NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Chairman Rob Bishop (UT-01)

The Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation is responsible for all matters related to the National Park System, U.S. Forests, public lands and national monuments.

Republicans on the Subcommittee are working to expand and protect opportunities for all Americans to enjoy our beautiful public lands, ensuring they are available for recreational opportunities and economic development. Our goal is to ensure that we use our resources wisely so we can provide for our families today while leaving our land in even better shape for future generations of Americans.

Hot Topics:

• Securing our Border on Federal Lands
• Seeking Transparency on Potential National Monument Designations
• Forest Health and Wildfires

Did You Know?

• The U.S. Forest Service controls 193 million acres, the Bureau of Land Management controls 264 million acres and the National Park Service controls 87 million acres. This is nearly a quarter of the entire land mass of the United States (544 million acres of 2.3 billion).
• Nearly 108 million acres of Federal land in the United States is designated as wilderness areas.
• In 1998, the National Park System had 287 million visits and an operations budget of $1.2 billion. In 2008, the National Park had 275 million visits with a $2 billion budget. In 2009, despite a decrease in visitors, the National Park Service will have an operations budget of $2.1 billion with another $750 million in “stimulus” cash.
• The Department of the Interior manages 793 miles, or 41% of the southwest border.
• Nearly 40% of our nation’s uranium resources are located in the northern Arizona breccia pipe district, which includes Forest Service and BLM lands in northern Arizona.
• In 2012, wildfires burned 9.3 million acres, while the U.S. Forest Service only harvested approximately 200,000 acres. This means that 44 times as many acres burned as were responsibility harvested. The burned areas were not allowed to be salvaged.

Membership:

The Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation consists of 26 Members, 14 Republicans and 12 Democrats.

Rob Bishop Chairman Utah, 1st District Don Young Alaska, At-large Louie Gohmert Texas, 1st District Doug Lamborn Colorado, 5th District Paul C. Broun Georgia, 10th District Tom McClintock California, 4th District Cynthia Lummis Wyoming, At-large Scott Tipton Colorado, 3rd District Raúl Labrador Idaho, 1st District Steve Daines Montana, At-large Kevin Cramer North Dakota, At-large Doug LaMalfa California, 1st District Jason Smith Missouri, 8th District Vance McAllister Louisiana, 5th District Doc Hastings Washington, 4th District ex officio

Raúl M. Grijalva Ranking Member Arizona, 3rd District Niki Tsongas Massachusetts, 3rd District Rush Holt New Jersey, 12th District Madeleine Z. Bordallo Guam, At-large Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan Northern Mariana Islands, At-large Pedro Pierluisi Puerto Rico, At-large Colleen Hanabusa Hawaii, 1st District Carol Shea-Porter New Hampshire, 1st District Joe Garcia Florida, 26th District Matt Cartwright Pennsylvania, 17th District Jared Huffman California, 2nd District Vacancy   Peter DeFazio Oregon, 4th District ex officio

Jurisdiction of the Subcommittee:

• The National Environmental Policy Act in general.
• Measures and matters related to the National Park System and its units, including Federal reserved water rights.
• The National Wilderness Preservation System.
• Wild and Scenic Rivers System, National Trails System, national heritage areas and other national units established for protection, conservation, preservation or recreational development, other than coastal barriers.
• Military parks and battlefields, national cemeteries administered by the Secretary of the Interior, parks in and within the vicinity of the District of Columbia and the erection of monuments to the memory of individuals.
• Federal and non-Federal outdoor recreation plans, programs and administration including the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 and the Outdoor Recreation Act of 1963.
• Preservation of prehistoric ruins and objects of interest on the public domain and other historic preservation programs and activities, including national monuments, historic sites and programs for international cooperation in the field of historic preservation.
• Matters concerning the following agencies and programs: Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery Program, Historic American Buildings Survey, Historic American Engineering Record, and U.S. Holocaust Memorial.
• Public lands generally, including measures or matters relating to entry, easements, withdrawals, grazing and Federal reserved water rights.
• Forfeiture of land grants and alien ownership, including alien ownership of mineral lands.
• Cooperative efforts to encourage, enhance and improve international programs for the protection of the environment and the conservation of natural resources otherwise within the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee.
• Forest reservations, including management thereof, created from the public domain.
• Public forest lands generally, including measures or matters related to entry, easements, withdrawals, grazing and Federal reserved water rights.
• General and continuing oversight and investigative authority over activities, policies and programs within the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee.

Referred Legislation:

• Legislation Referred to the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation (THOMAS Search)