Congressman Doc Hastings

Natural Resources Committee

I serve as the Chairman on the House Natural Resources Committee.  This post provides an opportunity to make a real difference for families and communities in Central Washington and throughout rural America. 

The Committee on Natural Resources has jurisdiction over most of the nation's public lands and plays a pivotal role in shaping federal energy, environment, land use and natural resource policies.  National forests, national parks and monuments, wilderness areas, national scenic areas, Indian reservations and BLM lands all fall under the purview of the Committee. 

With our vast amount of federally owned lands in Central Washington, the Natural Resources Committee works on issues that have a direct impact on our communities on a day-to-day-basis. 

The Committee oversees the Bonneville Power Administration, Bureau of Reclamation irrigation projects including the Columbia Basin Project and the Yakima Project, endangered species recovery, federal hydropower projects, Payment-in-Lieu-of Taxes (PILT) payments, and payments for schools and roads in counties like Chelan, Klickitat, Kittitas, Skamania and Yakima that have large amounts of federal land, and firefighting on federal lands.  

Click here to watch the fish passage at Bonneville Dam.