Committee Correspondence

Chairman Hastings Memorandum Providing Notice to Committee Members that a Subpoena was Issued to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Letters
Apr 7, 2014 - April 7, 2014 TO: Members, Committee on Natural Resources FROM: Doc Hastings, Chairman RE: Subpoena issued I hereby give notice that I have issued a subpoena duces tecum (for documents) to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Fish & Wildlife Service for documents related to the listing of the White Bluffs bladderpod a... More

Chairman Hastings Memorandum Providing Notice to Committee Members that a Subpoena was Issued to the Department of the Interior Deputy Inspector General
Letters
Mar 25, 2014 - March 25, 2014 TO: Members, Committee on Natural Resources FROM: Doc Hastings, Chairman RE: Subpoena issued I hereby give notice that I have issued a subpoena duces tecum (for documents) to the U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General for documents related to the OIG’s investigation into the Office o... More

Chairman Hastings Follow-up Letter to Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Regarding the SRS Program
Letters
Mar 19, 2014 - Dear Secretary Vilsack: More than a month has passed since the Committee on Natural Resources ("Committee") sent a letter on February 14 requesting that the Department of Agriculture ("USDA") abandon any plans to withhold a portion of the FY 2013 Secure Rural Schools ("SRS") payments as a way to recover the FY 2012 SRS... More

Committee Leaders Letter to the Government Accountability Office Regarding Oversight on the Implementation of the "Helium Stewardship Act"
Letters
Mar 13, 2014 - Dear Mr. Dodaro: Since 1996, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has been directed to close down and sell off the Federal Helium Reserve. The sale of the helium contained in the Reserve has been subject to multiple Department of the Interior Inspector General reports, an examination by the Government Accountability Off... More

Chairman Hastings Follow-up Letter to Department of the Interior's Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall Requesting Unredacted Copies of Documents the Efforts to Rewrite the 2008 Stream Buffer Zone Rule
Letters
Mar 13, 2014 - Dear Ms. Kendall: On December 23, 2013 the Committee on Natural Resources ("Committee") sent a letter to the Office of Inspector General ("OIG") for the Department of the Interior ("Department") requesting a complete and unredacted copy and underlying attachments for an OIG report of investigation into the Office of Su... More

Chairman Hastings Memorandum Providing Notice to Committee Members that a Subpoena was Issued to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Letters
Mar 11, 2014 - March 11, 2014 TO: Members, Committee on Natural Resources FROM: Doc Hastings, Chairman RE: Subpoena issued I hereby give notice that I have issued a subpoena duces tecum (for documents) to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for documents related to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection... More

Chairman Hastings Letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Manager Ken Berg Seeking Documents and Answers on White Bluffs Bladderpod Listing
Letters
Mar 7, 2014 - Dear Mr. Berg: On December 20, 2013, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ("FWS") published a revision to the final rule that listed the White Bluffs bladderpod, Physaria Douglasii subspecies Tuplashensis, as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act ("ESA") and designated over 2,000 acres as critical habitat. ... More

Chairman Hastings Letter to Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Regarding the SRS Program
Letters
Feb 14, 2014 - Dear Secretary Vilsack: On January 14, 2013, the Committee on Natural Resources ("Committee") held an oversight hearing on the Obama Administration's decision to retroactively apply the FY 2013 sequester to FY 2012 payments made to states under the Secure Rural Schools ("SRS") program and the subsequent decision to dem... More

Chairmen Hastings and Lamborn Letter Seeking Input on Ways to Secure America’s Domestic Helium Supply
Letters
Dec 5, 2013 - Dear Interested Helium Party, As you know, Congress has passed, and the President has signed H.R. 527, "The Helium Stewardship Act" (P.L. 113-40). This bi-partisan law will reform and close operations at Federal Helium Reserve over the remainder of this next decade. While this action was necessary to preserve the suppl... More

Chairman Hastings Invitation Letter to Secretary Vilsack to Testify before Full Committee after Failure to Comply with Subpoenas
Letters
Nov 13, 2013 - Dear Secretary Vilsack: The Committee on Natural Resources ("Committee") invites you, as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture ("USDA"), to testify at an oversight hearing regarding (1) the Obama Administration's decision to sequester money paid to states under the Secure Rural Schools program ("SRS") and (2)... More

Chairman Hastings Invitation Letter to Director Mathews Burwell to Testify before Full Committee after Failure to Comply with Subpoenas
Letters
Nov 13, 2013 - Dear Director Mathews Burwell: The Committee on Natural Resources ("Committee") invites you, as Director of the Office of Management and Budget ("OMB"), to testify at an oversight hearing regarding (1) the Obama Administration's decision to sequester money paid to states under the Secure Rural Schools ("SRS") program a... More

Letter from 75 Members of Congress to Fish and Wildlife Service Director Ashe Calling for Full Delisting of the Gray Wolf
Letters
Nov 13, 2013 - Dear Director Ashe: We write in strong support of the proposed rule to delist the gray wolf nationally, included in docket number FWS-HQ-ES-2013-0073, although we are opposed to the provision included in this rule that would list the Mexican wolf as an endangered sub-species. The statutory purpose of the Endangered Spe... More

Hastings Letter to Secretary Vilsack Announcing Failure to Comply with Subpoenas, Intent to Invite Officials to Oversight Hearing
Letters
Nov 5, 2013 - Dear Secretary Vilsack: A subpoena was issued to you as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture ("USDA") on September 4, 2013, for documents related to the Obama Administration's decision to sequester money paid to states under the Secure Rural Schools ("SRS") program. The subpoena required that the requested d... More

Hastings Letter to Director Mathews Burwell Announcing Failure to Comply with Subpoenas, Intent to Invite Officials to Oversight Hearing
Letters
Nov 5, 2013 - Dear Director Mathews Burwell: A subpoena was issued to you as Director of the Office of Management and Budget ("OMB") on September 4, 2013, for documents related to the Obama Administration's decision to sequester money paid to states under the Secure Rural Schools ("SRS") program. The subpoena required that the reque... More

Chairman Hastings Letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Ashe Requesting Information on the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act
Letters
Nov 4, 2013 - Dear Director Ashe: The Committee on Natural Resources ("Committee") sent a letter on May 16,2013 to the Fish and Wildlife Service ("Service") requesting information and documents regarding enforcement of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act ("MBTA") and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act ("BGEPA"). The Committee reques... More

Chairman Hastings Letter to Acting Assistant Attorney General Robert Dreher Requesting Information on the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act
Letters
Nov 4, 2013 - Dear Acting Assistant Attorney General Dreher: On May 16,2013, the Committee on Natural Resources ("Committee") sent a letter to the Department of Justice ("DOJ") requesting information about the enforcement of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act ("MBTA") and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act ("BGEPA"). To date, DOJ h... More

Chairman Hastings Letter to Acting NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan Requesting Documents Regarding the Decision-making Process During the Government Shutdown
Letters
Oct 31, 2013 - Dear Dr. Sullivan: The Committee on Natural Resources ("Committee") is conducting oversight of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's ("NOAA") preparation for and activities during the recent lapse in appropriations, including the process used for determining which employees were exempt from furlou... More

Chairman Hastings Letter to Director Jarvis Requesting Documents Regarding the Decision-making Process During the Government Shutdown
Letters
Oct 31, 2013 - Dear Director Jarvis: As you know, the Committee on Natural Resources ("Committee") is conducting oversight of the National Park Service's ("NPS" or "Park Service") preparation for and activities during the recent lapse in appropriations and shutdown of the federal government, including the process used for determining... More

Chairman Hastings Follow-up Letter to Chief Tidwell Requesting Additional Documents Regarding the Decision-making Process During the Government Shutdown
Letters
Oct 31, 2013 - Dear Chief Tidwell: The Committee on Natural Resources ("Committee") is conducting oversight of how the U.S. Forest Service exercised its discretion in preparing for and responding to the lapse in appropriations that occurred beginning on October 1, 2013. On October 11 ,2013, a letter was sent directing Forest Service ... More

Chairman Hastings Follow-up Letter to Director Ashe Requesting Additional Documents Regarding the Decision-making Process During the Government Shutdown
Letters
Oct 31, 2013 - Dear Director Ashe: The Committee on Natural Resources ("Committee") is conducting oversight of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's ("FWS") preparation for and activities during the recent lapse in appropriations and shutdown of the federal government, including the process used for determining which employees were ex... More

Hastings Letter to Secretary Jewell Regarding Unfulfilled Requests on the National Blueways Program
Letters
Oct 25, 2013 - Dear Secretary Jewell: This letter follows up on prior communications, including June 28, 2013 and July 29, 2013 letters requesting 15 categories of documents and information, about the Department of the Interior's ("Department") Secretarial Order 3321 ("Order"). This Order established the "National Blueways System," a... More

Hastings Letter to Secretary Moniz Regarding Unfulfilled Requests on the Chu Memo to Federal Power Marketing Administrators
Letters
Oct 25, 2013 - Dear Secretary Moniz: The Committee on Natural Resources ("Committee") has been conducting oversight and investigatory activities regarding your predecessor's March 16, 2012 "Memorandum for the Federal Power Marketing Administrators." For nearly a year, the Committee has repeatedly sought communications and documents f... More

Hastings Letter to Director Ashe Requesting Answers Regarding Decision to Close National Wildlife Refuges During the Government Shutdown
Letters
Oct 11, 2013 - Dear Director Ashe: The Committee on Natural Resources ("Committee") requests that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ("Service") take steps as necessary to keep and not destroy records related to the decision to order the National Wildlife Refuge System closed. Hunters, fishermen, and other visitors are now being bloc... More

Hastings Letter to Chief Tidwell Requesting Answers Regarding Decision to Close National Forests During the Government Shutdown
Letters
Oct 11, 2013 - Dear Chief Tidwell: The Committee on Natural Resources ("Committee") requests that the U.S. Forest Service take steps as necessary to keep and not destroy documents related to the recent decisions to order certain activities located on National Forest System lands to cease operations, including grazing, concessionaires... More

Chairmen Hastings and Bishop Letter to Director Jarvis Regarding the Decision to Unnecessarily and Arbitrarily Close Open-air Parks and Monuments
Letters
Oct 2, 2013 - Dear Director Jarvis: Through this letter, the Committee on Natural Resources ("Committee") requests that the National Park Service ("Park Service") take steps as necessary to keep and not destroy documents related to the decision this week to restrict public access to the National World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Me... More

NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Committee Correspondence