U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources
CONTACT: Allyson Groff or Blake Androff, 202-226-9019
Washington, D.C. - Closing out another year marked by numerous legislative successes for the natural, cultural, and historic resources with which America has been blessed, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick J. Rahall (D-WV) highlighted some of the Committee's major accomplishments that were achieved under his watchful eye.
"The Natural Resources Committee is faced with a tall order when it comes to fulfilling our stewardship and trust responsibilities, particularly during this time of continued uncertainty in communities across the country. We have had to grapple with some tough decisions over the course of the year as we sought to strike a balance between these important responsibilities and other competing needs of our Nation and its citizens. But I am confident in saying that I am pleased with the work that Members of this Committee, along with the entire legislative body, have done to keep America's natural and cultural heritage strong during these trying times," Rahall said.
Chairman Rahall, along with the hardworking Chairmen and Chairwomen who oversee each of the Subcommittees, started off work in early 2009 with a new Administration in the White House, a new Secretary at the helm of the Department of the Interior, and a
new guiding agenda for the 111th Congress. In total, nearly
80 oversight and legislative hearings were held at the Full Committee and Subcommittee levels throughout 2009.
Right off the bat, Chairman Rahall sought to roll back many of the last-minute, ill-conceived regulations promulgated by the Bush Administration during its waning days in office. Rahall urged the Obama Administration to overturn the highly controversial gutting of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). President Obama announced in March 2009 that his Administration would restore the protections of the ESA - one of the Nation's landmark conservation laws.
Chairman Rahall led the Committee in a series of oversight hearings to address an issue fresh in the minds of many ordinary American citizens and Members of Congress alike - energy development on federal lands and offshore waters. The hearings served to examine the current state and future of the country's offshore drilling policy, and determine where our efforts would be best focused. The hearings culminated in Chairman Rahall introducing the
Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources (CLEAR) Act of 2009 (H.R. 3534) - legislation to further the Nation's goals of securing a reliable and sustainable supply of American energy.
The Committee's deliberations on federal energy resources yielded a positive advancement - the abolishment by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar of the beleaguered and scandal-ridden Royalty-in-Kind (RIK) program. After years of calling for an end to the RIK program, which allows oil companies to pay the government in oil and gas rather than in cash, Secretary Salazar heeded Rahall's request and announced the elimination of the program.
Working to continue an impressive streak of legislative accomplishment since taking the helm of the Committee in 2007, Rahall shepherded through the House of Representatives nearly
100 legislative measures within the Committee's jurisdiction in 2009. The legislative victories include measures addressing wilderness land designations, historic areas, Western water concerns, and Native American tribal recognitions, among others. The Committee has jurisdiction over programs administered by the Department of the Interior.
Earlier this year, President Obama signed into law the
"Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009" [Public Law 111-11] - historic legislation that combines over 160 widely supported individual measures - introduced in the previous session of Congress by both Democrats and Republicans in both chambers of the Congress. Among its many provisions, the bill designates in excess of 2 million acres as wilderness and adds 1,000 miles of rivers to the wild and scenic river system.
Chairman Rahall was successful in securing inclusion of his bill, the
"Wild Monongahela Act" (H.R. 1109), in the final legislative package of the omnibus bill. This provision will designate as wilderness in excess of 37,000 acres of National Forest System lands in the Monongahela National Forest in the State of West Virginia, protecting them for the enjoyment of this and future generations.
In addition, Chairman Rahall continued his attentive efforts to focus on the concerns of Indian Country. He worked with his colleagues in the House to secure provisions in the House version of the health insurance reform package to provide for the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, which is the primary source of medical care for approximately 1.9 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. The plan was allowed to expire in 2001 and has not been reauthorized for the past 17 years, keeping the programs far out of pace with the dire needs of health service recipients throughout the native communities that rely on these services.
In all, Chairman Rahall guided the Committee in 10 legislative and oversight hearings on Indian Affairs matters. From hearings on legislation to recognize the Lumbee Tribe and the 6 tribes residing in Virginia, to oversight hearings on the recent Supreme Court decision in
Carcieri v. Salazar, Chairman Rahall continued to fight for the needs of the Nation's 1st Americans.
Chairman Rahall saw the successful inclusion of his bill, the
"Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement (FLAME) Act" (H.R. 1404), in the FY 2010 Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill, which was signed into law by the President in October 2009. This much-needed legislation will create a federal fund designated solely for catastrophic wildland fires, which have devastated rural communities and national treasures. Chairman Rahall has fought for several years for such an emergency fund to prevent federal land management agencies from having to "rob Peter to pay Paul" to combat these catastrophic fires as they happen.
Chairman Rahall also oversaw passage of his bill, the
"Restore our American Mustangs (ROAM) Act" (H.R. 1018), through the House in July 2009. Following the recommendations of the Government Accountability Office in a 2008 report, which was requested by Chairman Rahall, the ROAM Act would assist the BLM in achieving long-term savings, while protecting wild horses through a variety of innovative management tools.
"I'm very pleased with the progress we made this year, but I acknowledge that a great deal of work remains for the 2010 legislative year. I will continue to work with Democratic and Republican Members of Congress, along with Secretary Salazar, to take thoughtful and deliberative steps as we seek to fulfill our stewardship duties in an environmentally and fiscally responsible manner," Rahall said.
