of Ohio as `Wright Brothers-Dunbar National Historic Park,' and for other purposes; H.R. 4761, to provide for exploration, development, and production activities for mineral resources on the outer Continental Shelf, and for other purposes; H.R. 4947, to expand the boundaries of the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge, and for other purposes; H.R. 5057, to authorize the Marion Park Project and Committee of the Palmetto Conservation Foundation to establish a commemorative work on Federal land in the District of Columbia, and its environs to honor Brigadier General Francis Marion; H.R. 5061, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey Paint Bank National Fish Hatchery and Wytheville National Fish Hatchery to the State of Virginia; H.R. 5079, to provide for the modification of an amendatory repayment contract between the Secretary of the Interior and the North Unit Irrigation District, and for other purposes; H.R. 5094, to require the conveyance of Mattamuskeet Lodge and surrounding property, including the Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge headquarters, to the State of North Carolina to permit the State to use the property as a public facility dedicated to the conservation of the natural and cultural resources of North Carolina; H.R. 5232, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to initiate and complete an evaluation of lands and waters located in Northeastern Pennsylvania for their potential acquisition and inclusion in a future Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge, and for other purposes; H.R. 5312, to amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to revise and extend that Act; H.R. 5340, to promote Department of the Interior efforts to provide a scientific basis for the management of sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin, and for other purposes; H.R. 5411, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a demonstration program to facilitate landscape restoration programs within certain units of the National Park System established by law to preserve and interpret resources associated with American history, and for other purposes; H.R. 5622, to reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, and for other purposes; S. 260, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide technical and financial assistance to private landowners to restore, enhance, and manage private land to improve fish and wildlife habitats through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program; and S. 1496, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a pilot program under which up to 15 States may issue electronic Federal migratory bird hunting stamps.
July 19, 2006--Markup held on H.R. 138, to revise the boundaries of John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System Jekyll Island Unit GA-06P; H.R. 233, to designate certain National Forest System lands in the Mendocino and Six Rivers National Forests and certain Bureau of Land Management lands in Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, and Napa Counties in the State of California as wilderness, to designate the Elkhorn Ridge Potential Wilderness Area, to designate certain segments of the Black Butte River in Mendocino County, California as a wild or scenic river, and for other purposes; H.R. 383, to designate the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail, and for other purposes; H.R. 631, to provide for acquisition of subsurface mineral rights to land owned by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and land held in trust for the Tribe, and for other purposes; H.R. 1796, to amend the National Trails System Act to designate the route of the Mississippi River from its headwaters in the State of Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico for study for potential addition to the National Trails System as a national scenic trail, national historic trail, or both, and for other purposes; H.R. 2110, to provide for a study of options for protecting the open space characteristics of certain lands in and adjacent to the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Colorado, and for other purposes; H.R. 2334, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the design, planning, and construction of permanent facilities for the GREAT project to reclaim, reuse, and treat impaired waters water in the area of Oxnard, California; H.R. 3350, to amend the Native American Business Development, Trade Promotion, and Tourism Act of 2000 to establish the Tribal Development Corporation Feasibility Study Group; H.R. 3534, to designate the Piedras Blancas Light Station and the surrounding public land as an Outstanding Natural Area to be administered as a part of the National Landscape Conservation System, and for other purposes; H.R. 3603, to promote the economic development and recreational use of National Forest System lands and other public lands in central Idaho, to designate the Boulder-White Cloud Management Area to ensure the continued management of certain National Forest System lands and Bureau of Land Management lands for recreational and grazing use and conservation and resource protection, to add certain National Forest System lands and Bureau of Land Management lands in central Idaho to the National Wilderness Preservation System, and for other purposes; H.R. 3961, to authorize the National Park Service to pay for services rendered by subcontractors under a General Services Administration Indefinite Deliver/Indefinite Quantity Contract issued for work to be completed at the Grand Canyon National Park; H.R. 4382, to provide for the conveyance of certain land in Clark County, Nevada, for use by the Nevada National Guard; H.R. 4588, to reauthorize grants for and require applied water supply research regarding the water resources research and technology institutes established under the Water Resources Research Act of 1984; H.R. 4750, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of implementing a water supply and conservation project to improve water supply reliability, increase the capacity of water storage, and improve water management efficiency in the Republican River Basin between Harlan County Lake in Nebraska and Milford Lake in Kansas; H.R. 4789, to require the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain public land located wholly or partially within the boundaries of the Wells Hydroelectric Project of Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas County, Washington, to the utility district; H.R. 4857, to better inform consumers regarding costs associated with compliance for protecting endangered and threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973; H.R. 4957, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey the Tylersville division of the Lamar National Fish Hatchery and Fish Technology Center to the State of Pennsylvania; H.R. 5016, to provide for the exchange of certain Bureau of Land Management land in Pima County, Arizona, and for other purposes; H.R. 5025, to protect for future generations the recreational opportunities, forests, timber, clean water, wilderness and scenic values, and diverse habitat of Mount Hood National Forest, Oregon, and for other purposes; H.R. 5132, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of including in the National Park System certain sites in Monroe County, Michigan, relating to the Battles of the River Raisin during the War of 1812; H.R. 5381, to establish a volunteer program and promote community partnerships for the benefit of national fish hatcheries and fisheries program offices; H.R. 5539, to reauthorize the North American Wetlands Conservation Reauthorization Act; and H.R. 5802, to amend the National Park Service Concessions Management Improvement Act of 1998, to extend to additional small businesses the preferential right to renew a concessions contract entered into under such Act, to facilitate the renewal of a commercial use authorization granted under such Act, and for other purposes.
July 26, 2006--Markup held on H.R. 479, to replace a Coastal Barrier Resources System map relating to Coastal Barrier Resources System Grayton Beach Unit FL-95P in Walton County, Florida; H.R. 4893, to amend section 20 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to restrict off-reservation gaming; H.R. 5861, to amend the National Historic Preservation Act, and for other purposes; and S. 1773, bill to resolve certain Native American claims in New Mexico, and for other purposes.
September 13, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 5617, the 13th Regional Corporation Land Entitlement Act; and H.R. 5781, the Cooper Valley Native Allotment Resolution Act.
II. OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES OF THE FULL COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES
A. Oversight Hearings
February 16, 2005--Oversight hearing on the Status of the Indian Trust Fund Lawsuit, Cobell v. Norton.
March 17, 2005--Oversight hearing on a discussion draft to amend the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to restrict off-reservation gaming.
April 27, 2005--Oversight hearing on Tribal proposals to acquire land-in-trust for gaming across state lines and how such proposals are affected by the off-reservation discussion draft bill.
April 30, 2005--Oversight field hearing in Jackson, Mississippi, on Lessons Learned Protecting and Restoring Wildlife in the Southern United States under the Endangered Species Act.
May 25, 2005--Joint oversight hearing with the Committee on International Relations, Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific on the United States Nuclear Legacy in the Marshall Islands: Consideration of Issues Relating to the Changed Circumstances Petition.
June 6, 2005--Oversight field hearing in Sacramento, California, on a discussion draft bill regarding Indian gaming and its need and effects in Northern California.
July 14, 2005--Oversight hearing on the Status of Settling Recognized Tribes Land Claims in the State of New York.
July 19, 2005--Joint oversight hearing with the Committee on Financial Services, on Improving Land Title Grant Procedures for Native Americans.
July 19, 2005--Oversight hearing on the Status of the Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) and the Petition to List the Eastern Oyster as Endangered or Threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
October 27, 2005--Oversight hearing on the Operations of the Regional Fishery Management Councils and the Reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
November 9, 2005--Oversight hearing on the Second Discussion Draft of Legislation Regarding Off-Reservation Indian Gaming.
February 27, 2006--Oversight field hearing in Stockton, California, on Scientific Assessments of Declining Pelagic Fish Populations in the California Bay-Delta.
March 1, 2006--Joint oversight hearing with the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, on the Settlement of Cobell v. Norton.
April 27, 2006--Oversight hearing on The Report by the President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status.
May 11, 2006--Oversight hearing on the Minimum Internal Control Standards (MICS) for Indian Gaming.
August 5, 2006--Oversight field hearing in Santee, California, on Border Security on Federal Lands: What can be done to mitigate impacts along the Southwestern Border.
August 28, 2006--Oversight field hearing in Hamilton, Montana, on Border Security on Federal Lands: The Importance of Securing the Northern Border.
September 18, 2006--Oversight field hearing in Greeley, Colorado, on Abuses of the Endangered Species Act: the So-Called `Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse.'
SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS
I. LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES
A. Legislative Hearings and Markups
April 14, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 432 (Private Bill), to require the Secretary of the Interior to permit continued occupancy and use of certain lands and improvements within Rocky Mountain National Park; H.R. 481, to further the purposes of the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Establishment Act of 2000; and H.R. 1492, to provide for the preservation of the historic confinement sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II, and for other purposes.
May 12, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 323, to redesignate the Ellis Island Library on the third floor of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, located on Ellis Island in New York Harbor, as the `Bob Hope Memorial Library'; H.R. 774, to adjust the boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park in the State of Colorado; and H.R. 1084, to authorize the establishment at Antietam National Battlefield of a memorial to the officers and enlisted men of the Fifth, Sixth, and Ninth New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry Regiments and the First New Hampshire Light Artillery Battery who fought in the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, and for other purposes.
June 9, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 562, to authorize the Government of Ukraine to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor the victims of the manmade famine that occurred in Ukraine in 1932-1933; H.R. 1096, to establish the Thomas Edison National Historical Park in the State of New Jersey as the successor to the Edison National Historic Site; and H.R. 1515, to adjust the boundary of the Barataria Preserve Unit of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in the State of Louisiana, and for other purposes.
September 29, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 326, to amend the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area Act of 2000 to adjust the boundary of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area and to extend the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance under that Act; H.R. 1436, to remove certain use restrictions on property located in Navajo County, Arizona; and H.R. 1972, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of including in the National Park System certain sites in Williamson County, Tennessee, relating to the Battle of Franklin.
November 3, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 3699, to provide for the sale, acquisition, conveyance, and exchange of certain real property in the District of Columbia to facilitate the utilization, development, and redevelopment of such property, and for other purposes.
November 10, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 413, to establish the Bleeding Kansas and the Enduring Struggle for Freedom National Heritage Area; H.R. 452, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the Soldiers' Memorial Military Museum located in St. Louis, Missouri, as a unit of the National Park System; and H.R. 1307, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate portions of the Musconetcong River in the State of New Jersey as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
March 30, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 2134, to establish the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of the American Latino Community to develop a plan of action for the establishment and maintenance of a National Museum of the American Latino Community in Washington, DC; H.R. 3961, to authorize the National Park Service to pay for services rendered by subcontractors under a General Services Administration Indefinite Deliver/Indefinite Quantity Contract issued for work to be completed at Grand Canyon National Park; H.R. 4294, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into cooperative agreements to protect natural resources of units of the National Park System through collaborative efforts on land inside and outside of units of the National Park System, and for other purposes.
April 27, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 1796, to amend the National Trails System Act to designate the route of the Mississippi River from its headwaters in the State of Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico for study for potential addition to the National Trails System as a national scenic trail, national historic trail, or both, and for other purposes; H.R. 3085, to amend the National Trails System Act to update the feasibility and suitability study originally prepared for the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail and provide for the inclusion of new trail segments, land components, and campgrounds associated with that trail, and for other purposes; and H.R. 4612, to redesignate Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park in the State of Ohio as `Wright Brothers-Dunbar National Historic Park,' and for other purposes.
May 25, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 4275, to amend Public Law 106-348 to extend the authorization for establishing a memorial in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor veterans who became disabled while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States; H.R. 5057, to authorize the Marion Park Project and Committee of the Palmetto Conservation Foundation to establish a commemorative work on Federal land in the District of Columbia, and its environs to honor Brigadier General Francis Marion; and S. 1627, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resources study to evaluate resources along the coastal region of the State of Delaware and to determine the suitability and feasibility of establishing a unit of the National Park System in Delaware.
June 28, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 2692, to extend the Acadia National Park Advisory Commission, to provide improved visitor services at the park, and for other purposes; H.R. 3871, to authorize the Secretary of Interior to convey to The Missouri River Basin Lewis and Clark Interpretive Trail and Visitor Center Foundation, Inc. certain Federal lands associated with the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail in Nebraska, to be used as an historical interpretive site along the trail; and H.R. 5145, to authorize the National War Dogs Monument, Inc. to establish a national monument in honor of military working dog teams.
July 13, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 383, to designate the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail, and for other purposes; H.R. 4581, to amend the National Trails System Act relating to the statute of limitations that applies to certain claims; and H.R. 5132, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of including in the National Park System certain sites in Monroe County, Michigan, relating to the Battles of the River Raisin during the War of 1812.
September 7, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 3532, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of maritime sites in the State of Michigan; H.R. 5452, to make the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass available at a discount to certain veterans; H.R. 5485, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of establishing the Columbia-Pacific National Heritage Area in the States of Washington and Oregon, and for other purposes; and H.R. 5978, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of including the battlefields and related sites of the First and Second Battles of Newtonia, Missouri, during the Civil War as part of Wilson's Creek National Battlefield or designating the battlefields and related sites as a separate unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes.
September 28, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 1344, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate a segment of the Farmington River and Salmon Brook in the State of Connecticut for study as potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes; H.R. 4529, to provide for the establishment of a memorial within Kalaupapa National Historical Park located on the island of Molokai, in the State of Hawaii, to honor and perpetuate the memory of those individuals who were forcibly relocated to the Kalaupapa Peninsula from 1866 to 1969, and for other purposes; H.R. 5195, to establish the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area, and for other purposes; H.R. 5466, to amend the National Trails System Act to designate the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail; H.R. 5665, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land and improvements of the Gooding Division of the Minidoka Project, Idaho; and H.R. 5817, to adjust the boundary of the Minidoka Internment National Monument to include the Nidoto Nai Yoni Memorial in Bainbridge Island, Washington, and for other purposes.
II. OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS
A. Oversight Hearings
March 17, 2005--Oversight hearing on the Fiscal Year 2006 National Park Service Budget.
April 6, 2005--Oversight hearing on the Implementation of the National Park Service Concessions Act of 1998.
April 12, 2005--Oversight hearing on Snowmobile Use in the National Park System.
April 21, 2005--Oversight hearing on the National Historic Preservation Act.
May 4, 2005--Oversight hearing on Personal Watercraft Use in the National Park System.
July 9, 2005--Oversight field hearing in Carlsbad, New Mexico, on the National Park Service Involvement in Border Security: Is it Their Responsibility?
July 13, 2005--Joint oversight hearing with Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health on Motorized Recreational Use on Federal Lands.
July 26, 2005--Oversight hearing on the Implementation of the National Trails System Act.
November 17, 2005--Oversight hearing on the National Park Service's efforts to combat the growth of illegal drug farms in national parks.
December 14, 2005--Oversight hearing on the National Park Service Organic Act and its Implementation through Daily Park Management.
December 19, 2005--Oversight field hearing in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, on Park Landscape Restoration Programs and Retention of Funds from Timber Removal.
February 15, 2006--Oversight hearing on the National Park Service 2006 Draft Management Policies and Proposed Changes to Director's Order 21.
March 2, 2006--Oversight hearing on The National Park Service's proposed 2007 Budget.
March 16, 2006--Oversight hearing on the National Park Service Business Strategies, Including the Development and Implementation of National Park Service Business Plans.
April 6, 2006--Oversight hearing on Visitation Trends in the National Park System.
May 11, 2006--Oversight hearing on Disability Access in the National Park System.
June 22, 2006--Oversight hearing on Reauthorization of the National Park System Advisory Board.
July 25, 2006--Oversight hearing on The Recently Released Final Draft of the National Park Service Management Policies.
September 13, 2006--Oversight hearing on Visitation Trends in the National Park System--Part II.
October 4, 2006--Oversight field hearing in Clarksville, Indiana, on the Bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the Potential Extension of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.
SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISHERIES AND OCEANS
I. LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES
A. Legislative Hearings and Markups
April 19, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 1489, to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to establish a coastal ocean observation system.
April 26, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 1428, to authorize appropriations for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and for other purposes.
May 19, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 50, to provide for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes.
June 23, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 518, to require the Secretary of the Interior to refine the Department of the Interior program for providing assistance for the conservation of neotropical migratory birds; and on H.R. 2693, to amend the Great Ape Conservation Act to reauthorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide project grants and emergency assistance to address critical great ape conservation needs, and for other purposes.
June 27, 2005--Field hearing held in Groton, Connecticut, on H.R. 307, to establish the Long Island Sound Stewardship Initiative.
July 21, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 1494, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a pilot program under which up to 15 States may issue electronic Federal migratory bird hunting stamps; and H.R. 3179, to reauthorize and amend the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program Act of 1994.
September 23, 2005--Hearing held on S. 260, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide technical and financial assistance to private landowners to restore, enhance, and manage private land to improve fish and wildlife habitats through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program; and H.R. 2018, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide technical and financial assistance to private landowners to restore, enhance, and manage private land to improve fish and wildlife habitats through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program.
September 29, 2005--Joint hearing with the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, on S. 362, to establish a program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United States Coast Guard to help identify, determine sources of, assess, reduce, and prevent marine debris and its adverse impacts on the marine environment and navigation safety, in coordination with non-Federal entities, and for other purposes.
November 8, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 3552, to reauthorize the Coastal Barrier Resources Act.
December 6, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 2866, to provide for the expansion of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, Honolulu County, Hawaii; and H.R. 3682, to redesignate the Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia as the Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge.
February 16, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 4686, to reauthorize various fisheries management laws, and for other purposes.
April 6, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 138, to revise the boundaries of John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System Jekyll Island Unit GA-06P; H.R. 479, to replace a Coastal Barrier Resources System map relating to Coastal Barrier Resources System Grayton Beach Unit FL-95P in Walton County, Florida; H.R. 1656, to correct maps depicting Unit T-10 of the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System; H.R. 3280, to exempt certain coastal barrier areas in Florida from limitations on Federal expenditures and financial assistance under the Coastal Barriers Resources Act, and limitations on flood insurance coverage under the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968; and H.R. 4165, to clarify the boundaries of Coastal Barrier Resources System Clam Pass Unit FL-64P.
May 4, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 3835, to establish a coordinated national ocean exploration program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
May 10, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 4947, to expand the boundaries of the Cahaba National Wildlife Refuge; H.R. 5094, to require the conveyance of Mattamuskeet Lodge and surrounding property, including the Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge headquarters, to the state of North Carolina to permit the state to use the property as a public facility dedicated to the conservation of the natural and cultural resources in North Carolina; and H.R. 5232, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to initiate and complete an evaluation of lands and waters located in Northeastern Pennsylvania for their potential acquisition and inclusion in a future Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
June 15, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 4957, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey the Tylersville division of the Lamar National Fish Hatchery and Fish Technology Center to the State of Pennsylvania; H.R. 5061, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey Paint Bank National Fish Hatchery and Wytheville National Fish Hatchery to the State of Virginia; H.R. 5381, to establish a volunteer program and promote community partnerships for the benefit of National Fish Hatcheries and Fisheries Program Offices.
June 29, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 5539, to reauthorize the North American Wetlands Conservation Reauthorization Act.
September 14, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 4953/S. 2430, to amend the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act of 1990 to provide for implementation of recommendations of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service contained in the Great Lakes Fishery Resources Restoration Study; and H.R. 4345/S. 2041, to provide for the conveyance of a United States Fish and Wildlife Service administrative site to the city of Las Vegas, Nevada.
September 21, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 4315, to amend the acts popularly known as the Duck Stamp Act and the Wetland Loan Act to reauthorize appropriations to promote the conservation of migratory waterfowl and to offset or prevent the serious loss of important wetlands and other waterfowl habitat essential to the preservation of such waterfowl, and for other purposes.
II. OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISHERIES AND OCEANS
A. Oversight Hearings
March 1, 2005--Oversight hearing on the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000.
March 10, 2005--Oversight hearing on the FY'06 Budget Request of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
April 14, 2005--Oversight hearing on the Relationship between the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
May 24, 2005--Oversight hearing on the Federal Fish Hatchery System.
May 26, 2005--Oversight hearing on Public Access within the National Wildlife Refuge System.
June 8, 2005--Oversight hearing on the Scientific Review of Oceans Systems.
July 6, 2005--Oversight field hearing in Ketchikan, Alaska, on Fisheries Management Successes in Alaska and the Reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
July 8, 2005--Oversight field hearing in Kodiak, Alaska, on Fisheries Management Successes in Alaska and the Reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
November 3, 2005--Oversight hearing on the Growing Problem of Invasive Asian Carp in the Great Lakes and Mississippi River System.
December 15, 2005--Oversight hearing on the Effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on Fishing Resources, the Fishing Industry, and Fishing Communities in the Gulf of Mexico.
March 9, 2006--Oversight hearing on the FY'07 Budget Request of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
March 16, 2006--Oversight hearing on the Impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the National Wildlife Refuge System in the Gulf of Mexico.
March 21, 2006--Oversight field hearing in Gretna, Louisiana, on the impact of natural disasters on Louisiana's fishery resources, fisheries habitat, and fishing communities.
July 20, 2006--Oversight hearing on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Growing Operations Crisis Within the National Wildlife Refuge System.
July 27, 2006--Oversight hearing on the Purpose of Examining Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation and Management.
SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES
I. LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES
A. Legislative Hearings and Markups
November 17, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 4318, to terminate the effect of all provisions of Federal law that prohibit the expenditure of appropriated funds to conduct natural gas leasing and preleasing activities for any area of the Outer Continental Shelf, to terminate all withdrawals of Federal submerged lands of the Outer Continental Shelf from leasing for exploration for, and development and production of, natural gas, and for other purposes.
September 20, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 6080, to establish the Mineral Commodity Information Administration in the Department of the Interior, and for other purposes.
II. OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES
A. Oversight Hearings
February 16, 2005--Joint oversight hearing with Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health on the Impact of High Energy Costs on the Competitiveness of America's Pulp and Paper Industry.
March 10, 2005--Oversight hearing on the Interior Budget for FY'06 in Energy and Mineral Programs.
March 16, 2005--Oversight hearing on U.S. Energy and Mineral Needs, Security and Policy: Impacts of Sustained Increases in Global Energy and Mineral Consumption by Emerging Economies such as China and India.
April 28, 2005--Oversight hearing on Improving the Competitiveness of America's Mining Industry.
May 19, 2005--Oversight hearing on the Impacts of High Energy Costs to the American Consumer.
June 16, 2005--Oversight hearing on the Impacts of Environmental Regulations on Energy and Mineral Development: the Wildlands Project.
June 23, 2005--Oversight hearing on The Vast North American Resource Potential of Oil Shale, Oil Sands, and Heavy Oils (Part I).
June 30, 2005--Oversight hearing on The Vast North American Resource Potential of Oil Shale, Oil Sands, and Heavy Oils (Part II).
July 28, 2005--Oversight hearing on Sustainable Development Opportunities in Mining Communities.
August 13, 2005--Oversight field hearing in Port Fourchon, Louisiana, on The Benefits of Offshore Oil and Natural Gas Development.
February 8, 2006--Joint oversight hearing with Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health on Effect of High Energy Costs and Potential for Expanded Use of Biomass for Energy.
April 6, 2006--Oversight hearing on The Role of the Federal Government and Federal Lands in Fueling Renewable and Alternative Energy in America.
April 29, 2006--Oversight field hearing in Reno, Nevada, on The Role of State and Local Government, and the Private Sector in the Development of Renewable and Alternative Energy in America.
May 4, 2006--Oversight hearing on The Future of Federal Coal: Status, Availability and Impact of Technological Advances in Using Coal to Create Alternative Energy Resources.
May 18, 2006--Oversight hearing on The Energy and Mineral Requirements for Renewable and Alternative Fuels Used for Transportation, and Other Purposes.
July 13, 2006--Oversight hearing on Opportunities for Good Samaritan Cleanup of Hard Rock Abandoned Mine Lands.
September 18, 2006--Oversight field hearing in Norfolk, Virginia, on Renewable Ocean Energy: Tides, Currents and Waves.
SUBCOMMITTEE ON WATER AND POWER
I. LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES
A. Legislative Hearings and Markups
May 24, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 1071, to direct the Secretary of Energy to make incentive payments to the owners or operators of qualified desalination facilities to partially offset the cost of electrical energy required to operate such facilities, and for other purposes.
September 27, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 1564, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain buildings and lands of the Yakima Project, Washington, to the Yakima-Tieton Irrigation District; H.R. 2873, to clear title to certain real property in New Mexico associated with the Middle Rio Grande Project, and for other purposes; H.R. 2925, to amend the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991 to extend the authority for drought assistance; and H.R. 3443, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain water distribution facilities to the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District.
October 6, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 122, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Eastern Municipal Water District Recycled Water System Pressurization and Expansion Project; H.R. 2341, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the design, planning, and construction of a project to reclaim and reuse wastewater within and outside of the service area of the City of Austin Water and Wastewater Utility, Texas; H.R. 3418, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Central Texas Water Recycling and Reuse Project, and for other purposes; and H.R. 3929, to amend the Water Desalination Act of 1996 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to assist in research and development, environmental and feasibility studies, and preliminary engineering for the Municipal Water District of Orange County, California, Dana Point Desalination Project located at Dana Point, California.
November 3, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 1190, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a feasibility study to design and construct a four reservoir intertie system for the purposes of improving the water storage opportunities, water supply reliability, and water yield of San Vicente, El Capitan, Murray, and Loveland Reservoirs in San Diego County, California, in consultation and cooperation with the City of San Diego and the Sweetwater Authority, and for other purposes; H.R. 2563, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct feasibility studies to address certain water shortages within the Snake, Boise, and Payette River systems in Idaho, and for other purposes; and H.R. 3153, to reauthorize the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basin endangered fish recovery implementation programs.
November 9, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 3626, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the feasibility of enlarging the Arthur V. Watkins Dam Weber Basin Project, Utah, to provide additional water for the Weber Basin Project to fulfill the purposes for which that project was authorized; H.R. 3967, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to reallocate costs of the Pactola Dam and Reservoir, South Dakota, to reflect increased demands for municipal, industrial, and fish and wildlife purposes; and H.R. 4195, to authorize early repayment of obligations to the Bureau of Reclamation within Rogue River Valley Irrigation District or within Medford Irrigation District.
December 7, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 862, to redesignate the Rio Grande American Canal in El Paso, Texas, as the `Travis C. Johnson Canal'; H.R. 2334, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the design, planning, and construction of permanent facilities for the GREAT project to reclaim, reuse, and treat impaired water in the area of Oxnard, California; H.R. 2978, to allow the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation to enter into a lease or other temporary conveyance of water rights recognized under the Fort Peck-Montana Compact for the purpose of meeting the water needs of the Dry Prairie Rural Water Association, Incorporated, and for other purposes; H.R. 4000, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to revise certain repayment contracts with the Bostwick Irrigation District in Nebraska, the Kansas Bostwick Irrigation District No. 2, the Frenchman-Cambridge Irrigation District, and the Webster Irrigation District No. 4, all a part of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, and for other purposes; and S. 101, to convey to the town of Frannie, Wyoming, certain land withdrawn by the Commissioner of Reclamation.
February 8, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 4013, to amend the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 to provide for conjunctive use of surface and groundwater in Juab County, Utah; H.R. 4080, to extend the contract for the Glendo Unit of the Missouri River Basin Project in the State of Wyoming; H.R. 4204, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to transfer ownership of the American River Pump Station Project, and for other purposes; and H.R. 4301, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain parcels of land acquired for the Blunt Reservoir and Pierre Canal features of the initial stage of the Oahe Unit, James Division, South Dakota, to the Commission of Schools and Public Lands and the Department of Game, Fish, and Parks of the State of South Dakota for the purpose of mitigating lost wildlife habitat, on the condition that the current preferential leaseholders shall have an option to purchase the parcels from the Commission, and for other purposes.
March 8, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 4545, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Los Angeles County Water Supply Augmentation Demonstration project, and for other purposes; and S. 1338, to require the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation and the United States Geologic Survey, to conduct and study on groundwater resources in the State of Alaska, and for other purposes.
April 26, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 1711, to provide assistance to the State of New Mexico for the development of comprehensive State water plans, and for other purposes; H.R. 4750, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of implementing a water supply and conservation project to improve water supply reliability, increase the capacity of water storage, and improve water management efficiency in the Republican River Basin between Harlan County Lake in Nebraska and Milford Lake in Kansas; and S. 166, to amend the Oregon Resource Conservation Act of 1996 to reauthorize the participation of the Bureau of Reclamation in the Deschutes River Conservancy, and for other purposes.
May 10, 2006--Hearing held on S. 214/H.R. 469, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to cooperate with the States on the border with Mexico and other appropriate entities in conducting a hydrogeologic characterization, mapping, and modeling program for priority transboundary aquifers, and for other purposes; H.R. 4588, to reauthorize grants for and require applied water supply research regarding the water resources research and technology institutes established under the Water Resources Research Act of 1984; and H.R. 5079, to provide for the modification of an amendatory repayment contract between the Secretary of the Interior and the North Unit Irrigation District, and for other purposes.
July 12, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 3558, to amend the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Equitable Compensation Act to provide compensation to members of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe for damages resulting from the Oahe Dam and Reservoir Project, and for other purposes; H.R. 5282, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Southern California Desert Region Integrated Water and Economic Sustainability Plan; H.R. 5299, to revise a provision relating to a repayment obligation of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation under the Fort McDowell Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Act of 1990, and for other purposes; and H.R. 5715, to make amendments to the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992.
July 27, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 630, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain Federal lands to the City of Yuma, Arizona, in exchange for certain lands owned by the City of Yuma, Arizona, and for other purposes; H.R. 5666, to authorize early repayment of obligations to the Bureau of Reclamation within the A&B Irrigation District in the State of Idaho; H.R. 5796, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to exclude and defer from the pooled reimbursable costs of the Central Valley Project the reimbursable capital costs of the unused capacity of the Folsom South Canal, Auburn-Folsom South Unit, Central Valley Project, and for other purposes; and S. 895, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a rural water supply program in the Reclamation States to provide a clean, safe affordable, and reliable water supply to rural residents.
September 7, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 5566, to facilitate the transfer of Spearfish Hydroelectric Plant Number 1 to the city of Spearfish, South Dakota, and for other purposes; H.R. 6014, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to improve California's Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta and water supply; and H.R. 6029, to amend the Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978 to authorize improvements for the security of dams and other facilities, and for other purposes.
September 26, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 5110, to facilitate the use for irrigation and other purposes of water produced in connection with development of energy resources; H.R. 5786, to authorize the Secretary, in cooperation with the City of San Juan Capistrano, California, to participate in the design, planning, and construction of, an advanced water treatment plant facility and recycled water system, and for other purposes; and H.R. 5987, to provide for a feasibility study of alternatives to augment the water supplies of the Central Oklahoma Master Conservancy District and cities served by the District.
October 10, 2006--Field hearing in Scottsdale, Arizona, on H.R. 5180, to authorize appropriations for the Bureau of Reclamation to carry out the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program in the States of Arizona, California, and Nevada, and for other purposes.
II. OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON WATER AND POWER
A. Oversight Hearings
February 10, 2005--Oversight hearing on Opportunities and Challenges on Enhancing Federal Power Generation and Transmission.
March 3, 2005--Oversight hearing on the President's Fiscal Year 2006 Budget Request for the Bureau of Reclamation and the Water Division of the U.S. Geological Survey.
March 15, 2005--Oversight hearing on the Power Marketing Administrations' Role in Bringing Our Nationwide Electricity Transmission system into the 21st Century.
April 13, 2005--Oversight hearing on the Role of New Surface and Groundwater Storage in Providing Reliable Water and Power Supplies and Reducing Drought's Impacts.
May 4, 2005--Oversight hearing on Stabilizing Rural Electricity Service Through Common Sense Application of the Endangered Species Act.
May 24, 2005--Oversight hearing on Reducing Power and other Costs of the Desalination Process.
June 6, 2005--Oversight field hearing in Clarkston, Washington, on Keeping the Columbia/Snake a Working River.
June 11, 2005--Oversight field hearing in Fresno, California, on the Economic and Environmental Benefits of New Water Storage in the San Joaquin Valley.
June 22, 2005--Oversight hearing on Environmental Regulations and Water Supply Reliability.
July 19, 2005--Oversight hearing on Maintaining and Upgrading the Bureau of Reclamation's Facilities to Improve Power Generation, Enhance Water Supply and Keep our Homeland Secure.
July 28, 2005--Oversight hearing on Implementation of the Westside Regional Drainage Plan as a Way to Improve San Joaquin River Water Quality.
September 27, 2005--Oversight hearing on Draft Legislation regarding a water supply project near Madera, California.
October 20, 2005--Oversight hearing on Water Supply Vulnerabilities in the Sacramento/San Joaquin River System.
March 1, 2006--Oversight hearing on How the Federal Power Marketing Administrations are Implementing the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and an Assessment of the Proposed Fiscal Year 2007 Budgets for these Agencies.
March 2, 2006--Oversight hearing on The President's Fiscal Year 2007 Budget Requests for the Bureau of Reclamation and the Water Division of the U.S. Geological Survey.
March 24, 2006--Oversight field hearing in Fresno, California, on Assessing the Impacts of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act.
April 5, 2006--Oversight hearing on The Bureau of Reclamation's 21st Century Challenges in Managing, Protecting and Developing Water and Power Supplies.
April 6, 2006--Oversight hearing on Protecting Sacramento/San Joaquin Bay-Delta Water Supplies and Responding to Catastrophic Failures in California Water Deliveries.
May 3, 2006--Joint oversight hearing with Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health on the Need for Proper Forest Management on Federal Rights of Way to Ensure Reliable Electricity Service.
June 22, 2006--Oversight hearing on Securing the Bureau of Reclamation's Water and Power Infrastructure: A Consumer's Perspective.
June 27, 2006--Joint oversight hearing with Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health on Meeting Electricity Demand in the West through Responsible Development of Energy Rights-of-Way on Federal Lands.
July 7, 2006--Oversight field hearing in Pasco, Washington, on Electricity Costs and Salmon: Finding the Balance.
August 9, 2006--Oversight field hearing in Wheatland, Wyoming, on Keeping the Lights On and Maintaining Wyoming's Jobs: Overcoming the Challenges Facing Western Power Generation Facilities.
September 21, 2006--Oversight hearing on the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act.
SUBCOMMITTEE ON FORESTS AND FOREST HEALTH
I. LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES
A. Legislative Hearings and Markups
March 9, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 410, to provide for a land exchange in the State of Arizona between the Secretary of Agriculture and Yavapai Ranch Limited Partnership; H.R. 599, to provide a source of funds to carry out restoration activities on Federal lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture, and for other purposes; and H.R. 975, to provide consistent enforcement authority to the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Forest Service to respond to violations of regulations regarding the management, use, and protection of public lands under the jurisdiction of these agencies, and for other purposes.
May 11, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 38, to designate a portion of the White Salmon River as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System; H.R. 517, to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, and for other purposes; H.R. 539, to designate certain National Forest System land in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System; and H.R. 1905, to amend the Small Tracts Act to facilitate the exchange of small tracts of land, and for other purposes.
July 14, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 233, to designate certain National Forest System lands in the Mendocino and Six Rivers National Forests and certain Bureau of Land Management lands in Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, and Napa Counties in the State of California as wilderness, to designate the Elkhorn Ridge Potential Wilderness Area, to designate certain segments of the Black Butte River in Mendocino County, California, as a wild or scenic river, and for other purposes; H.R. 1129, to authorize the exchange of certain land in the State of Colorado; H.R. 2720, to further the purposes of the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 by directing the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to carry out an assessment and demonstration program to control salt cedar and Russian olive, and for other purposes; and H.R. 2875, to amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to provide for the conduct of projects that protect forests, and for other purposes.
September 27, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 679, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey a parcel of real property to Beaver County, Utah; H.R. 2069, to authorize the exchange of certain land in Grand and Uintah Counties, Utah, and for other purposes; H.R. 3462, to provide for the conveyance of the Bureau of Land Management parcels known as the White Acre and Gambel Oak properties and related real property to Park City, Utah, and for other purposes; and H.R. 3818, to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into partnership agreements with entities and local communities to encourage greater cooperation in the administration of Forest Service activities on and near National Forest System lands, and for other purposes.
October 27, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 1090, to designate a Forest Service trail at Waldo Lake in the Willamette National Forest in the State of Oregon as a national recreation trail in honor of Jim Weaver, a former Member of the House of Representatives; H.R. 3603, to promote the economic development and recreational use of National Forest System lands and other public lands in central Idaho, to designate the Boulder-White Cloud Management Area to ensure the continued management of certain National Forest System lands and Bureau of Land Management lands for recreational and grazing use and conservation and resource protection, to add certain National Forest System lands and Bureau of Land Management lands in central Idaho to the National Wilderness Preservation System, and for other purposes; H.R. 3817, to withdraw the Valle Vidal Unit of the Carson National Forest in New Mexico from location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and for other purposes; and H.R. 4084, to amend the Forest Service use and occupancy permit program to restore the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture to utilize the special use permit fees collected by the Secretary in connection with the establishment and operation of marinas in units of the National Forest System derived from the public domain, and for other purposes.
November 10, 2005--Hearing held on H.R. 4200, to improve the ability of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to promptly implement recovery treatments in response to catastrophic events affecting Federal lands under their jurisdiction, including the removal of dead and damaged trees and the implementation of reforestation treatments, to support the recovery of non-Federal lands damaged by catastrophic events, to revitalize Forest Service experimental forests, and for other purposes.
March 9, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 1370, to require the Secretary of the Interior to develop a multipurpose cadastre of Federal real property to assist with Federal land management, resource conservation, and development of Federal real property, including identification of any such property that is no longer required to be owned by the Federal Government, and for other purposes; H.R. 1644, to protect the critical aquifers and watersheds that serve as a principal water source for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, to protect the tropical forests of the Karst Region of the Commonwealth, and for other purposes; H.R. 2110, to provide for a study of options for protecting the open space characteristics of certain lands in and adjacent to the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Colorado, and for other purposes; H.R. 4382, to provide for the conveyance of certain land in Clark County, Nevada, for use by the Nevada National Guard; H.R. 4789, to require the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain public land located wholly or partially within the boundaries of the Wells Hydroelectric Project of Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas County, Washington, to the utility district; and S. 56, to establish the Rio Grande Natural Area in the State of Colorado, and for other purposes.
April 5, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 3534, to designate the Piedras Blancas Light Station and the surrounding public land as an Outstanding Natural Area to be administered as a part of the National Landscape Conservation System, and for other purposes; H.R. 5016, to provide for the exchange of certain Bureau of Land Management land in Pima County, Arizona, and for other purposes; and H.R. 5025, to protect for future generations the recreational opportunities, forests, timber, clean water, wilderness and scenic values, and diverse habitat of Mount Hood National Forest, Oregon, and for other purposes.
July 27, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 2039, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to undertake a program to reduce the risks from and mitigate the effects of avalanches on recreational users of the public; H.R. 2718, to authorize the exchange of certain Federal land within the State of Idaho, and for other purposes; H.R. 4235, to designate certain National Forest System lands in the Pike and San Isabel National Forests and certain lands in the Royal Gorge Resource Area of the Bureau of Land Management in the State of Colorado as wilderness, and for other purposes; H.R. 4784, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain Bureau of Land Management land to the City of Eugene, Oregon; H.R. 5149, to maintain the rural heritage of the Eastern Sierra and enhance the region's tourism economy by designating certain public lands as wilderness and certain rivers as wild and scenic rivers in the State of California and for other purposes; H.R. 5760, to fulfill President Clinton's commitments made as part of the designation of Giant Sequoia National Monument by presidential proclamation to provide a transition from the timber sale program in effect before the designation to the more restrictive management anticipated for the national monument, to promote the Kings River Research Project in the Sierra National Forest, and for other purposes; and S. 225, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to undertake a program to reduce the risks from and mitigate the effects of avalanches on recreational users of the public.
September 14, 2006--Hearing held on H.R. 5690, to adjust the boundaries of the Ouachita National Forest in the States of Oklahoma and Arkansas; H.R. 5756, to provide additional authority to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to implement hazardous fuel reduction projects in the State of Colorado in response to dangerous fuel levels and insect infestations in forested Federal land in Colorado, to extend the maximum duration of stewardship contracts carried out in Colorado, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the credit for electricity produced from biomass, and for other purposes; H.R. 5769, to establish wilderness areas, promote conservation, improve public land, and provide for high quality economic development in Washington County, Utah, and for other purposes; and S. 447, to authorize the conveyance of certain Federal land in the State of New Mexico.
II. OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON FORESTS AND FOREST HEALTH
A. Oversight Hearings
February 16, 2005--Joint oversight hearing with Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources on the Impact of High Energy Costs on the Competitiveness of America's Pulp and Paper Industry.
February 17, 2005--Oversight hearing on GAO Five Year Update on Wildland Fire and Forest Service/Bureau of Land Management Accomplishments in Implementing the Healthy Forests Restoration Act.
March 9, 2005--Oversight hearing on FY'06 President's Budget for the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.
April 13, 2005--Oversight hearing on Management Challenges for Grazing and Range Conservation in the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.
April 27, 2005--Oversight hearing on Reforestation Problems on National Forests: A GAO Report on the Increasing Backlog.
May 24, 2005--Oversight hearing on Current Obstacles in Biomass Utilization: A GAO Report on Problems Agencies Face in the Utilization of Woody Biomass, and the Extent to Which They are Addressing These Problems.
June 15, 2005--Oversight hearing on the Impacts of Federal Land Ownership on Communities and Local Governments.
July 13, 2005--Joint oversight hearing with Subcommittee on National Parks on Motorized Recreational Use on Federal Lands.
August 29, 2005--Oversight field hearing in Colville, Washington, on Issues Affecting Forest Health and Management in Eastern Washington--National Forests, Tribal Lands, and Local Communities.
August 31, 2005--Oversight field hearing in Hill City, South Dakota, on Forest Health Conditions and Forest Management Practices in the Black Hills National Forest.
October 7, 2005--Oversight hearing on Restoration after Recent Hurricanes and other Natural Disasters: Federal Role in Recovery after Catastrophic Events Affecting Forest Lands.
February 8, 2006--Joint oversight hearing with Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources on Effects of High Energy Costs and Potential for Expanded Use of Biomass for Energy.
February 24, 2006--Oversight field hearing in Medford, Oregon, on Scientific Research and the Knowledge-base Concerning Forest Management Following Wildfires and Other Major Disturbances.
April 27, 2006--Oversight hearing on the GAO Report on Promoting Woody Biomass for Energy and Other Uses.
May 3, 2006--Joint oversight hearing with Subcommittee on Water and Power on the Need for Proper Forest Management on Federal Rights of Way to Ensure Reliable Electricity Service.
June 21, 2006--Oversight hearing on Addressing Forest Insects and Disease: A Growing National Problem, `GAO Report on Invasive Forest Pests'.
June 27, 2006--Joint oversight hearing with Subcommittee on Water and Power on Meeting Electricity Demand in the West through Responsible Development of Energy Rights-of-Way on Federal Lands.
June 29, 2006--Oversight hearing on Healthy Forests: Targets and Accomplishments.
July 13, 2006--Oversight hearing on Working Ranches, Healthy Range and Maintaining Open Space.
October 4, 2006--Oversight field hearing in Okanogan, Washington, on Wildfires and Their Aftermath: Protecting Communities, Watersheds, and Wildlife.
III. OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES OF THE TASK FORCE ON IMPROVING THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (APRIL 6, 2005-NOVEMBER 30, 2005)
A. Oversight Hearings
April 23, 2005--Oversight field hearing in Spokane, Washington, on the Role of NEPA in the States of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska.
June 18, 2005--Oversight field hearing in Lakeside, Arizona, on the Role of NEPA in the Southwestern States.
July 23, 2005--Oversight field hearing in Nacogdoches, Texas, on the Role of NEPA in the Southern States.
August 1, 2005--Oversight field hearing in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, on the Role of NEPA in the Intermountain States.
September 17, 2005--Oversight field hearing in Norfolk, Virginia, on the Role of NEPA in the Mid-Atlantic States.
IV. OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES OF THE TASK FORCE ON UPDATING THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (OCTOBER 7, 2005-NOVEMBER 30, 2005)
A. Oversight Hearings
November 10, 2005--Oversight hearing on NEPA Litigation: The Causes, Effects and Solutions.
November 17, 2005--Oversight hearing on NEPA: Lessons Learned and Next Steps.
APPENDIX I
PRINTED HEARINGS
109-1--Hearing on H.R. 512, to require the prompt review by the Secretary of the Interior of the longstanding petitions for Federal recognition of certain Indian tribes, and for other purposes. February 10, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Full Committee).
109-2--Oversight hearing on the Status of the Indian Trust Fund Lawsuit, Cobell v. Norton. February 16, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Full Committee).
109-3--Oversight hearing on GAO Five-Year Update on Wildland Fire and Forest Service/Bureau of Land Management Accomplishments in Implementing the Healthy Forests Restoration Act. February 17, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health).
109-4--Oversight hearing on U.S. Energy and Mineral Needs, Security and Policy: Impacts of Sustained Increases in Global Energy and Mineral Consumption by Emerging Economies such as China and India. March 16, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources).
109-5--Oversight hearing on a discussion draft bill to amend the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to restrict off-reservation gaming, and for other purposes. March 17, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Full Committee).
109-6--Oversight hearing on the Relationship between the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. April 17, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans).
109-7--Oversight hearing on the National Historic Preservation Act. April 14, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on National Parks).
109-8--Oversight field hearing on the Role of NEPA in the States of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. April 23, 2005, Spokane, Washington. (Task Force on Improving NEPA).
109-9--Oversight hearing on Tribal proposals to acquire land-in-trust for gaming across state lines and how such proposals are affected by the off-reservation discussion draft bill. April 27, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Full Committee).
109-10--Oversight hearing on Reforestation Problems on National Forests: A GAO Report on the Increasing Backlog. April 27, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health).
109-11--Oversight field hearing on Lessons Learned Protecting and Restoring Wildlife in the Southern United States under the Endangered Species Act. April 30, 2005, Jackson, Mississippi. (Full Committee).
109-12--Oversight hearing on Stabilizing Rural Electricity Service Through Common Sense Application of the Endangered Species Act. May 4, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Water and Power).
109-13--Oversight hearing on the Impacts of High Energy Costs to the American Consumer. May, 10, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources).
109-14--Hearing on H.R. 1071, to direct the Secretary of Energy to make incentive payments to the owners or operators of qualified desalination facilities to partially offset the cost of electrical energy required to operate such facilities, and for other purposes; and Oversight hearing on Reducing Power and other Costs of the Desalination Process. May 24, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Water and Power).
109-15--Joint oversight hearing on the United States Nuclear Legacy in the Marshall Islands: Consideration of Issues Relating to the Changed Circumstances Petition. May 25, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Full Committee and the Committee on International Relations, Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific).
109-16--Oversight hearing on Public Access within the National Wildlife Refuge System. May 26, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans).
109-17--Oversight field hearing on Keeping the Columbia/Snake a Working River. June 6, 2005, Clarkston, Washington. (Subcommittee on Water and Power).
109-18--Oversight field hearing on a Discussion Draft Bill Regarding Indian Gaming and its need and effects in Northern California. June 6, 2005, Sacramento, California (Full Committee).
109-19--Oversight field hearing on the Economic and Environmental Benefits of New Water Storage in the San Joaquin Valley. June 11, 2005, Fresno, California (Subcommittee on Water and Power).
109-20--Oversight hearing on Impacts of Environmental Regulations on Energy and Mineral Development: the Wildlands Project. June 16, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources).
109-21--Oversight field hearing on the Role of NEPA in the Southwestern States. June 18, 2005, Lakeside, Arizona (Task Force on Improving NEPA).
109-22--Oversight hearings on the Vast North American Resource Potential of Oil Shale, Oil Sands, and Heavy Oils: Parts 1 and 2. June 23 and June 30, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources).
109-23--Oversight field hearings on Fisheries Management Successes in Alaska and the Reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. July 6 and July 8, 2005, Ketchikan and Kodiak, Alaska (Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans).
109-24--Oversight hearing on the Status of the Eastern Oyster and the Petitions to List the Eastern Oyster as Endangered or Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. July 19, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Full Committee).
109-25--Joint oversight hearing on Improving Land Title Grant Procedures for Native Americans. July 19, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Full Committee and the Committee on Financial Services).
109-26--Oversight field hearing on the Role of NEPA in the Southern States. July 23, 2005, Nacogdoches, Texas (Task Force on Improving NEPA).
109-27--Oversight hearing on Sustainable Development Opportunities in Mining Communities. July 28, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources).
109-28--Oversight field hearing on the Role of NEPA in the Intermountain States. August 1, 2005, Rio Rancho, New Mexico (Task Force on Improving NEPA).
109-29--Oversight field hearing on the Benefits of Offshore Oil and Natural Gas Development. August 13, 2005, Port Fourchon, Louisiana (Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources).
109-30--Oversight field hearing on the Role of NEPA in the Mid-Atlantic States. September 17, 2005, Norfolk, Virginia (Task Force on Improving NEPA).
109-31--Hearing on H.R. 3824, to amend and reauthorize the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide greater results conserving and recovering listed species, and for other purposes. `Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005'. September 21, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Full Committee).
109-32--Oversight hearing on Water Supply Vulnerabilities in the Sacramento/San Joaquin River System. October 20, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Water and Power).
109-33--Hearing on H.R. 3405, Strengthening the Ownership of Private Property Act of 2005 (STOPP). October 27, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Full Committee).
109-34--Oversight hearing on the Second Discussion Draft of Legislation Regarding Off-Reservation Indian Gaming. November 9, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Full Committee).
109-35--Oversight hearing on NEPA Litigation: The Causes, Effects and Solutions. November 10, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Task Force on Updating NEPA).
109-36--Hearing on H.R. 4318, Outer Continental Shelf Natural Gas Relief Act. November 17, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources).
109-37--Oversight hearing on NEPA: Lessons Learned and Next Steps. November 17, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Task Force on Updating NEPA).
109-38--Hearing on H.R. 4322, Indian Trust Reform Act of 2005. December 8, 2005, Washington, D.C. (Full Committee).
109-39--Oversight field hearing on Scientific Research and the Knowledge-base concerning Forest Management Following Wildfires and Other Major Disturbances. February 24, 2006, Medford, Oregon (Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health).
109-40--Oversight field hearing on Scientific Assessments of Declining Pelagic Fish Populations in the California Bay-Delta. February 27, 2006, Stockton, California (Full Committee).
109-41--Oversight hearing on How the Federal Power Marketing Administrations are Implementing the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and an Assessment of the Proposed Fiscal Year 2007 Budgets for These Agencies. March 1, 2006, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Water and Power).
109-42--Joint oversight hearing on the Settlement of Cobell v. Norton. March 1, 2006, Washington, D.C. (Full Committee and Senate Committee on Indian Affairs).
109-43--Hearing on H.R. 4893, to amend section 20 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to restrict off-reservation gaming. March 15, 2006, Washington, D.C. (Full Committee).
109-44--Hearing on H.R. 4857, to better inform consumers regarding costs associated with compliance for protecting endangered and threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. March 16, 2006, Washington, D.C. (Full Committee).
109-45--Oversight hearing on the Impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the National Wildlife Refuge System. March 16, 2006, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans).
109-46--Hearing on H.R. 4893, to amend section 20 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to restrict off-reservation gaming. April 5, 2006, Washington, D.C. (Full Committee).
109-47--Oversight hearing on Protecting Sacramento/San Joaquin Bay-Delta Water Supplies and Responding to Catastrophic Failures in California Water Deliveries. April 6, 2006, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Water and Power).
109-48--Hearings on H.R. 5018, to amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and for other purposes; H.R. 4940, to amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and for other purposes; and H.R. 1431, to amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Management Act to modify requirements for the appointment and training of members of Regional Fishery Management Councils, and for other purposes. April 25 and May 3, 2006. New Bedford, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C. (Full Committee).
109-49--Oversight hearing on The Report by the President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status. April 27, 2006, Washington, D.C. (Full Committee).
109-50--Joint oversight hearing on The Need for Proper Forest Management on Federal Rights of Way to Ensure Reliable Electricity Service. May 3, 2006. Washington, D.C. (Subcommittees on Water and Power and Forests and Forest Health).
109-51--Oversight hearing on The Future of Federal Coal: Status, Availability and Impact of Technology Advances in Using Coal to create Alternative Energy Resources. May 4, 2006. Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources).
109-52--Oversight hearing on the Minimum Internal Control Standards (MICS) for Indian Gaming. May 11, 2006. Washington, D.C. (Full Committee).
109-53--Oversight hearing on Disability Access in the National Park System. May 11, 2006. Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on National Parks).
109-54--Oversight hearing on the Energy and Mineral Requirements for Renewable and Alternative Fuels Used for Transportation and Other Purposes. May 18, 2006. Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources).
109-55--Hearing on H.R. 4761, the Domestic Energy Production through Offshore Exploration and Equitable Treatment of State Holdings Act of 2006. June 14, 2006. Washington, D.C. (Full Committee).
109-56--Oversight hearing on Securing the Bureau of Reclamation's Water and Power Infrastructure: A Consumer's Perspective. June 22, 2006. Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Water and Power).
109-57--Oversight hearing on Meeting Electricity Demand in the West though Responsible Development of Energy Rights-of-Way on Federal Lands. June 27, 2006. Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Water and Power).
109-58--Oversight field hearing on Electricity Costs and Salmon: Finding the Balance. July 7, 2006. Pasco, Washington. (Subcommittee on Water and Power).
109-59--Oversight hearing on Opportunities for Good Samaritan Cleanup of Hard Rock Abandoned Mine Lands. July 13, 2006. Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources).
109-60--Oversight field hearing on Border Security on Federal Lands: What can be done to mitigate impacts along the Southwestern Border. August 5, 2006. Santee, California. (Full Committee).
Oversight field hearing on Border Security on Federal Lands: the importance of securing the Northern Border. August 28, 2006. Hamilton, Montana. (Full Committee).
109-61--Oversight field hearing on Keeping the Lights on and Maintaining Wyoming's Jobs: Overcoming the Challenges Facing Western Power Generation Facilities. August 9, 2006. Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Water and Power).
109-62--Hearing on H.R. 6080, to establish the Mineral Commodity Information Agency (MICA) within the Department of the Interior, and for other purposes. September 20, 2006. Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources).
109-63--Oversight hearing on the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act. September 21, 2006. Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Water and Power).
APPENDIX II
LEGISLATION PASSED HOUSE
BILLS PASSED HOUSE BY DATE
(Asterisk (*) denotes bills for which the Committee on Resources was not the lead Committee)
3/14/05--H.R. 62, to create the Office of Chief Financial Officer of the Government of the Virgin Islands, and for other purposes. Passed House by voice vote.
3/14/05--H.R. 126, to amend Public Law 89-366 to allow for an adjustment in the number of free roaming horses permitted in Cape Lookout National Seashore. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-117)
3/14/05--H.R. 186, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation and in coordination with other Federal, State, and local government agencies, to participate in the funding and implementation of a balanced, long-term groundwater remediation program in California, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-338)
3/14/05--H.R. 412, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of establishing the Western Reserve Heritage Area. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-338)
3/14/05--H.R. 486, to provide for a land exchange involving private land and Bureau of Land Management land in the vicinity of Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, for the purpose of removing private land from the required safety zone surrounding munitions storage bunkers at Holloman Air Force Base. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-xxx)
3/14/05--H.R. 584, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to recruit volunteers to assist with, or facilitate, the activities of various agencies and offices of the Department of the Interior. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-125)
3/14/05--H.R. 680, to direct the Secretary of Interior to convey certain land held in trust for the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah to the City of Richfield, Utah, and for other purposes. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-126)
3/14/05--H.R. 694, to enhance the preservation and interpretation of the Gullah/Geechee cultural heritage, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
3/14/05--H.R. 816, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to sell certain parcels of National Forest System land in Carson City and Douglas County, Nevada. Passed House by voice vote.
4/12/05--H.R. 18, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation and in coordination with other Federal, State, and local government agencies, to participate in the funding and implementation of a balanced, long-term groundwater remediation program in California, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
4/12/05--H.R. 135, to establish the `Twenty-First Century Water Commission' to study and develop recommendations for a comprehensive water strategy to address future water needs. Passed House by vote of 402-22.
4/12/05--H.R. 482, to provide for a land exchange involving Federal lands in the Lincoln National Forest in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-xxx)
4/12/05--H.R. 541, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain land to Lander County, Nevada, and the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land to Eureka County, Nevada, for continued use as cemeteries. Passed House by vote of 423-0. (Public Law 109-46)
4/12/05--H.R. 794, to correct the south boundary of the Colorado River Indian Reservation in Arizona, and for other purposes. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-47)
4/21/05--H.R. 6, to ensure jobs for our future with secure, affordable, and reliable energy. Passed House as amended by vote of 249-183. (Public Law 109-58)
5/16/05--H.R. 485, to provide that the royalty rate on the output from Federal lands of potassium and potassium compounds from the mineral sylvite in the 5-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act shall be reduced to 1.0 percent, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
5/16/05--H.R. 540, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey the Newlands Project Headquarters and Maintenance Yard Facility to the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
5/16/05--H.R. 938, to establish the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area in the State of Connecticut and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-338)
5/16/05--H.R. 1046, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to contract with the city of Cheyenne, Wyoming, for the storage of the city's water in the Kendrick Project, Wyoming. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-48)
5/16/05--H.R. 2107, to amend Public Law 104-329 to modify authorities for the use of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Maintenance Fund, and for other purposes. Passed House by vote of 392-0. (Public Law 109-314)
5/23/05--H.R. 606, to authorize appropriations to the Secretary of the Interior for the restoration of the Angel Island Immigration Station in the State of California. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-119)
5/23/05--H.R. 849, to provide for the conveyance of certain public land in Clark County, Nevada, for use as a heliport. Passed House by voice vote.
5/23/05--H.R. 1101, to revoke a Public Land Order with respect to certain lands erroneously included in the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, California. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-127)
5/25/05--H.R. 2566*, to provide an extension of highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other programs funded out of the Highway Trust Fund pending enactment of a law reauthorizing the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-14)
6/9/05--H. Res. 309, Expressing the importance of immediately reopening the famous Beartooth All-American Highway from Red Lodge, Montana, to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Passed House by unanimous consent.
6/27/05--H.R. 38, to designate a portion of the White Salmon River as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-44)
6/27/05--H.R. 481, to further the purposes of the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Establishment Act of 2000. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-45)
6/27/05--H.R. 1084, to authorize the establishment at Antietam National Battlefield of a memorial to the officers and enlisted men of the Fifth, Sixth, and Ninth New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry Regiments and the First New Hampshire Light Artillery Battery who fought in the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
6/27/05--H.R. 1428, to authorize appropriations for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-363)
6/27/05--H.R. 1512, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resources study regarding the suitability and feasibility of designating certain historic buildings and areas in Taunton, Massachusetts, as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
6/27/05--H.R. 2362, to reauthorize and amend the National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
6/29/05--H.R. 432, Private Bill; to require the Secretary of the Interior to permit continued occupancy and use of certain lands and improvements within Rocky Mountain National Park. Passed House by unanimous consent.
6/30/05--H.R. 3104*, to provide an extension of highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other programs funded out of the Highway Trust Fund pending enactment of a law reauthorizing the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. Passed House by unanimous consent. (Public Law 109-20)
7/19/2005--H.R. 3332*, to provide an extension of highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other programs funded out of the Highway Trust Fund pending enactment of a law reauthorizing the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. Passed House by unanimous consent. (Public Law 109-35)
7/21/2005--H.R. 3377*, to provide an extension of highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other programs funded out of the Highway Trust Fund pending enactment of a law reauthorizing the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. Passed House by unanimous consent. (Public Law 109-37)
7/25/2005--H.R. 1797, to provide for equitable compensation to the Spokane Tribe of Indians of the Spokane Reservation for the use of tribal land for the production of hydropower by the Grand Coulee Dam, and for other purposes. Passed House by voice vote.
7/27/2005--H.R. 3453*, to provide an extension of highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other programs funded out of the Highway Trust Fund pending enactment of a law reauthorizing the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. Passed House by unanimous consent. (Public Law 109-40)
7/29/2005--H.R. 3512*, to provide an extension of administrative expenses for highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other programs funded out of the Highway Trust Fund pending enactment of a law reauthorizing the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. Passed House by unanimous consent. (Public Law 109-42)
9/13/2005--H.R. 3649*, to ensure funding for sportfishing and boating safety programs funded out of the Highway Trust Fund through the end of fiscal year 2005, and for other purposes. Passed House by vote of 401-1. (Public Law 109-74)
9/13/2005--S. 252, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land in Washoe County, Nevada, to the Board of Regents of the University and Community College System of Nevada. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-69)
9/13/2005--S. 264, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize certain projects in the State of Hawaii. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-70)
9/13/2005--S. 276, to revise the boundary of the Wind Cave National Park in the State of South Dakota. Passed House by vote of 295-106. (Public Law 109-71)
9/13/2005--H.R. 539, to designate certain National Forest System land in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-118)
9/20/2005--H.R. 409, to provide for the exchange of land within the Sierra National Forest, California, and for other purposes. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-375)
9/20/2005--H.R. 394, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a boundary study to evaluate the significance of the Colonel James Barrett Farm in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the suitability and feasibility of its inclusion in the National Park System as part of the Minute Man National Historical Park, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-xxx)
9/20/2005--S. 1340, to amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to extend the date after which surplus funds in the wildlife restoration fund become available for apportionment. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-75)
9/29/2005--H.R. 3824, to amend and reauthorize the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide greater results conserving and recovering listed species, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by vote of 229-193.
10/7/2005--H.R. 3893*, to expedite the construction of new refining capacity in the United States, to provide reliable and affordable energy for the American people, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by vote of 212-210.
10/18/2005--H.R. 177, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Prado Basin Natural Treatment System Project, to authorize the Secretary to carry out a program to assist agencies in projects to construct regional brine lines in California, to authorize the Secretary to participate in the Lower Chino Dairy Area desalination demonstration and reclamation project, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
10/18/2005--S. 55, to adjust the boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park in the State of Colorado. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-93)
10/18/2005--S. 156, to designate the Ojito Wilderness Study Area as wilderness, to take certain land into trust for the Pueblo of Zia, and for other purposes. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-94)
11/15/2005--H.R. 1564, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain buildings and lands of the Yakima Project, Washington, to the Yakima-Tieton Irrigation District. Passed House by vote of 420-0.
11/15/2005--H.R. 1972, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of including in the National Park System certain sites in Williamson County, Tennessee, relating to the Battle of Franklin. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-120)
11/15/2005--H.R. 3507, to transfer certain land in Riverside County, California, and San Diego County, California, from the Bureau of Land Management to the United States to be held in trust for the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians, and for other purposes. Passed House by voice vote.
11/15/2005--H.R. 3721, to amend the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to allow certain commercial vehicles to continue to use Route 209 within Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and to allow the National Park Service to continue to collect fees from those vehicles, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (See S. 1310, Public Law 109-156)
11/15/2005--H.R. 3981, to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out certain land exchanges involving small parcels of National Forest System land in the Tahoe National Forest in the State of California, and for other purposes. Passed House by voice vote.
11/15/2005--S. 161, to provide for a land exchange in the State of Arizona between the Secretary of Agriculture and Yavapai Ranch Limited Partnership. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-110)
11/15/2005--H.R. 318, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating Castle Nugent Farms located on St. Croix, Virgin Islands, as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-317)
11/15/2005--H.R. 323, to redesignate the Ellis Island Library on the third floor of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, located on Ellis Island in New York Harbor, as the `Bob Hope Memorial Library'. Passed House by vote of 419, 1 voting present.
11/15/2005--H.R. 326, to amend the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area Act of 2000 to adjust the boundary of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-318)
11/16/2005--H.R. 3351, to make technical corrections to laws relating to Native Americans, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-221)
11/16/2005--H.R. 562, to authorize the Government of Ukraine to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor the victims of the manmade famine that occurred in Ukraine in 1932-1933. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-340)
11/16/2005--H.R. 1492, to provide for the preservation of the historic confinement sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-xxx)
12/6/2005--S. 52, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey a parcel of real property to Beaver County, Utah. (Public Law 109-130)
12/6/2005--S. 136, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide supplemental funding and other services that are necessary to assist certain local school districts in the State of California in providing educational services for students attending schools located within Yosemite National Park, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to adjust the boundaries of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, to adjust the boundaries of Redwood National Park, and for other purposes. (Public Law 109-131)
12/6/2005--S. 212, to amend the Valles Caldera Preservation Act to improve the preservation of the Valles Caldera, and for other purposes. (Public Law 109-132)
12/6/2005--S. 279, to amend the Act of June 7, 1924, to provide for the exercise of criminal jurisdiction. (Public Law 109-133)
12/6/2005--H.R. 585, to require Federal land managers to support, and to communicate, coordinate, and cooperate with, designated gateway communities, to improve the ability of gateway communities to participate in Federal land management planning conducted by the Forest Service and agencies of the Department of the Interior, and to respond to the impacts of the public use of the Federal lands administered by these agencies, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
12/6/2005--H.R. 1129, to authorize the exchange of certain land in the State of Colorado. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-377)
12/6/2005--H.R. 3812, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to prepare a feasibility study with respect to the Mokelumne River, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-338)
12/6/2005--H.R. 4195, to authorize early repayment of obligations to the Bureau of Reclamation within Rogue River Valley Irrigation District or within Medford Irrigation District. (Public Law 109-138)
12/7/2005--H.R. 327, to allow binding arbitration clauses to be included in all contracts affecting land within the Gila River Indian Community Reservation. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-147)
12/13/2005--H.R. 125, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to construct facilities to provide water for irrigation, municipal, domestic, military, and other uses from the Santa Margarita River, California, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
12/13/2005--H.R. 452, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the Soldiers' Memorial Military Museum located in St. Louis, Missouri, as a unit of the National Park System. Passed House by voice vote.
12/13/2005--H.R. 853, to remove certain restrictions on the Mammoth Community Water District's ability to use certain property acquired by that District from the United States. Passed House by voice vote.
12/13/2005--H.R. 975, to provide consistent enforcement authority to the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Forest Service to respond to violations of regulations regarding the management, use, and protection of public lands under the jurisdiction of these agencies, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
12/13/2005--H.R. 3443, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain water distribution facilities to the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-321)
12/19/2005--S. 205, to authorize the American Battle Monuments Commission to establish in the State of Louisiana a memorial to honor the Buffalo Soldiers. (Public Law 109-152)
12/19/2005--S. 652, to provide financial assistance for the rehabilitation of the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the development of an exhibit to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Franklin. (Public Law 109-153)
12/19/2005--S. 1310, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to allow the Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation to increase the diameter of a natural gas pipeline located in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. (Public Law 109-156)
12/19/2005--S. 1238, to amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to provide for the conduct of projects that protect forests, and for other purposes. (Public Law 109-154)
12/19/2005--S. 1481, to amend the Indian Land Consolidation Act to provide for probate reform. (Public Law 109-157)
12/19/2005--S. 1892, to amend Public Law 107-153 to modify a certain date. (Public Law 109-158)
12/19/2005--H.R. 2099, to establish the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-338)
12/19/2005--H.R. 3179, to reauthorize and amend the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program Act of 1994. Passed House by unanimous consent. (Public Law 109-165)
12/19/2005--H.R. 4000, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to revise certain repayment contracts with the Bostwick Irrigation District in Nebraska, the Kansas Bostwick Irrigation District No. 2, the Frenchman-Cambridge Irrigation District, and the Webster Irrigation District No. 4, all a part of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, and for other purposes. Passed House by unanimous consent. (Public Law 109-386)
2/28/2006--S. 449, to facilitate shareholder consideration of proposals to make Settlement Common Stock under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act available to missed enrollees, eligible elders, and eligible persons born after December 18, 1971. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-179)
2/28/2006--H.R. 1096, to establish the Thomas Edison National Historical Park in the State of New Jersey as the successor to the Edison National Historic Site. Passed House as amended by vote of 399-1.
2/28/2006--H.R. 1728, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating the French Colonial Heritage Area in the State of Missouri as a unit of the National Park System. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-319)
3/8/2006--H.R. 1190, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a feasibility study to design and construct a four reservoir intertie system for the purposes of improving the water storage opportunities, water supply reliability, and water yield of San Vicente, El Capitan, Murray, and Loveland Reservoirs in San Diego County, California in consultation and cooperation with the City of San Diego and the Sweetwater Authority. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
3/8/2006--H.R. 2383, to redesignate the facility of the Bureau of Reclamation located at 19550 Kelso Road in Byron, California, as the `C.W. `Bill' Jones Pumping Plant'. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-384)
3/8/2006--H.R. 4192, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to designate the President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home in Hope, Arkansas, as a National Historic Site and unit of the National Park System. Passed House by vote of 409-12.
3/8/2006--S. 1578, to reauthorize the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basin endangered fish recovery implementation programs. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-183)
3/14/2006--H.R. 4841, to amend the Ojito Wilderness Act to make a technical correction. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-309)
3/28/2006--H.R. 4882, to ensure the proper remembrance of Vietnam veterans and the Vietnam War by providing a deadline for the designation of a visitor center for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Passed House by vote of 404-4.
4/25/2006--H.J. Res. 83, to memorialize and honor the contribution of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist. Passed House by voice vote.
4/25/2006--H.R. 2341, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the design, planning, and construction of a project to reclaim and reuse wastewater within and outside of the service area of the City of Austin Water and Wastewater Utility, Texas. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
4/25/2006--S.J. Res. 28, to approve the location of the commemorative work in the District of Columbia honoring former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Passed House by vote of 411 to 0. (Public Law 109-220)
4/25/2006--S. 592, to extend the contract for the Glendo Unit of the Missouri River Basin Project in the State of Wyoming. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-219)
5/2/2006--S. 584, to require the Secretary of the Interior to allow the continued occupancy and use of certain land and improvements within Rocky Mountain National Park. Passed House on the call of the Private calendar. (Private Law 109-1)
5/2/2006--H.R. 2720, to further the purposes of the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 by directing the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to carry out an assessment and demonstration program to control salt cedar and Russian olive, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-320)
5/2/2006--H.R. 3351, concur in the Senate amendment, to make technical corrections to laws relating to Native Americans, and for other purposes. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-221)
5/2/2006--H.R. 3418, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Central Texas Water Recycling and Reuse Project. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
5/2/2006--H.R. 3929, to amend the Water Desalination Act of 1996 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to assist in research and development, environmental and feasibility studies, and preliminary engineering for the Municipal Water District of Orange County, California, Dana Point Desalination Project located at Dana Point, California. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
5/9/2006--H.R. 4204, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to transfer ownership of the American River Pump Station Project, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
5/9/2006--H.R. 5311, to establish the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area. Passed House by voice vote.
5/9/2006--S. 1382, to require the Secretary of the Interior to accept the conveyance of certain land, to be held in trust for the benefit of the Puyallup Indian tribe. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-224)
5/16/2006--H.R. 518, to require the Secretary of the Interior to refine the Department of the Interior program for providing assistance for the conservation of neotropical migratory birds. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-363)
5/16/2006--H.R. 586, to preserve the use and access of pack and saddle stock animals on public lands, including wilderness areas, national monuments, and other specifically designated areas administered by the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, or the Forest Service where there is a historical tradition of such use. Passed House by voice vote.
5/16/2006--H.R. 2978, to allow the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation to enter into a lease or other temporary conveyance of water rights recognized under Fort-Peck-Montana Compact for the purpose of meeting the water needs of the Dry Prairie Rural Water Association, Incorporated, and for other purposes. Passed House by voice vote.
5/16/2006--H.R. 3682, to redesignate the Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia as the Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge. Passed House by voice vote.
5/16/2006--S. 1165, to provide for the expansion of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, Honolulu County, Hawaii. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-225)
5/16/2006--S. 1869, to reauthorize the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, and for other purposes. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-226)
5/17/2006--H.R. 4200, to improve the ability of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to promptly implement recovery treatments in response to catastrophic events affecting Federal lands under their jurisdiction, including the removal of dead and damaged trees and the implementation of reforestation treatments, to support the recovery of non-Federal lands damaged by catastrophic events, to revitalize Forest Service experimental forests. Passed House by vote of 243-182.
6/12/2006--H.R. 4013, to amend the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustments Act of 1992 to provide for conjunctive use of surface and groundwater in Juab County, Utah. Passed House by voice vote.
6/12/2006--H.R. 4162, to provide for an exchange of lands between the Secretary of Agriculture and the United Water Conservation District of California to eliminate certain private inholdings in the Los Padres National Forest, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
6/12/2006--H.R. 3967, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to reallocate costs of the Pactola Dam and Reservoir, South Dakota, to reflect increased demands for municipal, industrial, and fish and wildlife purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
6/29/2006--H.R. 4761, to provide for exploration, development, and production activities for mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf. Passed House as amended by vote of 232 to 187.
7/10/2006--H.R. 122, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Eastern Municipal Water District Recycled Water System Pressurization and Expansion Project. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
7/10/2006--H.R. 2563, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct feasibility studies to address certain water shortages within the Snake, Boise, and Payette River systems in Idaho. Passed House as amended by vote of 366-1.
7/10/2006--H.R. 3897, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Madera Irrigation District for purposes of supporting the Madera Water Supply and Groundwater Enhancement Project. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
7/10/2006--H.R. 3462, to provide for the conveyance of the Bureau of Land Management parcels known as the White Acre and Gambel Oak properties and related real property to Park City, Utah. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
7/10/2006--H.R. 5061, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey Paint Bank National Fish Hatchery and Wytheville National Fish Hatchery to the State of Virginia. Passed House by vote of 366-0. (Public Law 109-388)
7/10/2006--H.R. 5232, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to initiate and complete an evaluation of lands and waters located in Northeastern Pennsylvania for their potential acquisition and inclusion in a future Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-363)
7/17/2006--H.R. 4075, to amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to provide for better understanding and protection of marine mammals, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-xxx)
7/17/2006--H.R. 4376, to authorize the National Park Service to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on behalf of Springfield Technical Community College, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
7/17/2006--H.R. 3085, to amend the National Trails System Act to update the feasibility and suitability study originally prepared for the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail and provide for the inclusion of new trail segments, land components, and campgrounds associated with that trail, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by vote of 365-5. (Public Law 109-378)
7/24/2006--H.R. 5025, to protect for future generations the recreational opportunities, forests, timber, clean water, wilderness and scenic values, and diverse habitat of Mount Hood National Forest, Oregon. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
7/24/2006--H.R. 854, to provide for certain lands to be held in trust for the Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-xxx)
7/24/2006--H.R. 1307, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate portions of the Musconetcong River in the State of New Jersey as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
7/24/2006--H.R. 4947, to expand the boundaries of the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-363)
7/24/2006--H.R. 5057, to authorize the Marion Park Project and Committee of the Palmetto Conservation Foundation to establish a commemorative work on Federal land in the District of Columbia, and its environs to honor Brigadier General Francis Marion. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
7/24/2006--S. 310, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey the Newlands Project Headquarters and Maintenance Yard Facility to the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District in the State of Nevada. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-265)
7/24/2006--S. Con. Res. 60, to designate the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, as America's National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Passed House by voice vote.
7/24/2006--S. 1496, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a pilot program under which up to 15 States may issue electronic Federal migratory bird hunting stamps. Passed House by vote of 358-4. (Public Law 109-266)
7/24/2006--S. 203, to reduce temporarily the royalty required to be paid for sodium produced on Federal lands. Passed House as amended by vote of 323-39. (Public Law 109-338)
7/24/2006--H.R. 3817, to withdraw the Valle Vidal Unit of the Carson National Forest in New Mexico from location, entry, and patent under the mining laws. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-385)
7/24/2006--H.R. 4301, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain parcels of land acquired for the Blunt Reservoir and Pierre Canal features of the initial stage of the Oahe Unit, James Division, South Dakota, to the Commission of Schools and Public Lands and the Department of Game, Fish, and Parks of the State of South Dakota for the purpose of mitigating lost wildlife habitat, on the condition that the current preferential leaseholders shall have an option to purchase the parcels from the Commission. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
7/24/2006--H.R. 3603, to promote the economic development and recreational use of National Forest System lands and other public lands in central Idaho, to designate the Boulder-White Cloud Management Area to ensure the continued management of certain National Forest System lands and Bureau of Land Management lands for recreational and grazing use and conservation and resource protection, to add certain National Forest System lands and Bureau of Land Management lands in central Idaho to the National Wilderness Preservation System. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
7/24/2006--H.R. 233, to designate certain National Forest System lands in the Mendocino and Six Rivers National Forests and certain Bureau of Land Management lands in Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, and Napa Counties in the State of California as wilderness, to designate the Elkhorn Ridge Potential Wilderness Area, to designate certain segments of the Blake Butte River in Mendocino County, California, as wild or scenic river. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-362)
9/12/2006--S. 1773, to resolve certain Native American claims in New Mexico, and for other purposes. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-286)
9/12/2006--H.R. 631, to provide for the acquisition of subsurface mineral rights to land owned by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and land held in trust for the Tribe, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
9/12/2006--H.R. 5094, to require the conveyance of Mattamuskeet Lodge and surrounding property, including the Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge headquarters, to the State of North Carolina to permit the State to use the property as a public facility dedicated to the conservation of the natural and cultural resources of North Carolina. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-358)
9/12/2006--H.R. 5539, to reauthorize the North American Wetlands Conservation Reauthorization Act. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-322)
9/12/2006--H.R. 138, to revise the boundaries of John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System Jekyll Island Unit GA-06P. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-354)
9/12/2006--H.R. 479, to replace a Coastal Barrier Resources System map relating to Coastal Barrier Resources System Grayton Beach Unit FL-95P in Walton County, Florida. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-355)
9/12/2006--H.R. 5381, to establish a volunteer program and promote community partnerships for the benefit of national fish hatcheries and fisheries program offices. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-360)
9/12/2006--H. Res. 175, to recognize the importance of establishing a national memorial at the World Trade Center site to commemorate and mourn the events of February 26, 1993, and September 11, 2001. Passed House by vote of 394-0.
9/20/2006--S. 1025, to authorize the Equus Beds Division of the Wichita Project. (Public Law 109-299)
9/20/2006--H.R. 4957, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey the Tylersville division of the Lamar National Fish Hatchery and Fish Technology Center to the State of Pennsylvania. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-363)
9/20/2006--S. 260, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide technical and financial assistance to private landowners to restore, enhance, and manage private land to improve fish and wildlife habitats through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-294)
9/20/2006--H.R. 2334, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the design, planning, and construction of permanent facilities for the GREAT project to reclaim, reuse, and treat impaired waters in the area of Oxnard, California. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
9/25/2006--H.R. 1344, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate a segment of the Farmington River and Salmon Brook in the State of Connecticut for study for potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
9/25/2006--H.R. 3961, to authorize the National Park Service to pay for services rendered by subcontractors under a General Services Administration Indefinite Deliver/Indefinite Quantity Contract issued for work to be completed at the Grand Canyon National Park. Passed House by voice vote.
9/25/2006--H.R. 4382, to provide for the conveyance of certain land in Clark County, Nevada, for use by the Nevada National Guard. Passed House by voice vote.
9/25/2006--H.R. 4588, to reauthorize grants for and require applied water supply research regarding the water resources research and technology institutes established under the Water Resources Research Act of 1984. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-xxx)
9/25/2006--H.R. 5079, to provide for the modification of an amendatory repayment contract between the Secretary of the Interior and the North Unit Irrigation District. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
9/25/2006--H.R. 383, to designate Ice Age Floods National Geologic Route, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
9/25/2006--H.R. 1515, to adjust the boundary of the Barataria Preserve Unit of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in the State of Louisiana. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
9/25/2006--H.R. 5861, to amend the National Historic Preservation Act. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
9/25/2006--H.R. 4275, to amend Public Law 106-348 to extend the authorization for establishing a memorial in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor veterans who became disabled while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States. Passed House by voice vote.
9/25/2006--H.R. 3871, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the Missouri River Basin Lewis and Clark Interpretive Trail and Visitor Center Foundation, Inc. certain Federal land associated with the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail in Nebraska, to be used as an historical interpretive site along the trail. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
9/25/2006--H.R. 5132, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of including in the National Park System certain sites in Monroe County, Michigan, relating to the Battles of the River Raisin during the War of 1812. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-xxx)
9/25/2006--H.R. 1796, to amend the National Trails System Act to designate the route of the Mississippi River from its headwaters in the State of Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico for study for potential addition to the National Trails System as a national scenic trail, national historic trail, or both. Passed House by voice vote.
9/25/2006--H.R. 3534, to designate the Piedras Blancas Light Station and the surrounding public land as an Outstanding Natural Area to be administered as a part of the National Landscape Conservation System. Passed House by voice vote.
9/27/2006--H.R. 5946, to amend Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to authorize activities to promote improved monitoring and compliance for high seas fisheries, or fisheries governed by international fishery management agreements, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-xxx)
9/27/2006--H.R. 6014, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to improve California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and water supply. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
9/27/2006--H.R. 1711, to provide assistance to the State of New Mexico for the development of comprehensive State water plans. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
9/27/2006--H.R. 5160, to establish the Long Island Sound Stewardship Initiative. Passed House as amended by voice vote. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-359)
9/27/2006--H.R. 2069, to authorize the exchange of certain land in Grand and Uintah Counties. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
9/27/2006--H.R. 5842, to compromise and settle all claims in the case of Pueblo of Isleta v. United States, to restore, improve, and develop the valuable on-reservation land and natural resources of the Pueblo. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-379)
9/27/2006--H.R. 4789, to require the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain public land located wholly or partially within the boundaries of the Wells Hydroelectric Project of Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas County, Washington, to the utility district. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
9/27/2006--H.R. 3626, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the feasibility of enlarging the Arthur V. Watkins Dam Weber Basin Project, Utah, to provide additional water for the Weber Basin Project to fulfill the purposes for which that project was authorized. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
9/27/2006--H.R. 4750, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of implementing a water supply and conservation project to improve water supply reliability, increase the capacity of water storage, and improve water management efficiency in the Republican River Basin between Harlan County Lake in Nebraska and Milford Lake in Kansas. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
9/27/2006--H.R. 5016, to provide for the exchange of certain Bureau of Land Management land in Pima County, Arizona. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
9/27/2006--H.R. 5692, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of establishing memorials to the Space Shuttle Columbia on parcels of land in the State of Texas. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
9/27/2006--S. 56, to establish the Rio Grande Natural Area in the State of Colorado. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-337)
9/27/2006--S. 2430, to amend the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act of 1990 to provide for implementation of recommendations of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service contained in the Great Lakes Fishery Resources Restoration Study. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-326)
9/27/2006--H.R. 5690, to adjust the boundaries of the Ouachita National Forest in the States of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-391)
9/27/2006--H.R. 4876, to ratify a conveyance of a portion of the Jicarilla Apache Reservation to Rio Arriba County, State of New Mexico, pursuant to the settlement of litigation between the Jicarilla Apache Nation and Rio Arriba County, State of New Mexico, to authorize issuance of a patent for said lands, and to change the exterior boundary of the Jicarilla Apache Reservation accordingly. Passed House by voice vote.
9/27/2006--H.R. 5516, to allow for the renegotiation of the payment schedule of contracts between the Secretary of the Interior and the Redwood Valley County Water District. Passed House by voice vote.
9/27/2006--H.R. 3606, to modify a land grant patent issued by the Secretary of the Interior. Passed House by voice vote.
9/27/2006--H.R. 2134, to establish the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of the American Latino Community to develop a plan of action for the establishment and maintenance of a National Museum of the American Latino Community in Washington, DC. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
9/27/2006--H.R. 5340, to promote Department of the Interior efforts to provide a scientific basis for the management of sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
9/27/2006--S. 213, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain Federal land to Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-324)
9/27/2006--H.R. 2110, to provide for a study of options for protecting the open space characteristics of certain lands in and adjacent to the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Colorado. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
9/27/2006--S. 362, Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-xxx)
9/28/2006--S. 2464, to revise a provision relating to a repayment obligation of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation under the Fort McDowell Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Act of 1990. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-373)
9/28/2006--H.R. 4545, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Los Angeles County Water Supply Augmentation Demonstration Project. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
11/13/2006--S. 1131, to authorize the exchange of certain Federal land within the State of Idaho. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-372)
11/13/2006--S. 435, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate a segment of the Farmington River and Salmon Brook in the State of Connecticut for study for potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-370)
11/13/2006--S. 819, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to reallocate costs of the Pactola Dam and Reservoir, South Dakota, to reflect increased demands for municipal, industrial, and fish and wildlife purposes. Passed House by vote of 387-0. (Public Law 109-371)
11/15/2006--S. 101, to convey to the town of Frannie, Wyoming, certain land withdrawn by the Commissioner of Reclamation. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-380)
11/15/2006--S. 4001, to designate certain land in New England as wilderness for inclusion in the National Preservation System and certain land as a National Recreation Area. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-382)
12/5/2006--H.R. 5666, to authorize early repayment of obligations to the Bureau of Reclamation within the A&B Irrigation District in the State of Idaho. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
12/5/2006--H.R. 5466, to amend the National Trails System Act to designate the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-418)
12/5/2006--S. 1219, to authorize certain tribes in the State of Montana to enter into a lease or other temporary conveyance of water rights to meet the water needs of the Dry Prairie Rural Water Association, Inc. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-410)
12/5/2006--H.R. 5110, to facilitate the use for irrigation and other purposes of water produced in connection with development of energy resources. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
12/5/2006--H.R. 395, to adjust the boundary of Lowell National Historical Park. Passed House by voice vote.
12/6/2006--S. 895, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a rural water supply program in the Reclamation States to provide a clean, safe, affordable, and reliable water supply to rural residents. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-xxx)
12/6/2006--S. 1829, to repeal certain sections of the Act of May 26, 1936, pertaining to the Virgin Islands, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote.
12/6/2006--S. 214, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to cooperate with the States on the border with Mexico and other appropriate entities in conducting a hydrogeologic characterization, mapping, and modeling program for priority transboundary aquifers. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-xxx)
12/6/2006--S. 1346, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of maritime sites in the State of Michigan. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 109-xxx)
12/8/2006--H.R. 6111*, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend expiring provisions, and for other purposes. Passed House by vote of 367-45. (Public Law 109-xxx)
12/9/2006--H.R. 5946, to amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to authorize activities to promote improved monitoring and compliance for high seas fisheries, or fisheries governed by international fishery management agreements, and for other purposes. Passed House as amended by voice vote. (Public Law 109-xxx)
12/9/2006--S. 1529, to provide for the conveyance of certain Federal land in the city of Yuma, Arizona. Passed House by unanimous consent. (Public Law 109-xxx)
12/9/2006--S. 2150, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain Bureau of Land Management Land to the City of Eugene, Oregon. Passed House by unanimous consent. (Public Law 109-xxx)
12/9/2006--S. 2205, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain parcels of land acquired for the Blunt Reservoir and Pierre Canal features of the initial stage of the Oahe Unit, James Division, South Dakota, to the Commission of Schools and Public Lands and the Department of Game, Fish, and Parks of the State of South Dakota for the purpose of mitigating lost wildlife habitat, on the condition that the current preferential leaseholders shall have an option to purchase the parcels from the Commission, and for other purposes. Passed House by unanimous consent. (Public Law 109-xxx)
12/9/2006--S. 1378, to amend the National Historic Preservation Act to provide appropriation authorization and improve the operations of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Passed House by unanimous consent. (Public Law 109-xxx)
12/9/2006--S. 1096, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate portions of the Musconetcong River in the State of New Jersey as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes. Passed House by unanimous consent. (Public Law 109-xxx)
BILLS WHICH FAILED TO PASS HOUSE BY DATE
9/13/2006--H.R. 4893, to amend section 20 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to restrict off-reservation gaming. Failed House under suspension of the rules by vote of 247-171.
12/8/2006--H.R. 6423, to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 and to offset the cost of payments to States and counties under such Act, and for other purposes. Failed House by unanimous consent.
APPENDIX II
LIST OF PUBLIC LAWS
*Denotes bills that were not referred to the Committee on Resources but contain legislation that was referred to the Committee on Resources.
Public Law 109-13 (H.R. 1268*; H.R. 731)
Public Law 109-14 (H.R. 2566)
Public Law 109-20 (H.R. 3104)
Public Law 109-35 (H.R. 3332)
Public Law 109-37 (H.R. 3377)
Public Law 109-40 (H.R. 3453)
Public Law 109-42 (H.R. 3512)
Public Law 109-44 (H.R. 38)
Public Law 109-45 (H.R. 481)
Public Law 109-46 (H.R. 541)
Public Law 109-47 (H.R. 794)
Public Law 109-48 (H.R. 1046)
Public Law 109-54 (H.R. 2361*; H.R. 2588)
Public Law 109-58 (H.R. 6; H.R. 2930)
Public Law 109-69 (S. 252; H.R. 542)
Public Law 109-70 (S. 264; H.R. 843)
Public Law 109-71 (S. 276; H.R. 546)
Public Law 109-74 (H.R. 3649)
Public Law 109-75 (S. 1340)
Public Law 109-93 (S. 55; H.R. 774)
Public Law 109-94 (S. 156; H.R. 362)
Public Law 109-110 (S. 161; H.R. 410)
Public Law 109-117 (H.R. 126)
Public Law 109-118 (H.R. 539)
Public Law 109-119 (H.R. 606)
Public Law 109-120 (H.R. 1972)
Public Law 109-125 (H.R. 584)
Public Law 109-126 (H.R. 680)
Public Law 109-127 (H.R. 1101)
Public Law 109-130 (S. 52; H.R. 679)
Public Law 109-131 (S. 136; H.R. 353; H.R. 361)
Public Law 109-132 (S. 212)
Public Law 109-133 (S. 279; H.R. 600)
Public Law 109-138 (H.R. 4195; H.R. 3618)
Public Law 109-147 (H.R. 327; S. 1482)
Public Law 109-152 (S. 205)
Public Law 109-153 (S. 652; H.R. 1645)
Public Law 109-154 (S. 1238; H.R. 2875)
Public Law 109-156 (S. 1310; H.R. 3124; H.R. 3721)
Public Law 109-157 (S. 1481)
Public Law 109-158 (S. 1892; H.R. 4292)
Public Law 109-163 (H.R. 1815*; H.R. 1503; H.R. 2111; H.R. 2652; H.R. 4064; H.R. 4181)
Public Law 109-166 (H.R. 3179; S. 1339)
Public Law 109-171 (S. 1932*)
Public Law 109-179 (S. 449)
Public Law 109-183 (S. 1578; H.R. 3153)
Public Law 109-219 (S. 592; H.R. 4080)
Public Law 109-220 (S.J. Res. 28; H.J. Res. 78)
Public Law 109-221 (H.R. 3351; S. 1295; S. 1480; S. 1484; S. 1758)
Public Law 109-223 (H.J. Res 83)
Public Law 109-224 (S. 1382)
Public Law 109-225 (S. 1165)
Public Law 109-226 (S. 1869)
Public Law 109-241 (H.R. 889*; H.R. 372)
Public Law 109-265 (S. 310)
Public Law 109-266 (S. 1496; H.R. 1494)
Public Law 109-269 (H.R. 3682)
Public Law 109-272 (H.R. 5683)
Public Law 109-286 (S. 1773)
Public Law 109-294 (S. 260; H.R. 2018)
Public Law 109-299 (S. 1025; H.R. 1327)
Public Law 109-309 (H.R. 4841)
Public Law 109-314 (H.R. 2107)
Public Law 109-317 (H.R. 318)
Public Law 109-318 (H.R. 326)
Public Law 109-319 (H.R. 1728)
Public Law 109-320 (H.R. 2720)
Public Law 109-321 (H.R. 3443)
Public Law 109-322 (H.R. 5539)
Public Law 109-324 (S. 213)
Public Law 109-326 (S. 2430; H.R. 4953)
Public Law 109-337 (S. 56)
Public Law 109-338 (S. 203; H. Con. Res 456; H.R. 61; H.R. 87; H.R. 186; H.R. 412; H.R. 413; H.R. 472; H.R. 522; H.R. 694; H.R. 732; H.R. 811; H.R. 888; H.R. 938/H.R. 5311; H.R. 1289; H.R. 1820; H.R. 2099/H.R. 2297; H.R. 3775; H.R. 3812; H.R. 3866)
Public Law 109-340 (H.R. 562)
Public Law 109-354 (H.R. 138; S. 2492)
Public Law 109-355 (H.R. 479)
Public Law 109-358 (H.R. 5094)
Public Law 109-359 (H.R. 5160; H.R. 307)
Public Law 109-360 (H.R. 5381)
Public Law 109-362 (H.R. 233; S. 128)
Public Law 109-363 (H.R. 4957; H.R. 518; H.R. 1428; H.R. 4345/S. 2041; H.R. 2693/S. 1250; H.R. 4947; H.R. 5232)
Public Law 109-370 (S. 435)
Public Law 109-371 (S. 819; H.R. 3967)
Public Law 109-372 (S. 1131; H.R. 2718)
Public Law 109-373 (S. 2464)
Public Law 109-375 (H.R. 409)
Public Law 109-377 (H.R. 1129)
Public Law 109-378 (H.R. 3085)
Public Law 109-379 (H.R. 5842)
Public Law 109-380 (S. 101)
Public Law 109-382 (S. 4001; H.R. 5157; H.R. 5059; H.R. 5062)
Public Law 109-384 (H.R. 2383)
Public Law 109-385 (H.R. 3817)
Public Law 109-386 (H.R. 4000)
Public Law 109-388 (H.R. 5061)
Public Law 109-391 (H.R. 5690)
Public Law 109-396 (H.R. 3699)
Public Law 109-410 (S. 1219)
Public Law 109-418 (H.R. 5466)
Public Law 109-xxx (H.R. 394)
Public Law 109-xxx (H.R. 482)
Public Law 109-xxx (H.R. 486)
Public Law 109-xxx (H.R. 854)
Public Law 109-xxx (H.R. 1492)
Public Law 109-xxx (H.R. 4588)
Public Law 109-xxx (H.R. 5132)
Public Law 109-xxx (H.R. 5946; S. Con. Res. 123; H.R. 6119; H.R. 4075; H.R. 5447; H.R. 5446)
Public Law 109-xxx (H.R. 6111*; S. 3711; H.R. 2721)
Public Law 109-xxx (S. 214)
Public Law 109-xxx (S. 362)
Public Law 109-xxx (S. 895)
Public Law 109-xxx (S. 1096)
Public Law 109-xxx (S. 1346)
Public Law 109-xxx (S. 1378)
Public Law 109-xxx (S. 1529)
Public Law 109-xxx (S. 2150)
Public Law 109-xxx (S. 2205)
Private Law 109-1 (S. 584)
APPENDIX IV
COMMITTEE PRINTS
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (As Amended through December 2004) February, 2005 (109-A).
APPENDIX V
COMMITTEE LEGISLATIVE REPORTS
House Report 109-107 (H.R. 481), to further the purposes of the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Establishment Act of 2000.
House Report 109-108 (H.R. 774), to adjust the boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park in the State of Colorado.
House Report 109-109 (H.R. 853), to remove certain restrictions on the Mammoth Community Water District's ability to use certain property acquired by that District from the United States.
House Report 109-110 (H.R. 873), to provide for a nonvoting delegate to the House of Representatives to represent the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-111 (H.R. 1084), to authorize the establishment at Antietam National Battlefield of a memorial to the officers and enlisted men of the Fifth, Sixth, and Ninth New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry Regiments and the First New Hampshire Light Artillery Battery who fought in the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-112 (H.R. 1428), to authorize appropriations for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-113 (H.R. 2362), to reauthorize and amend the National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992.
House Report 109-114 (H.R. 432), Private Bill; To require the Secretary of the Interior to permit continued occupancy and use of certain lands and improvements within Rocky Mountain National Park.
House Report 109-117 (pt. 1) (H.R. 517), to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-125 (H.R. 38), to designate a portion of the White Salmon River as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
House Report 109-126 (H.R. 539), to designate certain National Forest System land in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
House Report 109-128 (pt. 1) (H.R. 975), to provide consistent enforcement authority to the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Forest Service to respond to violations of regulations regarding the management, use, and protection of public lands under the jurisdiction of these agencies, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-129 (pt. 1) (H.R. 599), to provide a source of funds to carry out restoration activities on Federal lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-135 (H.R. 394), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a boundary study to evaluate the significance of the Colonel James Barrett Farm in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the suitability and feasibility of its inclusion in the National Park System as part of the Minute Man National Historical Park, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-142 (H.R. 1492), to provide for the preservation of the historic confinement sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-149 (H.R. 362), to designate the Ojito Wilderness Study Area as wilderness, to take certain land into trust for the Pueblo of Zia, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-150 (H.R. 1797), to provide for equitable compensation to the Spokane Tribe of Indians of the Spokane Reservation for the use of tribal land for the production of hydropower by the Grand Coulee Dam, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-169 (pt. 1) (H.R. 1905), to amend the Small Tracts Act to facilitate the exchange of small tracts of land, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-180 (H.R. 2130), to amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to authorize research programs to better understand and protect marine mammals, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-237 (H.R. 3824), to amend and reauthorize the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide greater results conserving and recovering listed species, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-246 (S. 1339), to reauthorize the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program Act of 1994.
House Report 109-247 (H.R. 2383), to redesignate the facility of the Bureau of Reclamation located at 19550 Kelso Road in Byron, California, as the `C.W. `Bill' Jones Pumping Plant'.
House Report 109-252 (H.R. 1129), to authorize the exchange of certain land in the State of Colorado.
House Report 109-273 (pt. 1) (H.R. 2875), to amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to provide for the conduct of projects that protect forests, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-283 (H. Con. Res. 267), Expressing the sense of the Congress upholding the Makah Tribe treaty rights.
House Report 109-284 (H.R. 323), to redesignate the Ellis Island Library on the third floor of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, located on Ellis Island in New York Harbor, as the `Bob Hope Memorial Library'.
House Report 109-285 (H.R. 679), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey a parcel of real property to Beaver County, Utah.
House Report 109-286 (H.R. 1096), to establish the Thomas Edison National Historical Park in the State of New Jersey as the successor to the Edison National Historic Site.
House Report 109-287 (H.R. 1436), to remove certain use restrictions on property located in Navajo County, Arizona.
House Report 109-288 (H.R. 1564), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain buildings and lands of the Yakima Project, Washington, to the Yakima-Tieton Irrigation District.
House Report 109-289 (H.R. 1972), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of including in the National Park System certain sites in Williamson County, Tennessee, relating to the Battle of Franklin.
House Report 109-290 (H.R. 3443), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain water distribution facilities to the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District.
House Report 109-294 (H.R. 326), to amend the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area Act of 2000 to adjust the boundary of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area and for other purposes.
House Report 109-297 (pt. 1) (H.R. 125), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to construct facilities to provide water for irrigation, municipal, domestic, military, and other uses from the Santa Margarita River, California, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-298 (pt. 1) (H.R. 3351), to make technical corrections to laws relating to Native Americans, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-311 (S. 229), to clear title to certain real property in New Mexico associated with the Middle Rio Grande Project, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-319 (H.R. 452), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the Soldiers' Memorial Military Museum located in St. Louis, Missouri, as a unit of the National Park System.
House Report 109-320 (H.R. 1183), to require the Secretary of the Interior to provide public access to Navassa National Wildlife Refuge and Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge.
House Report 109-321 (H.R. 1190), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a feasibility study to design and construct a four reservoir intertie system for the purposes of improving the water storage opportunities, water supply reliability, and water yield of San Vicente, El Capitan, Murray, and Loveland Reservoirs in San Diego County, California in consultation and cooperation with the City of San Diego and the Sweetwater Authority, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-322 (H.R. 4192), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to designate the President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home in Hope, Arkansas, as a National Historic Site and unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-323 (H.R. 4195), to authorize early repayment of obligations to the Bureau of Reclamation within Rogue River Valley Irrigation District or within Medford Irrigation District.
House Report 109-324 (H.R. 4292), to amend Public Law 107-153 to further encourage the negotiated settlement of tribal claims.
House Report 109-325 (pt. 1) (H.R. 3818), to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into partnership agreements with entities and local communities to encourage greater cooperation in the administration of Forest Service activities on and near National Forest System lands, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-331 (H.R. 1090), to designate a Forest Service trail at Waldo Lake in the Willamette National Forest in the State of Oregon as a national recreation trail in honor of Jim Weaver, a former Member of the House of Representatives.
House Report 109-332 (pt. 1) (S. 362), to establish a program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United States Coast Guard to help identify, determine sources of, assess, reduce, and prevent marine debris and its adverse impacts on the marine environment and navigation safety, in coordination with non-Federal entities, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-334 (H.R. 3124), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to allow the Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation to increase the diameter of a natural gas pipeline located in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
House Report 109-335 (pt. 1) (H.R. 3929), to amend the Water Desalination Act of 1996 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to assist in research and development, environmental and feasibility studies, and preliminary engineering for the Municipal Water District of Orange County, California, Dana Point Desalination Project located at Dana Point, California.
House Report 109-338 (H.R. 1728), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating the French Colonial Heritage Area in the State of Missouri as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-339 (H.R. 3626), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the feasibility of enlarging the Arthur V. Watkins Dam Weber Basin Project, Utah, to provide additional water for the Weber Basin Project to fulfill the purposes for which that project was authorized.
House Report 109-340 (H.R. 3153), to reauthorize the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basin endangered fish recovery implementation programs.
House Report 109-341 (pt. 1) (H.R. 2720), to further the purposes of the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 by directing the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to carry out an assessment and demonstration program to control salt cedar and Russian olive, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-368 (H.R. 3897), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Madera Irrigation District for purposes of supporting the Madera Water Supply and Groundwater Enhancement Project.
House Report 109-380 (H.R. 1071), to direct the Secretary of Energy to make incentive payments to the owners or operators of qualified desalination facilities to partially offset the cost of electrical energy required to operate such facilities, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-400 (H.R. 4882), to ensure the proper remembrance of Vietnam veterans and the Vietnam War by providing a deadline for the designation of a visitor center for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
House Report 109-418 (H.R. 3462), to provide for the conveyance of the Bureau of Land Management parcels known as the White Acre and Gambel Oak properties and related real property to Park City, Utah, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-419 (H.R. 2978), to allow the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation to enter into a lease or other temporary conveyance of water rights recognized under the Fort Peck-Montana Compact for the purpose of meeting the water needs of the Dry Prairie Rural Water Association, Incorporated, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-420 (H.R. 2563), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct feasibility studies to address certain water shortages within the Snake, Boise, and Payette River systems in Idaho, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-421 (H.R. 518), to require the Secretary of the Interior to refine the Department of the Interior program for providing assistance for the conservation of neotropical migratory birds.
House Report 109-422 (H.R. 374), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to take certain tribally-owned reservation land into trust for the Puyallup Tribe.
House Report 109-423 (H.R. 122), to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Eastern Municipal Water district Recycled Water System Pressurization and Expansion Project.
House Report 109-425 (H.J. Res. 78), approving the location of the commemorative work in the District of Columbia honoring former President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
House Report 109-426 (S. 584), to require the Secretary of the Interior to allow the continued occupancy and use of certain land and improvements within Rocky Mountain National Park.
House Report 109-427 (H.R. 1307), to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate portions of the Musconetcong River in the State of New Jersey as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-428 (S. 1869), to reauthorize the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-429 (S. 1165), to provide for the expansion of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, Honolulu County, Hawaii.
House Report 109-430 (H.R. 4204), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to transfer ownership of the American River Pump Station Project, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-431 (H.R. 3967), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to reallocate costs of the Pactola Dam and Reservoir, South Dakota, to reflect increased demands or municipal, industrial, and fish and wildlife purposes.
House Report 109-432 (H.R. 4080), to extend the contract for the Glendo Unit of the Missouri River Basin Project in the State of Wyoming.
House Report 109-433 (H.R. 3682), to redesignate the Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia as the Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge.
House Report 109-437 (H.R. 1595), to implement the recommendations of the Guam War Claims Review Commission.
House Report 109-442 (H.R. 3418), to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Central Texas Water Recycling and Reuse Project, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-443 (H.R. 4013), to amend the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 to provide for conjunctive use of surface and groundwater in Juab County, Utah.
House Report 109-444 (H.R. 4686), to reauthorize various fisheries management laws, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-451 (H.R. 4200), to improve the ability of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to promptly implement recovery treatments in response to catastrophic events affecting Federal lands under their jurisdiction, including the removal of dead and damaged trees and the implementation of reforestation treatments, to support the recovery of non-Federal lands damaged by catastrophic events, to revitalize Forest Service experimental forests, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-490 (H.R. 4084), to amend the Forest Service use and occupancy permit program to restore the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture to utilize the special use permit fees collected by the Secretary in connection with the establishment and operation of marinas in units of the National Forest System derived from the public domain, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-531 (H.R. 4761), to provide for exploration, development, and production activities for mineral resources on the outer Continental Shelf, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-533 (H.R. 5061), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey Paint Bank National Fish Hatchery and Wytheville National Fish Hatchery to the State of Virginia.
House Report 109-534 (H.R. 413), to establish the Bleeding Kansas and the Enduring Struggle for Freedom National Heritage Areas.
House Report 109-547 (H.R. 5232), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to initiate and complete an evaluation of lands and waters located in Northeastern Pennsylvania or their potential acquisition and inclusion in a future Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-548 (H.R. 4275), to amend Public Law 106-348 to extend the authorization for establishing a memorial in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor veterans who became disabled while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States.
House Report 109-549 (H.R. 3085), to amend the National Trails System Act to update the feasibility and suitability study originally prepared for the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail and provide for the inclusion of new trail segments, land components, and campgrounds associated with that trail, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-556 (S. 1496), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a pilot program under which up to 15 States may issue electronic Federal migratory bird hunting stamps.
House Report 109-557 (H.R. 854), to provide for certain lands to be held in trust for the Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe.
House Report 109-558 (H.R. 4294), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into cooperative agreements to protect natural resources of units of the National Park System through collaborative efforts on land inside and outside of units of the National Park System.
House Report 109-559 (H.R. 4376). To authorize the National Park Service to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on behalf of Springfield Technical Community College.
House Report 109-560 (H.R. 5094), to require the conveyance of Mattamuskeet Lodge and surrounding property, including the Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge headquarters, to the State of North Carolina to permit the State to use the property as a public facility dedicated to the conservation of the natural and cultural resources of North Carolina.
House Report 109-561 (H.R. 5340), to promote Department of the Interior efforts to provide a scientific basis for the management of sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.
House Report 109-562 (S. 260), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide technical and financial assistance to private landowners to restore, enhance, and manage private land to improve fish and wildlife habitats through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program.
House Report 109-567 (H.R. 5018), to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
House Report 109-568 (H.R. 2925), to amend the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991 to extend the authority for drought assistance.
House Report 109-581 (H.R. 4165), to clarify the boundaries of Coastal Barrier Resources System Clam Pass Unit FL-64P.
House Report 109-582 (H.R. 5057), to authorize the Marion Park Project and Committee of the Palmetto Conservation Foundation to establish a commemorative work on Federal land in the District of Columbia, and its environs to honor Brigadier General Francis Marion.
House Report 109-583 (H.R. 3817), to withdraw the Valle Vidal Unit of the Carson National entry, and patent under the mining laws.
House Report 109-584 (H.R. 2134), to establish the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of the American Latino Community to develop a plan of action for the establishment and maintenance of a National Museum of the American Latino Community in Washington.
House Report 109-586 (H.R. 5411), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a demonstration program to facilitate landscape restoration programs within certain units of the National Park System established by law to preserve and interpret resources associated with American history, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-587 (H.R. 4947), to expand the boundaries of the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-588 (H.R. 4301), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain parcels of land acquired for the Blunt Reservoir and Pierre Canal features of the initial stage of the Oahe Unit, James Division, South Dakota, to the Commission of Schools and Public Lands and the Department of Game, Fish, and Parks of the State of South Dakota for the purpose of mitigating lost wildlife habitat, on the condition that the current preferential leaseholders shall have an option to purchase the parcels from the Commission, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-612 (H.R. 4957), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey the Tylersville division of the Lamar National Fish Hatchery and Fish Technology Center to the State of Pennsylvania.
House Report 109-618 (H.R. 138), to revise the boundaries of John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System Jekyll Island Unit GA-06P.
House Report 109-619 (H.R. 383), to designate the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-620 (H.R. 479), to replace a Coastal Barrier Resources System map relating to Coastal Barrier Resources System Grayton Beach Unit FL-95P in Walton County, Florida.
House Report 109-621 (H.R. 631), to provide for acquisition of subsurface mineral rights to land owned by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and land held in trust for the Tribe, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-622 (H.R. 1796), to amend the National Trails System Act to designate the route of the Mississippi River from its headwaters in the State of Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico for study for potential addition to the National Trails System as a national scenic trail, national historic trail, or both, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-623 (H.R. 2069), to authorize the exchange of certain land in Grand and Uintah Counties, Utah, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-624 (H.R. 2110), to provide for a study of options for protecting the open space characteristics of certain lands in and adjacent to the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Colorado, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-625 (H.R. 2334), to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the design, planning, and construction of permanent facilities for the GREAT project to reclaim, reuse, and treat impaired waters water in the area of Oxnard, California.
House Report 109-626 (H.R. 3350), to amend the Native American Business Development, Trade Promotion, and Tourism Act of 2000 to establish the Tribal Development Corporation Feasibility Study Group.
House Report 109-627 (H.R. 3534), to designate the Piedras Blancas Light Station and the surrounding public land as an Outstanding Natural Area to be administered as a part of the National Landscape Conservation System, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-628 (H.R. 3961), to authorize the National Park Service to pay for services rendered by subcontractors under a General Services Administration Indefinite Deliver/Indefinite Quantity Contract issued for work to be completed at the Grand Canyon National Park.
House Report 109-629 (H.R. 4382), to provide for the conveyance of certain land in Clark County, Nevada, for use by the Nevada National Guard.
House Report 109-630 (H.R. 4588), to reauthorize grants for and require applied water supply research regarding the water resources research and technology institutes established under the Water Resources Research Act of 1984.
House Report 109-631 (H.R. 4612), to redesignate Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park in the State of Ohio as `Wright Brothers-Dunbar National Historic Park,' and for other purposes.
House Report 109-632 (H.R. 4750), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of implementing a water supply and conservation project to improve water supply reliability, increase the capacity of water storage, and improve water management efficiency in the Republican River Basin between Harlan County Lake in Nebraska and Milford Lake in Kansas.
House Report 109-633 (S. 1773), to resolve certain Native American claims in New Mexico, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-634 (H.R. 4789), to require the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain public land located wholly or partially within the boundaries of the Wells Hydroelectric Project of Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas County, Washington, to the utility district.
House Report 109-635 (H.R. 5016), to provide for the exchange of certain Bureau of Land Management land in Pima County, Arizona, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-636 (H.R. 5079), to provide for the modification of an amendatory repayment contract between the Secretary of the Interior and the North Unit Irrigation District, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-637 (H.R. 5132), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of including in the National Park System certain sites in Monroe County, Michigan, relating to the Battles of the River Raisin during the War of 1812.
House Report 109-638 (H.R. 5381), to establish a volunteer program and promote community partnerships for the benefit of national fish hatcheries and fisheries program offices.
House Report 109-639 (H.R. 5539), to reauthorize the North American Wetlands Conservation Reauthorization Act.
House Report 109-640 (H.R. 5802), to amend the National Park Service Concessions Management Improvement Act of 1998, to extend to additional small businesses the preferential right to renew a concessions contract entered into under such Act, to facilitate the renewal of a commercial use authorization granted under such Act, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-641 (H.R. 5861), to amend the National Historic Preservation Act, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-650 (H.R. 4893), to amend section 20 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to restrict off-reservation gaming.
House Report 109-661 (H.R. 5312), to amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to revise and extend that Act.
House Report 109-665 (H.R. 5622), to reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, and for other purposes.
House Report 109-693 (H.R. 4857), to better inform consumers regarding costs associated with compliance for protecting endangered and threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
House Report 109-694 (H.R. 512), to require the prompt review by the Secretary of the Interior of the longstanding petitions for Federal recognition of certain Indian tribes, and for other purposes.
APPENDIX VI
OVERSIGHT SUMMARY
Under House of Representatives Rule X, clause 2, each standing committee of the House has general oversight responsibilities to determine whether laws and programs addressing subjects within its jurisdiction are being implemented in accordance with the intent of Congress and to determine whether they should be continued, curtailed or eliminated. The Committee on Resources has had extensive experience in this area, owing in part to its broad legislative jurisdiction and the dozens of federal agencies and almost 100 major statutes under its purview. During the 108th Congress, the Committee and its subcommittees held 85 oversight hearings. This tradition will continue as the Committee will review the application, administration, and effectiveness of laws and programs addressing subjects within its extensive jurisdiction and seek to eliminate duplicative and outdated programs.
In addition, the Committee expects that a majority of its oversight activities and hearings will take place outside Washington, D.C., to ensure that those who cannot travel to the Nation's Capitol will also have a voice in Committee deliberations and to guarantee Members of the Committee a personal view of real-life situations involving federal programs and other activities under the Committee's jurisdiction.
ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT
The Full Committee will hold oversight hearings as part of the effort to update and strengthen implementation of the Endangered Species Act. Winter/Spring/Summer 2005--DONE
NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT
The Full Committee will examine the structure and implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), including impacts of litigation on NEPA's effectiveness. Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall 2005--DONE
NATIVE AMERICAN ISSUES
Budget Overview: The Committee will oversee that portion of the President's budget which relates to Native Americans. This includes programs within the Department of the Interior, the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services. Spring 2005
Indian Gaming: The Committee will continue its ongoing effort to oversee the many gaming-related difficulties which have arisen in the implementation of the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. This will include further examination of gaming opportunities that are being pursued on off-reservation lands. The operation of the National Indian Gaming Commission created pursuant to the Act will also receive Committee attention. Spring 2005/Fall 2005--DONE
Mismanagement of Indian Trust Accounts: The Committee will review remedial steps taken by the Department of the Interior relating to the mismanagement of Indian Trust accounts. Funds which tribes and individual tribal members recover from land or water settlements, treaty provisions, oil or gas leases, hard rock mineral leases, timber sales, and other sources are deposited into trust fund accounts managed by the Office of Trust Fund Management. Hundreds of thousands of these accounts have not been reconciled and are now the subject of litigation between account owners and the Department of the Interior. Fall 2005/Winter 2006--DONE
Tribal Recognition/Enrollment/Membership: The Committee will review comprehensive issues relating to the tribal recognition process, tribal enrollment and tribal membership. Spring 2005
Regulation Reform: The Committee will review the need for, and advisability of, reducing and eliminating those federal rules and regulations falling within its jurisdiction which relate to Native Americans. Summer 2006--DONE
Tribal Self-Governance: The Committee will oversee the implementation of `self-governance' agreements under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, with a focus on such agreements in which qualified tribes undertake contracts for certain management functions of areas under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior. Spring 2005.
INSULAR AREA ISSUES
Budget Overview: The Committee will oversee that portion of the President's budget which relates to the insular areas of the United States, which include 16 United States territories and three freely associated states. The five principal territories are: American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands. All but the Northern Marianas have representation in the House of Representatives. The three freely associated states are fully self-governing separate republics which emerged from the islands of the former United Nations Trust territory of the Pacific Island, which the United States administered. These are: the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. Spring 2005
Regulation Reform: The Committee will review the need for, and advisability of, reducing and eliminating those federal rules and regulations falling within its jurisdiction which relate to the insular areas of the United States. Fall 2005/Winter 2006
Compacts of Free Association: Federal law requires multiple governmental entities with the Department of the Interior to assist with the implementation of the Compacts of Free Association with the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia (P.L. 108-88). The Committee expects to oversee the implementation of this Public Law and the work undertaken by the Department of the Interior as it relates to the Joint Economic Management Committee and the Joint Economic Management and Financial Accountability Committee. Fall 2005--DONE
General Oversight Activities: The Committee expects to review the fundamental issues facing each of the territories and freely associated states: support and development of self-government and self-determination; economic development and self-sufficiency through the private sector; accountability of federal funds in areas like American Samoa and the United States Virgin Islands, where concerns have been raised; enforcement of federal laws; and management of limited land and water resources. Winter 2006
SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS
Department of the Interior--National Park Service (NPS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Fiscal Year 2006 Budget: The Committee will conduct its annual hearing on the budget for National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Early 2005--DONE
Oversight Hearing on implementation of NPS 2004-2005 Snowmobile Rule for Yellowstone and Grand Teton: Conduct an oversight hearing at Yellowstone National Park or at the gateway community of West Yellowstone, Montana, to evaluate the effectiveness of the first year of the three-year temporary snowmobile rule. Early 2005--DONE
Private Property Rights: As part of the Committee's extensive plan to raise the consciousness of property rights as it relates to its inclusion in Federal legislation, the Committee will conduct an oversight hearing on the impacts of the National Historic Preservation Act on private property. Spring 2005--DONE
Oversight Hearing on Wild and Scenic Rivers Act: The purpose of the hearing is to help the Committee develop a policy for proceeding with legislation to establish additional wild and scenic river corridors. Spring 2006
Oversight Hearing on the Congaree National Park, South Carolina: The Congaree National Park was established via the Fiscal Year 2005 Interior Appropriations bill (previously was known as a National Monument) During that time frame, the Resources Committee received over 500 letters from concerned citizens in Richland County, SC, who opposed designation of the park and the addition of 4,000 acres. The President of the South Carolina Property Rights Watch, as well as the President of the Richland County Chapter of the NAACP testified in the Senate against establishment of the new designation. Summer/Fall 2005
Border Security for Public Lands: Whose Responsibility Is It?: Since September 11, 2001, the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management have had to absorb costs associated with required new enforcement responsibilities (i.e., border control, prevent drug running, etc.), for which they have not be formally trained, nor has it been their mandate to do so. An oversight hearing would focus on the budget impacts of these new responsibilities, why existing Federal agencies are not performing these tasks, and when and how these agencies will be reimbursed for these costs. Summer/Fall 2005--DONE
Federal Law Enforcement Jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management & Forest Service: Some ranchers and other users of the public lands are increasingly experiencing problems with law enforcement. Grazing animals have been confiscated and use of water has been restricted. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Land Management proposed regulations in 2004 aimed at expanding law enforcement authority of federal land managers. Fall 2005--DONE
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area: Since it was established, property owners within the boundaries of the National Recreation Area have experienced problems with the National Park Service. The hearing would take place within the NRA and would focus on the sources of ongoing conflict and possible solutions. The hearing would also provide an opportunity to address potential conflict with the proposed Rim of the Valley Study Area. Summer/Fall 2006
Impediments to Recreation Opportunities Throughout the California Desert Conservation Area: Since the creation of the California Desert Conservation Area, recreationists--particularly mechanized users--have come into conflict with the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management and environmentalists from using the public lands. A hearing would offer the OHV and other recreationists the opportunity to voice their concerns and help the Committee develop legislation to improve opportunities in the Conservation Area. Summer/Fall 2005
Oversight Hearing on the Implementation of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act: The hearing would cover such increasingly controversial issues associated with the long-term management of wild horse and burros on public land, such as appropriate management levels (AML); the BLM Five-Year Reduction Initiative; holding facilities; wild horse and burro adoption program; alternatives to adoption; fertility control efforts, and conflicts with grazing community. Fall 2006
National Trails System/Condemnation Authority: There are now over 35,000 miles of federally-designated trails in the country and there has been little consideration given to the long-term consequences of these designations. For example, the federal government has spent about $2 million per mile to acquire the viewshed along the Appalachian Trail. Further, while most of these trails are presented largely as volunteer efforts, there is increasing support within the trail-user community for these trails to be designated as units of the National Park system, and to receive an annual appropriation. The Committee is also interested in the condemnation authority used by NPS to acquire lands along trails, especially the Appalachian Trail. A number of individual condemnations of private property have come to the attention of the Committee which is very concerned in regard to their necessity. The Committee is committed to examine and understand the long-term consequences of the current program, will look at the impacts of expanding the scope of the national trails system, and examine whether condemnation is necessary and appropriate. Early 2006--DONE
Oversight Hearing on the NPS Organic Act and its Implementation Through the 2001 Management Policies: The NPS Organic Act established the National Park Service and its purpose to preserve the resources while providing for enjoyment of the same. The 2001 Management Policies made it the policy of the NPS that preservation is its primary mission and that recreation is secondary. These policies have permeated every action (i.e., management plans, regulations, etc.) of the NPS and continue to cause conflict within the recreation community. Summer 2005--DONE
NPS Concessions: Hearing would address continued problems faced by the National Park Service in its implementation of the 1998 National Park Service Concessions Management Improvement Act. Hearing would focus on the `threshold for Preferential Right of Renewal,' contract extensions, Leasehold Surrender Interest, and franchise fees. Summer 2005
National Park Service Natural Resource Management Policy and Science Program: The NPS science program was abolished and relocated to the U.S. Geological Survey in 1994. The effects of the elimination of the research program place park resources at risk. In recent reports, the General Accounting Office has noted that the NPS has inadequate data on the condition of resources entrusted to its management. More than one-third of threats to park resources have yet to be scientifically evaluated. Insufficient science within NPS may lead directly to policies which threaten the resources which the agency is charged to protect. This situation is of greater concern because Congress has been allocating over $210 million per year to the agency for resource stewardship. As a result of these deficiencies, the 105th Congress passed S. 1693, a comprehensive National Parks package which was signed into law November 13, 1998. Title II of this package (National Park System Resource Inventory and Management) called for NPS to enhance management and protection of park resources by providing authority and direction to conduct scientific studies along with a resource inventory and monitoring program. The Committee intends to conduct oversight on the success of this program. Summer/Fall 2006--DONE
Disposition of the Public Domain: Today, the Bureau of Land Management administers over 291 million surface acres of public land and approximately 700 million acres of Federal subsurface mineral estate in the United States, much of it in the Western States and Alaska. With the rapid growth of many western cities, there is a growing need for more land--much of it controlled by the BLM. The Committee would explore with the BLM ways to expedite the identification and expeditious disposal of lands no longer serving a public purpose. Fall/Winter 2005
SUBCOMMITTEE ON WATER AND POWER
General Background: Many communities throughout the United States face decreasing water and power supplies due to continuing drought, impacts stemming from the Endangered Species Act and lack of adequate funding. Some communities need more storage for increased power generation and water deliveries while others will need more transmission capabilities to meet energy needs. The Committee will continue to devote considerable time and effort into ensuring that these federal water and power projects are operated in an efficient manner and maximized to their full generation and delivery potentials.
Budget Overview: The Committee will hold a hearing each year on that portion of the President's budget proposal falling within its jurisdiction. This includes the Bureau of Reclamation of the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Geological Survey/Water Resources Division of the Department of the Interior, and the Power Marketing Administrations of the Department of Energy. March 2005/March 2006--DONE
Water Technology Development: The Committee will hold hearings on various aspects of water technology development that affect federal water management, reclamation activities, and how to assist the states in water resource planning. Summer 2005--DONE
Department of Energy--Power Marketing Administrations
Federal Power Marketing Administrations (PMA) Budget Overview: These PMAs deliver electricity generated at federal dams to communities throughout the Nation. The Committee will hold an oversight hearing on the PMAs, focusing on each agency's budget issues, how the agencies work with customers, and what role they can play in grid reliability and in a restructured electricity marketplace. March 2005--DONE
Enhancing Federal Power Generation and Transmission: Although the Committee will focus separately on the budget aspects of the PMAs, the Committee will also hold an oversight hearing on solutions to increase federal generation and transmission in the energy sector. February 2005--DONE
The Endangered Species Act's Impact on Federal Power: The Committee will examine how federal power projects are affected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA). At a time of continuing drought, population growth and the uncertainties provided by the ESA, communities are in need of a reliable and lower cost power supply. This hearing will assess the extent of ESA effects on the federal power system. Spring 2005--DONE
Power Generation and Transmission Field Hearings: The Committee plans on holding field hearings in numerous locations to examine the role of federal power generation and transmission in certain regions of the Nation- DONE
Reducing Power Costs in the Desalination Process: The Committee will examine the obstacles to cost-effective desalination, including the electricity costs, which represent over half of the costs of producing desalinated water. Summer 2005--DONE
Department of the Interior--Bureau of Reclamation
Bureau of Reclamation Project Transfers: The Committee will review the status of the Administration's effort to transfer certain Bureau of Reclamation facilities out of federal ownership. Since the Reclamation program began in the early 1900s there has been an expectation that many of the Bureau constructed facilities would ultimately be transferred to the local entities they were built to serve. As an indication of this objective, Reclamation has turned over the operation and maintenance responsibilities of nearly 400 of the 600 projects in the western United States to local beneficiaries. However, steps to begin actual transfer of ownership have been rare and significant progress is needed in this matter. Fall 2005
Oversight of Colorado River Operations/California Water Allocation: The Committee will hold hearings on the operation of the entire Colorado River, and the effect of drought on water and power deliveries and surplus water flows within California and the remaining six Colorado River Basin states. Summer 2005
California Bay-Delta (CALFED) Funding and Program Management: The Committee will examine the CALFED Program to carry out restoration, increased water supply, and levee activities in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta. The examination will determine how federal dollars are being spent under the CALFED Program, and what changes are necessary, to increase water supply yield, and how to provide regulatory certainty to California water users under the Program. Fall 2005--DONE
Central Valley Project Improvement Act Implementation: The Committee will continue to review actions taken by federal and state agencies to implement the various provisions of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA), which was enacted in 1992. The Committee will review the results of the last decade and opportunities to improve the reliability and water quality of CVP water deliveries and impacts on the power aspects of the CVP. Summer 2005--DONE
Water Project Financing: The Committee will review the funding mechanisms for financing Bureau of Reclamation facilities. In addition, the Committee will look at alternative financing mechanisms to develop additional water supplies and rehabilitate current water projects. Such analysis will include a loan guarantee program. Winter 2006.
Rural Water Projects: The Committee will review the status of several rural water proposals relating to water supply management in the Western United States. Winter 2006
States Rights in Water Allocation: The Committee will examine federal actions, such as the reallocation of water for endangered fish species, and efforts to establish federal reserved water rights within western states. Winter 2006
Oversight of the Salton Sea: The Committee will continue to monitor proposals that are being developed to restore the Salton Sea. Spring 2006
Safety of Dams: The Bureau of Reclamation has its own standards for safety of dams under its jurisdiction, and does its own safety inspections. Dam safety and site security issues have been raised following the terrorist attacks of 9/11. An oversight hearing may be held to evaluate the public risk throughout the Bureau of Reclamation's inventory of 358 program dams, and the role of the project beneficiaries in the planning of any proposed dam modification and site security activities. Winter 2006
Indian Water Right Settlements: The Committee will analyze the broad impacts of Indian water rights and articulate the statutory, regulatory, and judicial history of implied federal reserved water rights. Ongoing
Oversight of Klamath Basin: Conflicts among federal water service contractors, Native Americans and environmental issues have created challenges for the Bureau of Reclamation for managing water deliveries in the Klamath River Basin of Oregon and California. The Committee will continue to examine federal actions related to water deliveries in the Klamath Basin. Summer 2005--DONE
Department of the Interior--U.S. Geologic Survey/Water Resource Division
Program Management within the Water Resources Division of the USGS: The Committee will review the programs within the Water Resources Division to determine if there are areas where better coordination can be encouraged with other state and federal agencies. Winter 2006
Water Treatment Technologies: The Committee will hold hearings on various water treatment technologies currently being developed which will enhance water reclamation and reuse activities, as well as salinity control efforts throughout the United States. Summer 2005
SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISHERIES AND OCEANS
Budget Review: The Committee will hold an oversight hearing on the President's Fiscal Year 2006 and Fiscal Year 2007 budget recommendations for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and certain `wet' programs of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Winter 2005/Winter 2006--DONE
Department of the Interior--U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
National Wildlife Refuge System: This system is comprised of federal lands that have been acquired for the conservation and enhancement of fish and wildlife. Totaling about 94 million acres, the system provides habitat for hundreds of fish and wildlife species, including more than 165 species listed under the Endangered Species Act. The system is currently comprised of 545 refuges, which are located in all 50 states and the five territories. During the 105th Congress, the landmark National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 was enacted. This Act established for the first time an organic statute for our refuge system. The Committee intends to review the status of the required comprehensive conservation plans for each refuge and whether these plans are denying legitimate access for various users. During the past few years, a growing list of individuals have been denied the opportunity to visit, operate amateur radios, fly model airplanes and jog within various refuge units. Spring 2005--DONE
National Wildlife Refuge System Maintenance Backlog: The Committee has conducted several oversight hearings on the maintenance backlog affecting our National Wildlife Refuge System. As a result of these hearings and the public exposure they generated, the Bush Administration has placed a higher priority on reducing this backlog. The Committee leadership has also been successful in convincing members of the Appropriations Committee to take significant steps to pay down this backlog. For instance, the backlog has been reduced from nearly $1 billion to about $660 million. In FY '05, Congress appropriated $91.7 million for the refuge maintenance account. These funds will be used to repair or rebuild visitors centers, observation towers, roads, bridges, dams, canals, and water management structures. It is appropriate to reexamine the progress that is being made to further reduce the maintenance backlog and to assess whether other innovative approaches, like an increased use of volunteer labor, would help to revitalize this vast system of public lands. Spring 2005
Concession Properties in the National Wildlife Refuge System: The Secretary of the Interior retains title to certain buildings at various National Wildlife Refuge units that are rented by concessionaires that provide services to refuge visitors. Based on a 2002 survey, it appears there are about fifty refuge units that have various concession type services. In many instances, buildings within these units are in a state of disrepair and neither the Fish and Wildlife Service nor the concessionaires have the current legal authority to remedy this situation. The Committee will try to determine what is the best solution to fix this problem. Summer 2005--DONE
National Fish Hatchery System: There are currently 69 national fish hatcheries that produce and distribute 150 million fish and 120 million fish eggs this year for recovery, restoration, mitigation and special conservation activities nationwide. The value of these products is over $5 billion. These hatcheries also assist in the recovery of federal listed species that have recovery plans. Regrettably, the vast majority of these hatcheries are more than 50 years old and they required extensive annual maintenance. This oversight hearing will focus on the physical condition of these hatcheries and the current authorities and goals of the various federally-funded hatchery programs. Summer 2005--DONE
Migratory Bird Population Overabundance: For the past four years, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been examining ways to effectively deal with the population explosion of double crested cormorants, Mid-Continent Light Geese and resident Canada geese. The populations of these species have so dramatically increased that they are causing serious problems in terms of habitat destruction, human health concerns and negative impacts on both aquaculture facilities and Great Lake fisheries. The Committee will carefully review each of the Service's solutions on these three migratory bird populations. Summer 2005
Non-Indigenous Species: The Committee will continue its ongoing efforts to address the problems caused by non-indigenous, non-native and exotic species. These invasive species, in some cases introduced intentionally, are causing problems to commercial fisheries, effecting habitat for native species, causing native species to decline, undermining flood control projects, and are affecting businesses which rely on clean water intake. Fall 2005
Asian Carp: The Committee, as part of its continuing oversight over invasive species programs, will review efforts to contain the spread of Asian carp into the Great Lakes. Several species of carp have been spreading throughout the Midwest and into river systems which feed into the Great Lakes. Of particular concern is a `jumping' carp which has caused numerous injuries to boaters. These fish jump out of the water when startled by things like engine noises and have caused injury to boaters when struck by the airborne fish. Fall 2005--DONE
Southern Sea Otter Recovery Efforts: The Department of the Interior listed this species as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. At the time of listing, the USFWS proposed the establishment of an experimental population that would be moved from its normal range to protect the population from any potential oil spill. This experimental population has now caused conflicts with some commercial fisheries because animals have left the management zone and the Service has not followed through with their commitment to recapture these animals. The Committee will continue to investigate why the Fish and Wildlife Service has been unable to meet its statutory obligation and how these conflicts can be alleviated in the future. Winter 2006
Department of the Interior--Minerals Management Service
Artificial Reef/Rigs-to-Reefs: In recent years, there has been an increasing number of oil and gas platforms, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico, that are scheduled to be decommissioned and removed in the near future. These facilities have become fish aggregating devices and may be beneficial to fisheries recruitment. This oversight hearing will examine whether man-made structures can be considered essential fish habitat and whether the existing laws governing the removal of platforms should be revised to allow these structures to serve their habitat function or as research facilities. Summer 2005
Department of Commerce--National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
Recommendations of the President on the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy: President Bush has submitted his recommendations to Congress on the more than 200 suggestions approved by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. These Commission ideas include proposed action on NOAA governance, ocean-land-atmosphere connections, Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act reforms, coral reef protection, marine protected areas, multiple use management, marine biodiversity, ecosystem-based management, best available science and funding requirements. The Committee will conduct one or more oversight hearings on these recommendations and will review whether existing or new laws are necessary to address our nation's oceans policy. Winter 2005
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Reauthorization: The Committee will be conducting several hearings on the reauthorization of this landmark law that affects both commercial and recreational fishermen throughout this nation. This hearing will focus on the issue of scientific information available to the Regional Fishery Management Councils and how this scientific information is evaluated and peer reviewed. Spring 2005--DONE
Marine Mammal Protection Act Amendments: The MMPA establishes protections for marine mammals taken incidentally in commercial fishing operations and for marine mammals held in captivity. The Committee will continue its oversight efforts regarding changes to the definition of harassment, the permitting process, and fishery interactions. The authorization expired on September 30, 1999. Spring 2005
International Fisheries and Marine Mammal Treaty Implementation: There are several treaties which have been signed by the United States which will require Congressional review and will need domestic implementing legislation. These may include the U.S.-Russia Polar Bear Agreement, the U.S.-Canada Agreement on Pacific Whiting, and the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. In addition, the Committee will look at other existing treaties and agreements. Summer 2005--DONE
Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper Fishery Management: The management of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico remains a highly contentious issue. There has been debate over the stock assessments, rebuilding targets and schedules, and allocations among user groups for years, leading to Congressionally-mandated independent reviews of NMFS's science and decisions. In addition, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is reviewing options for an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) management system for this fishery. The Committee will review each of these issues. Fall 2005
Chesapeake Bay Oyster Recovery Program: The Committee has held numerous hearings on native oyster recovery efforts and plans by the States of Virginia and Maryland to introduce non-native oysters to the Chesapeake Bay. This would be a follow-up oversight hearing to examine the current state of the native oyster recovery efforts and funding and the highly contentious effort to introduce non-native Asian oysters into the Chesapeake Bay. Winter 2005
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Reauthorization: The Committee will be conducting several oversight hearings on the reauthorization of this landmark law that affects both commercial and recreational fishermen throughout this nation. This hearing will focus on the ability of fishery managers to implement ecosystem-based fisheries management or ecosystem approaches to fisheries management. This hearing will review progress already being made to incorporate this type of multi-species management and will also including a review of what scientific information is still needed by fishery managers to implement this type of management. Winter 2005--DONE
Shrimp Economic Disaster Issues: Recent trade cases against countries exporting shrimp products to the U.S. have highlighted the precarious economic viability of the domestic shrimp harvesting industry. Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico in 2004 have made the economic conditions even worse. Spring 2006
Aquaculture: This oversight hearing will focus on which agencies have a role in permitting open ocean aquaculture activities and whether legislation is needed to clarify those authorities. It may also examine whether statutory restrictions are necessary to regulate off-shore aquaculture and aquaculture research activities. Summer 2006
NMFS Lawsuits: The National Marine Fisheries Service has been overwhelmed by lawsuits and is unable to conduct necessary research and other management activities due to these lawsuits. The Committee will examine this issue, especially in the context of the budget request for the agency. Summer 2006
Seafood Labeling Issues: The issue of seafood labeling has began to attract an increasing amount of attention over the last few years. This hearing will examine labeling issues including eco-labeling, Country-of-Origin Labeling, wild harvest and aquaculture labels, and organic labeling for seafood. Fall 2006
Saltonstall-Kennedy Program: The Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program is administered by the National Marine Fisheries Service and is used to provide grants for fisheries research and development projects. Funding is provided by the Department of Agriculture as a percentage of the gross receipts collected on imported fish and fish products. All grant projects undergo technical and industry review and are encouraged to have a cost-sharing component. A number of concerns have been raised about the selection of priorities for projects, the review of potential grants, and the awarding of grants. The Committee will review the amount received and granted under this program. Fall 2006
Department of Commerce--National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
NOAA Organic Act: Unlike many other federal agencies, NOAA does not have an `organic act' which defines its roles, structures and general authorities. Legislation has been proposed to provide this structure and the Committee will examine what NOAA should look like in the future as a part of this discussion. Spring 2005
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): The Committee will examine the existing authorities under numerous statutes for creating marine protected or marine managed areas. These areas have been designated for a different reasons and under different authorities and efforts to link these designations under an umbrella authority have been proposed. The Committee will examine whether existing designations have been effective in achieving their stated goals, whether existing designation authorities are adequate or conflicting, and whether new statutory authority is necessary to clarify the need to base these designations on scientific information. Fall 2005
National Marine Sanctuaries Program Reauthorization: The Committee will examine issues relating to the implementation of the 1972 National Marine Sanctuaries Act including resource conflicts, funding levels, preparation and implementation of long-term management plans. The Act's authorization for appropriations expires on September 30, 2005. Winter 2005
Ocean Observation Systems Authorization: The U.S. has been developing regional ocean observation systems to collect physical, geological, chemical, and biological parameters for the oceans and the coasts. However, there is a need for an integrated national ocean observation system. The Committee held one hearing on how to integrate the regional systems to develop a national system. The Committee will continue to examine the issue and develop legislation to authorize a national program. Fall 2006--DONE
Mapping and Charting Program: In the last twenty years, advances in computer technology have caused dramatic leaps forward in marine navigation technology. Satellite-based Differential Global Positioning Systems and the ability to monitor real-time and current data hold the promise of significant economic efficiencies. Unfortunately, we can only exploit those efficiencies if we have accurate, up-to-date nautical charts. Many of these charts are based on data collected in the 19th century. As a result, the accuracy of this information is totally insufficient for today's larger ships and advanced navigation capabilities. The Committee will evaluate efforts to modernize our nautical charts and to try to determine the level of federal investment that is necessary to ensure the safe passage of vessels using various U.S. ports. Fall 2006
Coral Reef Conservation and Management: Legislation was enacted in 2000 as a lifeline for coral reef ecosystems. It authorized $16 million per year to finance coral reef assistance grants. These grants are used to protect and restore coral reef ecosystems; map the location of coral reefs; research factors that cause the loss of coral reefs and promote safe waterborne navigation. In addition, the Department of the Interior has designated National Wildlife Refuges in state and federal waters for the protection of coral reefs while the Department of Commerce currently has management authority for corals and fisheries in coral reef areas under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The Committee will examine whether this dual management for coral reefs is causing conflict and will examine whether the current grant program has been effective in protecting coral reefs. Spring 2005--DONE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES
Budget Oversight: The Committee oversees four Interior Department agencies, and programs in one other: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Office of Surface Mining (OSM), Minerals Management Service (MMS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the minerals and geology program of the Forest Service (USDA). The Committee will examine these agencies' programs for efficiencies, streamlining, privatization opportunities, and otherwise streamlining research programs- DONE
Department of the Interior--Energy and Mining Issue
Energy and Minerals Policies--General: The energy and minerals industries provide the foundation upon which our economy is built. The consuming industries--manufacturing, healthcare, telecommunications, chemicals, etc- are heavily dependent on a stable, reliable and affordable supply of energy and minerals to deliver their goods and services to the American public. Yet the country's trade deficit in energy is more than 25% of our total balance of payments, and continues to increase at a rapid rate. Additionally, America's growing dependence on foreign sources of energy and minerals continues to threaten domestic resources security as worldwide demand for natural resources increases significantly in developing countries with burgeoning economies such as China and India that continue to lock-up available global supplies. The Committee will be looking at the country's energy and minerals policies and how they affect the consuming industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, agricultural, and chemical, the U.S. energy and minerals security, and the viability of the domestic energy and minerals industries. 2005/2006--DONE
Comprehensive National Energy Policy: The Committee will perform necessary oversight to support passage of an Energy Bill that addresses the economic and national security needs of the country through comprehensive national energy policy. Winter 2005--DONE
National Minerals Policy: The last time the Congress acted on major minerals and materials legislation was in 1980. The Committee proposes to provide oversight on the need for a revitalized National Minerals Policy for the 21st Century. The Committee would like to continue to build on Congress' national minerals policy record with additional oversight hearings focusing on the economic and national security implications of minerals policy and its impacts on other industries. The Committee would identify those issues that a revitalized minerals policy would require to promote domestic manufacturing and sound economic policy. The Committee would highlight the current impediments to minerals production in the U.S. and look at policy changes that would improve access to minerals on federal lands. Oversight activities would take place throughout the year. Spring/Summer/Fall 2005--DONE
Abandoned Mine Lands Reclamation Reauthorization: Under the abandoned mined land reclamation provisions of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA), a reclamation fee is levied on every ton of coal mined in the nation, irrespective of the ownership of the coal rights, to replenish an abandoned mine lands (AML) trust fund for the restoration of pre-1977 abandoned coal mines. Fee collection authority was set to expire on September 30, 2004, but was extended through a short-term CR and once again to June 30, 2005, through the Interior Appropriations provisions of the FY2005 omnibus appropriations bill. An enormous inventory of priority projects remain, especially in Appalachian states. Furthermore, Congress has deemed that a portion of the interest generated by the fund is to be used to pay premiums of certain retired coal miners and their spouses who were guaranteed lifetime healthcare benefits in nationwide coal wage agreements signed from 1950 and later. Reform of SMCRA is necessary to achieve the reclamation goals envisioned by Congress as well as keeping the healthcare guarantee to retirees. Furthermore, the states with coal production were assured that not less than half of the AML fees collected from mines within their borders would be returned to that state for AML programs, yet over three-fourths of a billion dollars assigned to the 23 states and tribes with modern production remains in the Treasury unappropriated to these states. AML fund interest is not assigned to the `state share' balance; therefore, the states are penalized by the lack of full appropriations because the dollars returned in reclamation grants are worth far less decades after the funds should have been returned. Winter 2005--DONE
Oversight on Leasing and Permitting on Federal Lands: The Committee intends to perform numerous oversight functions on leasing and permitting for energy and minerals on federal lands. The Committee wants to focus on the current impediments to energy and minerals development on federal lands and concentrate on where the flaws are in the current system and how to correct them. The Committee has an on-going study request with GAO on the opportunities and occurrences for litigation over development of energy on federal lands. The Committee plans to take the study to Interior and USFS to show them the extent of the problem and work with them to reform the current system to reduce the opportunities for future litigation over leasing and permitting on federal lands. Spring/Summer 2005
Ongoing Energy Initiatives: In general, the Committee plans to perform rigorous oversight on BLM, MMS and USFS over their leasing and permitting practices, their adherence to the President's Executive Orders on energy (EOS 13211 and 13212) and their overall strategy to boost domestic energy production. The Committee will continue to identify U.S. policies and the link between access to energy resources and the economy, jobs and consuming public.
The Committee will focus on the terms and conditions (including royalties and regulatory climate) of producing energy on federal lands in the U.S. and compare these conditions with those in other nations around the world that are more successful in attracting energy developers. Additionally, the Committee will examine the role of conventional energy resources in the development of the hydrogen economy. The Committee also plans to examine successes in reclamation of energy development sites as well as technological, environmental and efficiency improvements associated with modern energy exploration and production practices. Summer/Fall 2005
Bonding and Financial Capacity in the Mining Industries: Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the existing bonding (insurance) system used by the industries and government has been broken. There remain only two companies interested in servicing the mining bond market. This system needs to be strengthened should the U.S. seek to continue to encourage domestic investment in minerals production. The lack of access to surety bonds and other bonds (often required to operate energy and minerals projects on federal lands) are hurting development of domestic resources by absorbing the limited amounts of capital available to the industries. The Committee wants to look at the bonding crisis and current bonding requirements to determine their impact on industry and determine whether or not a better system can be developed to mitigate risk for companies operating on federal lands. The Committee will look at issues affecting the ability of domestic operators to raise and utilize capital for domestic exploration and production operations. Summer/Fall 2005
Oil Shale, Tar Sands, Heavy Oil: Vast domestic resources of oil shale, tar sands, and heavy oil have been known to exist for decades, yet very little of these resources are any closer to production than they were in 1975. The Committee will examine recent reports showing significant resource potential in the U.S. with a focus on improving the federal leasing system and providing incentives to develop these resources. Winter/Spring/Summer 2005--DONE
Oceans Policy: The Committee's jurisdiction over the nation's oil, natural gas and other mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in federal offshore waters extends out some 200+ nautical miles. The treatment by the Committee of a national oceans policy will have great impact on the development of energy and minerals in the federal OCS. Currently, about 30 percent of the oil and 23 percent of the gas produced domestically comes from these federal waters. In general, the Committee plans to participate in the Committee's examination of a national oceans policy as it relates to energy and minerals development in federal waters. The Committee wants to help examine the impacts of a national oceans policy on the country's ability to continue responsible production and extraction of oil, natural gas, and minerals on the federal OCS. Additionally, the Committee will examine the issue of revenue sharing and offshore boundaries as they relate to States. Timeline dependent on Full Committee- DONE
North American Energy Plan: The EIA has projected that world oil consumption will increase by more than 50% by 2025. Scientific and technical reports have shown that North America (Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.) possesses the oil and natural gas resources necessary to become energy independent by 2025. The Committee plans to explore the potential for coordinated action among these three countries necessary to achieve that result. Winter/Spring/Summer 2005--DONE
Energy and Mineral Development on Tribal Lands: The Committee believes the potential for energy and mineral resources development on tribal lands will become increasingly important as domestic energy and mineral resource development needs increase. The Committee plans to examine successful and ongoing energy and mineral development on tribal lands. Summer/Fall 2005
Military Lands and Energy and Mineral Issues: The Committee has found that U.S. military installations have different leasing policies for different lands within the same installation. The result is that significant energy and mineral resources are not being made available for development. The extent of this problem is unknown and the Committee therefore plans to examine existing resource development management practices on U.S. military lands, much of whose subsurface mineral estate is under the control of the Committee, with an eye toward assessing energy potential on these lands where not inconsistent with military mission, and look at a shared revenues regime with the military to develop this resource potential. Fall 2005/Winter 2006
Energy and Mineral Workforce and Related Issues: The well-documented aging of the energy and minerals workforce is a potential crisis in the making for the viability of the industries they serve. The Committee has been working with stakeholders and the Department of Labor to examine the impacts this aging workforce (and subsequent lack of a `farm team' to replace aging workers) could have on the security of our domestic supplies of energy and minerals. The Committee will continue to examine the status of the Energy and Minerals Workforce as it relates to the well-being and viability of our domestic energy and minerals security. The Committee will examine the role played by the federal government in fostering training and education in the energy and minerals industries. The role of the federal government in supporting University-level research also will be examined. Summer/Fall 2005
Alternative/Renewable Energy: An increase in the use of alternative and renewable energy sources will be needed to help broaden the nation's energy portfolio. The Committee will continue to examine impediments to alternative energy production on federal lands and plan to use the success of H.R. 4513 (Renewable Energy Project Siting Improvement Act) as one of the avenues to move this process forward. These energy sources include, but are not limited to, wind, solar, geothermal and tidal forces. Winter/Spring 2005
Impact of EPA Policies on Resources Development: The Committee will examine the Committee's oversight role for EPA in `matters involving mining regulation and enforcement . . . reclamation of mined lands . . . environmental effects of mining, and . . . long-range mineral programs. . . .' Fall 2005/Winter 2006--DONE
United States Geological Survey: The Committee will examine the need to update old/existing energy and minerals basin maps as well as create new maps for potential new resource basins in the U.S. Additionally, the Committee plans to examine the waiver process regarding volcanic activity monitoring equipment siting in wilderness areas. Spring 2006
SUBCOMMITTEE ON FORESTS AND FOREST HEALTH
Budget Overview: The Committee will oversee that portion of the President's budget which relates to national forest lands.
Department of Agriculture--U.S. Forest Service
Healthy Forests Initiative (HFI): Following two decades of increasing wildfire activity and immediately following one of the largest and most destructive fire seasons in the last half-century, President George W. Bush unveiled the Healthy Forests Initiative in the fall of 2002. The Initiative streamlined certain analysis procedures and gave the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management the authority to enter into long-term stewardship contracts with private entities. To date, the Forest Service has taken advantage of HFI and is engaged in many projects under its authorities. The Committee will conduct oversight on these administrative procedures and projects, while continuing to review opportunities to loosen burdensome procedural constraints on land managers grappling with the wildfire and restoration crisis- DONE
Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA): With 3,361 homes and over 700,000 acres in Southern California burned in the fall of 2003, Congress passed the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA). Title I (Hazardous Fuels) of the HFRA included many new tools for both the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to use for fuels reduction and fire prevention. An expedited environmental review process was created to allow for projects to be developed and implemented in a timelier manner for the primary purpose of protecting communities from catastrophic wildfire. Priority was given to hazardous fuels reduction in the wildland urban interface. The law also streamlines the appeals process and requires judges to balance the harms of inaction (such as a wildfire) as compared to the proposed action. Other titles in the law include biomass, insects and disease, watershed forestry assistance, and a new forest reserve program. In the past year, Title I of HFRA was funded and is in the process of being implemented. In its first year, both the BLM and Forest Service surpassed their targets for acres treated, though some regions performed much better than others. In addition, the remaining titles of HFRA, for the most part, have yet to be implemented and many are in need of adequate funding. The Committee will hold oversight hearings on implementation of all titles of HFRA.
Post-Catastrophic Event Restoration: While HFRA was passed to address the mitigation of catastrophic wildfire, post-fire restoration is still hampered by procedural gridlock. Millions of acres burned by wildfire in the past couple of years have yet to be restored and reforested, not to mention other forests devastated by blow-down, insect infestation, hurricanes and other natural disasters. The Forest Service has a massive reforestation backlog, generally due to a lack of money that was once supplied by a sustainable timber program. The lack of funding coupled with a burdensome decision-making process has left millions of acres destined to become brushfields or mono-species forests. For example, the Biscuit Fire in Southern Oregon burned roughly 500,000 acres, yet the Forest Service plans to reforest and restore only about 31,000 acres. Consequently, legislation is needed to remove some of the barriers to forest restoration. At the request of the Committee, the GAO will release a study on the reforestation and restoration backlog in early 2005. The Committee will address this issue through hearings and possible legislation- DONE
Biomass: The HFRA authorizes expedited fuels reduction projects on 20 million acres of public lands. As fuels reduction projects increase, a huge amount of small diameter wood and woody debris will be removed from the forest with little chance of ever being utilized. This material is expensive to remove and transport, but, as energy prices escalate, there is an enormous potential for affordable woody biomass energy production. Additionally, woody biomass can also be utilized for furniture, building materials, shavings, packaging, etc. The development of woody biomass markets and infrastructure would aid the Forest Service with the expensive task of paying for fuels reduction while also restoring the nation's forests. While the HFRA does include a biomass title, it does little to address the size and scope of woody materials that should be coming out of forests. The Committee will work with the Energy and Commerce Committee to include woody biomass provisions in the upcoming energy bill (including provisions already included in the 108th Congress energy bill), will introduce legislation, and conduct hearings on the issue- DONE
Tribal Forests Protection Act: In 2003, 20 Indian reservations were invaded by catastrophic fires from nearby federal lands. In southern California 11 reservations were burned, two completely, and a number of lives were tragically lost. As a result, Chairman Pombo introduced the Tribal Forest Protection Act and it became law in 2004. This legislation allows tribes to engage in fuels reduction projects on adjacent Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management land therefore reducing the threat of catastrophic wildfire and helping to protect their land. The Forest Service is currently working on putting the program together, but to date, no projects have been proposed. The Committee will conduct oversight hearings and continue encouraging the use of the authorities provided in this law. In addition, the Committee will work with tribes to hold an oversight hearing on the successes of tribal forestry.
Roadless Area Management Regulations: In the waning hours of the Clinton Administration, the U.S. Forest Service issued new regulations that set aside nearly 60 million acres of National Forest System lands (nearly one-third of the entire National Forest System) from most forms of access, use, enjoyment and management. The regulations are known informally as the Roadless Area Rule. Since the rule was finalized, it has been subject to lawsuits in Alaska, Idaho, Utah, North Dakota, Wyoming and the District of Columbia. In June of 2003 a federal court struck down the rule stating it violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Wilderness Act. In July of 2004, the Forest Service issued its new proposed rule addressing inventoried roadless areas. The rule allows governors to work with the Forest Service and communities to develop rules for preserving roadless areas in their states. Governors would then petition the Secretary of Agriculture and each state rule would be subject to NEPA analysis and public comment. Recently the public comment period was extended. The Forest Service is currently reviewing those comments.
Forest Health: Insect and disease problems plague nearly 60 million acres of forest land nationwide, potentially causing irreversible damage to entire watersheds and even regions. From spruce beetle infestations in Colorado to a renewed attack from the southern pine beetle in the Southeast, from Asian long-horned beetle activity in the Northeast to widespread hardwood decline in the Southern Appalachians and the disruption of historic fire regimes in the Inland West, serious problems abound that cannot be addressed by inaction. Research programs must be continued and, in some cases, expanded, while application of forest health treatments must be greatly accelerated. Title IV of the HFRA addressed some of these concerns, but has yet to be adequately implemented. Continued oversight and a possible hearing will be necessary to ensure agency progress on these issues- DONE
Forest Planning Rules and Land Management Decisions: The National Forest Management Act requires the development, periodic revision and amendment of the planning documents that govern the Nation's 155 national forests and 20 grasslands. Existing plans for these lands were developed under regulations adopted in 1982. In 2000, under the Clinton Administration, new planning regulations were drafted, but the U.S. Forest Service halted implementation, as agency officials feared they could not be effectively implemented due to their cost and complexity. In November 2002, the Forest Service released a new planning rule, which was finalized and then released in December of 2004. Namely the rule would use an Environmental Management System (EMS), a tool widely used by both the public and private sector, to improve performance and accountability during the planning process. EMS's require independent audits that would evaluate whether desired results identified in forest plans were achieved. The rule also emphasizes meaningful public involvement, sustainability, use of science, and monitoring and evaluation. In addition, the proposal provides forest managers with more flexibility to tailor analyses to the specific characteristics and challenges presented by their forests and grasslands. Finally, it also eliminates certain procedural requirements and redundancies in the planning process. It is estimated that with the new planning rules forests will complete their plans in 2-3 years rather than 5-7 under the old rules.
Forest Service Accountability: Fiscal Year 2002 marks the first time that the U.S. Forest Service received a clean audit from the Office of Inspector General. However, the General Accounting Office (GAO) still ranks the U.S. Forest Service high on its list of agencies at high risk of waste, fraud and abuse. Additionally, measuring performance of the agency's program activities has been problematic. The Committee with the assistance of the GAO will focus on the longstanding problem and progress made in addressing both financial management and performance measures of the agency.
Appeals Reform: The Forest Service is the only land management agency that has an administrative appeals process enshrined in statute for all project level activities--the Appeals Reform Act (ARA). The Chief of the Forest Service and others have said that ARA is a flawed procedure that places a premium on conflict rather than up-front participation and collaboration. The ARA should be reviewed and new procedures developed to reform this cumbersome process, making public involvement more effective and improving agency decision-making.
Access for Recreation and Private Property Inholdings: As recreation on national forests has become increasingly important to the American public, congressional oversight is needed to ensure that all interested groups and organizations are allowed input and given proper recourse concerning application of any new recreation policies. The Committee will examine this in an oversight hearing and will continue to work with recreation groups to ensure proper access to public lands- DONE
County Payments: The `Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000,' has unprecedented provisions allowing for community involvement on Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service lands. The law restores much-needed funding for rural schools and roads once provided by an active timber management program. It also provides funds and procedures for community Resource Advisory Committees (RACs) to implement projects on public lands that meet certain criteria. RACs have become one of the few successful tools used to bring once polarized interests to the table to agree on natural resource management. This legislation expires in 2006 and would have a devastating impact to many rural communities if not reauthorized. The Committee will continue to work with interested members of Congress in the House as well as the Senate on hearings and reauthorization.
Fire Suppression Funding: The Forest Service and other fire suppression agencies have experienced chronic funding shortfalls in fire suppression budgets. These borrowing activities have had a substantial adverse affect on a broad range of other program areas in the Forest Service, as the agency has been forced to borrow out of everything from recreational programs to the hazardous fuels reduction program. Last year the Committee helped to successfully include language in the budget as well as the appropriations omnibus to provide an additional $500 million for fire suppression through a flexible spending cap. This year, the Committee will once again work with the Budget and Appropriations Committee to address this problem. A permanent solution to the problem is still needed and will also be examined- DONE
Grazing: As Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management grazing permits are eliminated and buyout programs gain support, public land ranchers are threatened to go out of business. Lack of funding for the range program and administration, lack of monitoring, drought, and a backlog of needed environmental analysis required under NEPA has led to a decline in grazing on public lands. The Committee will address the various issues affecting public lands grazing through oversight hearings and possible legislation- DONE