[House Report 114-886]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                Union Calendar No. 696
                                                
114th Congress }					{ Report
 2d Session    }         HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES       { 114-886
                                                
_______________________________________________________________________                                                
                                               
.                                                
                        REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES

                                 OF THE

                     COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES

                               DURING THE

                    ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS

                             First Session

                   January 6, 2015-December 18, 2015

                             Second Session

                    January 4, 2016-January 3, 2017

                             together with

                   SUPPLEMENTAL AND DISSENTING VIEWS

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]


 December 22, 2016.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
            
                               ______________
                               
                               
                    U.S GOVERNMENT PUBLISING OFFICE            
                               WASHINGTON                     
                               
 _______________________________________________________________________           
            
            				         Union Calendar No. 696
114th Congress }					{ Report
 2d Session    }         HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES       { 114-886
_______________________________________________________________________
                                                                                    

                        REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES

                                 of the

                     COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES

                               during the

                    ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS

                             First Session

                   January 6, 2015-December 18, 2015

                             Second Session

                    January 4, 2016-January 3, 2017

                             together with

                   SUPPLEMENTAL AND DISSENTING VIEWS

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]


 December 22, 2016.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
                     COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
                       Full Committee Membership

    ROB BISHOP, Utah, Chairman
RAUL M. GRIJALVA, Arizona, Ranking 
         Democratic Member

GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California      DON YOUNG, Alaska
MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO, Guam          LOUIE GOHMERT, Texas
JIM COSTA, California                DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado
GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN,      ROBERT J. WITTMAN, Virginia
  Northern Mariana Islands           JOHN FLEMING, Louisiana
NIKI TSONGAS, Massachusetts          TOM McCLINTOCK, California
PEDRO R. PIERLUISI, Puerto Rico      GLENN THOMPSON, Pennsylvania
JARED HUFFMAN, California            CYNTHIA M. LUMMIS, Wyoming
RAUL RUIZ, California                DAN BENISHEK, Michigan
ALAN S. LOWENTHAL, California        JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina
DONALD S. BEYER JR., Virginia        PAUL A. GOSAR, Arizona
NORMA J. TORRES, California          RAUL R. LABRADOR, Idaho
DEBBIE DINGELL, Michigan             DOUG LaMALFA, California
RUBEN GALLEGO, Arizona               JEFF DENHAM, California
LOIS CAPPS, California               PAUL COOK, California
JARED POLIS, Colorado                BRUCE WESTERMAN, Arkansas
WM. LACY CLAY, Missouri              GARRET GRAVES, Louisiana
Vacancy                              DAN NEWHOUSE, Washington
                                     RYAN K. ZINKE, Montana
                                     JODY B. HICE, Georgia
                                     AUMUA AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN,
                                       American Samoa
                                     THOMAS MacARTHUR, New Jersey
                                     ALEXANDER X. MOONEY, West Virginia
                                     CRESENT HARDY, Nevada
                                     DARIN LaHOOD, Illinois

----------
On January 6, 2015, pursuant to H.Res. 6, Chairman Rob Bishop of Utah 
was elected to the Committee.
On January 6, 2015, pursuant to H.Res. 7, Ranking Member Raul M. 
Grijalva of Arizona was elected to the Committee.
On January 13, 2015, pursuant to H.Res. 29, Majority (Republican) 
Members (25) were elected to the Committee.
On January 13, 2015, pursuant to H.Res. 30, Minority (Democrat) Members 
(11) were elected to the Committee.
On January 21, 2015, pursuant to H.Res. 40, Minority (Democrat) Members 
(4) were elected to the Committee.
On April 22, 2015, Rep. Mark Takai of Hawaii resigned from the 
Committee.
On May 14, 2015, Rep. Bradley Byrne of Alabama resigned from the 
Committee.
On July 28, 2015, pursuant to H.Res. 387, Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay of 
Missouri was elected to the Committee.
On September 28, 2015, pursuant to H.Res. 442, Rep. Darin LaHood of 
Illinois was elected to the Committee.
On September 13, 2016, Rep. Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania resigned 
from the Committee.

    Jason Knox, Staff Director
   Todd Ungerecht, Deputy Staff 
             Director
    Lisa Pittman, Chief Counsel
 David Watkins, Democratic Staff 
             Director
 Joycelyn Coleman, Calendar Clerk
      
      STANDING SUBCOMMITTEES OF THE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES

              Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources

 DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado, Chairman
  ALAN S. LOWENTHAL, California, 
     Ranking Democratic Member

JIM COSTA, California                LOUIE GOHMERT, Texas
NIKI TSONGAS, Massachusetts          ROBERT J. WITTMAN, Virginia
DONALD S. BEYER JR., Virginia        JOHN FLEMING, Louisiana
RUBEN GALLEGO, Arizona               GLENN THOMPSON, Pennsylvania
LOIS CAPPS, California               CYNTHIA M. LUMMIS, Wyoming
JARED POLIS, Colorado                DAN BENISHEK, Michigan
Vacancy                              JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina
Vacancy                              PAUL A. GOSAR, Arizona
Vacancy                              RAUL R. LABRADOR, Idaho
Vacancy                              PAUL COOK, California
Vacancy                              GARRET GRAVES, Louisiana
Vacancy                              RYAN K. ZINKE, Montana
Vacancy                              JODY B. HICE, Georgia
RAUL M. GRIJALVA, Arizona (Ex Officio)LEXANDER X. MOONEY, West Virginia
                                     CRESENT HARDY, Nevada
                                     ROB BISHOP, Utah (Ex Officio)

                     Subcommittee on Federal Lands

   TOM McCLINTOCK, California, 
             Chairman
   NIKI TSONGAS, Massachusetts, 
     Ranking Democratic Member

DONALD S. BEYER JR., Virginia        DON YOUNG, Alaska
PEDRO R. PIERLUISI, Puerto Rico      LOUIE GOHMERT, Texas
JARED HUFFMAN, California            GLENN THOMPSON, Pennsylvania
ALAN S. LOWENTHAL, California        CYNTHIA M. LUMMIS, Wyoming
DEBBIE DINGELL, Michigan             RAUL R. LABRADOR, Idaho
LOIS CAPPS, California               DOUG LAMALFA, California
JARED POLIS, Colorado                BRUCE WESTERMAN, Arkansas
Vacancy                              DAN NEWHOUSE, Washington
Vacancy                              RYAN K. ZINKE, Montana
Vacancy                              JODY B. HICE, Georgia
Vacancy                              THOMAS MacARTHUR, New Jersey
RAUL M. GRIJALVA, Arizona (Ex Officio)RESENT HARDY, Nevada
                                     DARIN LaHOOD, Illinois
                                     ROB BISHOP, Utah (Ex Officio)
       Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs

    DON YOUNG, Alaska, Chairman
  RAUL RUIZ, California, Ranking 
         Democratic Member

MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO, Guam          DAN BENISHEK, Michigan
GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN,      PAUL A. GOSAR, Arizona
  Northern Mariana Islands           DOUG LaMALFA, California
PEDRO R. PIERLUISI, Puerto Rico      JEFF DENHAM, California
NORMA J. TORRES, California          PAUL COOK, California
RAUL M. GRIJALVA, Arizona (Ex Officio)UMUA AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN,
                                       American Samoa
                                     ROB BISHOP, Utah (Ex Officio)

              Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

  LOUIE GOHMERT, Texas, Chairman
DEBBIE DINGELL, Michigan, Ranking 
         Democratic Member

JARED HUFFMAN, California            DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado
RUBEN GALLEGO, Arizona               RAUL R. LABRADOR, Idaho
JARED POLIS, Colorado                BRUCE WESTERMAN, Arkansas
WM. LACY CLAY, Missouri              JODY B. HICE, Georgia
Vacancy                              AUMUA AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN,
RAUL M. GRIJALVA, Arizona (Ex Officio) American Samoa
                                     ALEXANDER X. MOONEY, West Virginia
                                     DARIN LaHOOD, Illinois
                                     ROB BISHOP, Utah (Ex Officio)

                Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans

 JOHN FLEMING, Louisiana, Chairman
JARED HUFFMAN, California, Ranking 
         Democratic Member

GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California      DON YOUNG, Alaska
JIM COSTA, California                ROBERT J. WITTMAN, Virginia
RUBEN GALLEGO, Arizona               TOM McCLINTOCK, California
MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO, Guam          CYNTHIA M. LUMMIS, Wyoming
GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN,      JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina
  Northern Mariana Islands           PAUL A. GOSAR, Arizona
RAUL RUIZ, California                DOUG LaMALFA, California
ALAN S. LOWENTHAL, California        JEFF DENHAM, California
NORMA J. TORRES, California          GARRET GRAVES, Louisiana
DEBBIE DINGELL, Michigan             DAN NEWHOUSE, Washington
RAUL M. GRIJALVA, Arizona (Ex Officio)HOMAS MacARTHUR, New Jersey
                                     ROB BISHOP, Utah (Ex Officio)
                              STAFF ROSTER
                          Full Committee Staff

                       Jason Knox, Staff Director
                 Todd Ungerecht, Deputy Staff Director
                  Molly Block, Deputy Press Secretary
                 Parish Braden, Communications Director
                 Ilene Clauson, Director of Operations
                    Joycelyn Coleman, Calendar Clerk
                     Elise Daniel, Press Secretary
                   David DeMarco, Deputy IT Director
                   Heather Douglass, Press Assistant
                        Michael Freeman, Counsel
                   Rebecca Konolige, Staff Assistant
                      Andrew Nam, Staff Assistant
                   Charles Park, Deputy Chief Counsel
                      Lisa Pittman, Chief Counsel
                     Sara Roberts, Digital Director
      Matthew Schafle, Director of Member Services and Coalitions
                       Adam Stewart, Shared Staff
            Sophia Varnasidis, Deputy Director of Operations
                       Jean Woodrow, IT Director

                            Democratic Staff

                      Peter Gallagher, Chief Clerk
             Bertha Guerrero, Director of Public Engagement
                   Emily Lande, Deputy Chief Counsel
                        Sarah Lim, Chief Counsel
                  Glenn Miller, Senior Policy Advisor
                    Jose Miranda, Professional Staff
                 Sayanna Molina, Legislative Assistant
                     Diane Padilla, Press Secretary
                 Adam Sarvana, Communications Director
                     Daniel Torrez, Staff Assistant
                 Cristina Villa, Manager of Operations
                     David Watkins, Staff Director

                           Subcommittee Staff
              Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
                    1522 Longworth HOB, 202-225-9297

              William Cooper, Subcommittee Staff Director
                   Joshua Hoffman, Professional Staff
             Katharine MacGregor, Senior Professional Staff
                         Sean Stewart, Counsel
                         Andrew Vecera, Counsel
         Steve Feldgus, Democratic Senior Energy Policy Advisor
                     Subcommittee on Federal Lands
                    1332 Longworth HOB, 202-226-7736

                Erica Rhoad, Subcommittee Staff Director
             Roger Brent Blevins, Senior Professional Staff
                   Aniela Butler, Professional Staff
                     Terry Camp, Professional Staff
                           Will Layden, Clerk
             Brandon Bragato, Democratic Professional Staff

       Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs
                     4450 O'Neill FOB, 202-226-9725

             Christopher Fluhr, Subcommittee Staff Director
                    Marc Alberts, Professional Staff
                 Kenneth Degenfelder, Legislative Staff
                         Alexander Perez, Clerk
               Chris Kaumo, Democratic Professional Staff
                   Brian Modeste, Democratic Counsel

              Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
                    4170 O'Neill, FOB, 202-225-7107

               Robert Gordon, Subcommittee Staff Director
                          Wesley Gwinn, Clerk
                     Casey Hammond, Senior Advisor
                  Christen Harsha, Research Assistant
                  Megan Olmstead, Counsel Christopher
                      Christopher Santini, Counsel
                        Sang Yi, Senior Counsel
          Vic Edgerton, Democratic Director of Investigations

                Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans
                    4120 O'Neill, FOB, 202-225-8331

                Kiel Weaver, Subcommittee Staff Director
                    William Ball, Professional Staff
                        Richard O'Connell, Clerk
                    Bryson Wong, Professional Staff
            Matthew Muirragui, Democratic Professional Staff
            Matthew Strickler, Democratic Professional Staff
                         LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

                              ----------                              

                     U.S. House of Representatives,
                            Committee on Natural Resources,
                                                 December 22, 2016.
Hon. Karen L. Haas,
Clerk of the House of Representatives,
The Capitol, 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, I hereby 
submit the Report on the Activities of the Committee on Natural 
Resources for the 114th Congress.
    This report summarizes the specific activities of the 
Committee with respect to its legislative and oversight 
responsibilities and encompasses the period of January 6, 2015 
through January 3, 2017. Also contained herein are submissions 
from the Democratic Ranking Member, Mr. Raul Grijalva, which 
states ``Supplemental Views'' and ``Dissenting Views''.
            Sincerely,
                                                Rob Bishop,
                                                          Chairman.
                            C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page
Letter of Transmittal............................................   VII
Committee Organization...........................................     1
Jurisdiction of the Committee....................................     1
Rules for the Committee on Natural Resources.....................     2
Statistical Overview of Legislative and Oversight Activities.....    15
Legislative and Oversight Activities
    Full Committee...............................................    15
        Legislative Hearings, Markups and Business Meetings......    15
        Oversight Hearings.......................................    22
    Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.................    23
        Legislative Hearings.....................................    23
        Oversight Hearings.......................................    24
    Subcommittee on Federal Lands................................    25
        Legislative Hearings.....................................    25
        Oversight Hearings.......................................    28
    Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs....    29
        Legislative Hearings.....................................    29
        Oversight Hearings.......................................    31
    Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.................    31
        Oversight Hearings.......................................    31
    Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans......................    32
        Legislative Hearings.....................................    32
        Oversight Hearings.......................................    34
Summary of Oversight and Legislative Accomplishments.............    34
APPENDICES:
  I. Printed Hearings................................................83
 II. Legislation Passed/Failed to Pass the House.....................89
III. Public Laws Enacted.............................................97
 IV. Committee Prints...............................................101
  V. Committee Bill Reports Filed...................................103
 VI. Supplemental Views.............................................111
VII. Dissenting Views...............................................113



114th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     114-886

======================================================================



 
 REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES 114TH 
                                CONGRESS

                                _______
                                

 December 22, 2016.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

     Mr. Bishop of Utah, from the Committee on Natural Resources, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                             together with

                   SUPPLEMENTAL AND DISSENTING VIEWS

                                _______
                                

                         Committee Organization

    The Committee on Natural Resources met on January 28, 2015, 
for an organizational meeting of the 114th Congress under the 
direction of Chairman Rob Bishop of Utah. The Committee 
membership was 44 Members with 26 Republicans and 18 Democrats.
    The Committee established five subcommittees: Energy and 
Mineral Resources (Doug Lamborn of Colorado, Chairman); Federal 
Lands (Tom McClintock of California, Chairman); Indian, Insular 
and Alaska Native Affairs (Don Young of Alaska, Chairman); 
Oversight and Investigations (Louie Gohmert of Texas, 
Chairman); and Water, Power and Oceans (John Fleming of 
Louisiana, Chairman).

                     Jurisdiction of the Committee

    The jurisdiction of the Committee on Natural Resources, as 
prescribed by clause (m)(1) 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 areas 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 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).

              Rules for the Committee on Natural Resources


                       (Adopted January 28, 2015)


               RULE 1. RULES OF THE HOUSE; VICE CHAIRMEN

    (a) Applicability of House Rules.
    (1) The Rules of the House of Representatives, so far as 
they are applicable, are the rules of the Committee on Natural 
Resources (hereinafter in these rules referred to as the 
``Committee'') and its Subcommittees.
    (2) Each Subcommittee is part of the Committee and is 
subject to the authority, direction and rules of the Committee. 
References in these rules to ``Committee'' and ``Chairman'' 
shall apply to each Subcommittee and its Chairman wherever 
applicable.
    (3) House Rule XI is incorporated and made a part of the 
rules of the Committee to the extent applicable.
    (b) Vice Chairmen.--Unless inconsistent with other rules, 
the Chairman shall appoint Vice Chairmen of the Committee and 
the Subcommittees. If the Chairman of the Committee or 
Subcommittee is not present at any meeting of the Committee or 
Subcommittee, as the case may be, the Vice Chairman shall 
preside. If the Vice Chairman is not present, the ranking 
Member of the Majority party on the Committee or Subcommittee 
who is present shall preside at that meeting.

                      RULE 2. MEETINGS IN GENERAL

    (a) Scheduled Meetings.--The Committee shall meet at 10 
a.m. the first Wednesday of each month when the House is in 
session if so noticed by the Chairman under Committee Rule 
3(a). The Committee shall also meet at the call of the Chairman 
subject to advance notice to all Members of the Committee. 
Special meetings shall be called and convened by the Chairman 
as provided in clause 2(c)(1) of House Rule XI. Any Committee 
meeting or hearing that conflicts with a party caucus, 
conference, or similar party meeting shall be rescheduled at 
the discretion of the Chairman, in consultation with the 
Ranking Minority Member. The Committee may not sit during a 
joint session of the House and Senate or during a recess when a 
joint meeting of the House and Senate is in progress.
    (b) Open Meetings.--Each meeting for the transaction of 
business, including the markup of legislation, and each hearing 
of the Committee or a Subcommittee shall be open to the public, 
except as provided by clause 2(g) and clause 2(k) of House Rule 
XI.
    (c) Broadcasting.--Whenever a meeting for the transaction 
of business, including the markup of legislation, or a hearing 
is open to the public, that meeting or hearing shall be open to 
coverage by television, radio, and still photography in 
accordance with clauses 2(a)(1) and 4 of House Rule XI. The 
provisions of clause 4(f) of House Rule XI are specifically 
made part of these rules by reference. To the maximum extent 
practicable, the Committee shall provide audio and visual 
coverage of each hearing or meeting for the transaction of 
business in a manner that allows the public to easily listen to 
and view the proceedings, and maintain the recordings of such 
coverage in a manner that is easily accessible to the public. 
Operation and use of any Committee Internet broadcast system 
shall be fair and nonpartisan and in accordance with clause 
4(b) of House Rule XI and all other applicable rules of the 
Committee and the House.
    (d) Oversight Plan.--No later than February 15 of the first 
session of each Congress, the Committee shall adopt its 
oversight plans for that Congress in accordance with clause 
2(d)(1) of House Rule X.

           RULE 3. MEETING AND HEARING PROCEDURES IN GENERAL

    (a) Notice and Information for Members and the Public.
    (1) The Chairman shall publicly announce the date, place 
and subject matter of: (i) a Committee hearing, which may not 
commence earlier than one week after such notice; or (ii) a 
Committee meeting, which may not commence earlier than the 
third day on which Members have notice thereof.
    (2) A hearing or meeting may begin sooner if the Chairman, 
with the concurrence of the Ranking Minority Member, determines 
that there is good cause to begin the meeting or hearing 
sooner, or if the Committee so determines by majority vote. In 
these cases, the Chairman shall publicly announce the meeting 
or hearing at the earliest possible time. The Committee shall 
promptly notify the Daily Digest Clerk of the Congressional 
Record and shall promptly make publicly available in electronic 
form the appropriate information as soon as possible after the 
public announcement is made.
    (3) To the extent practicable, a background memorandum 
prepared by the Majority staff summarizing the major provisions 
of any bill being considered by the Committee, including the 
need for the bill and its effect on current law, will be 
available for the Members of the Committee and the public no 
later than 48 hours before the meeting.
    (b) Public Availability of Markup Text.--At least 24 hours 
prior to the markup of any legislation (or at the time of an 
announcement under paragraph (a)(2) above made within 24 hours 
before such meeting), the Chairman shall cause the text of such 
legislation to be made publicly available in electronic form.
    (c) Meetings and Hearings to Begin Promptly.--Each meeting 
or hearing of the Committee shall begin promptly at the time 
stipulated in the public announcement of the meeting or 
hearing.
    (d) Addressing the Committee.--A Committee Member may 
address the Committee or a Subcommittee on any bill, motion, or 
other matter under consideration or may question a witness at a 
hearing only when recognized by the Chairman for that purpose. 
The time a Member may address the Committee or Subcommittee for 
any purpose or to question a witness shall be limited to five 
minutes, except as provided in Committee Rule 4(f). A Member 
shall limit his remarks to the subject matter under 
consideration. The Chairman shall enforce the preceding 
provision.
    (e) Quorums.
    (1) A majority of the Members of the Committee shall 
constitute a quorum for the reporting of any measure or 
recommendation, the authorizing of a subpoena, the closing of 
any meeting or hearing to the public under clause 2(g)(1), 
clause 2(g)(2)(A) and clause 2(k)(5)(B) of House Rule XI, and 
the releasing of executive session materials under clause 
2(k)(7) of House Rule X. Testimony and evidence may be received 
at any hearing at which there are at least two Members of the 
Committee present. For the purpose of transacting all other 
business of the Committee, one third of the Members shall 
constitute a quorum.
    (2) When a call of the roll is required to ascertain the 
presence of a quorum, the offices of all Members shall be 
notified and the Members shall have not less than 15 minutes to 
prove their attendance. The Chairman shall have the discretion 
to waive this requirement when a quorum is actually present or 
whenever a quorum is secured and may direct the relevant 
Committee Staff to note the names of all Members present within 
the 15-minute period.
    (f) Participation of Members in Committee and 
Subcommittees.--Any Member of the Committee may sit with any 
Subcommittee during any meeting or hearing, and by unanimous 
consent of the Members of the Subcommittee, may participate in 
such meeting or hearing. However, a Member who is not a Member 
of the Subcommittee may not vote on any matter before the 
Subcommittee, be counted for purposes of establishing a quorum 
or raise points of order.
    (g) Proxies.--No vote in the Committee or its Subcommittees 
may be cast by proxy.
    (h) Record Votes.--Record votes shall be ordered on the 
demand of one-fifth of the Members present, or by any Member in 
the apparent absence of a quorum.
    (i) Postponed Record Votes.
    (1) Subject to paragraph (2), the Chairman may, after 
consultation with the Ranking Minority Member, postpone further 
proceedings when a record vote is ordered on the question of 
approving any measure or matter or adopting an amendment. The 
Chairman shall resume proceedings on a postponed request at any 
time after reasonable notice, but no later than the next 
meeting day.
    (2) Notwithstanding any intervening order for the previous 
question, when proceedings resume on a postponed question under 
paragraph (1), an underlying proposition shall remain subject 
to further debate or amendment to the same extent as when the 
question was postponed.
    (3) This rule shall apply to Subcommittee proceedings.
    (j) Privileged Motions.--A motion to recess from day to 
day, a motion to recess subject to the call of the Chairman 
(within 24 hours), and a motion to dispense with the first 
reading (in full) of a bill or resolution if printed copies are 
available, are nondebatable motions of high privilege.
    (k) Layover and Copy of Bill.--No measure or recommendation 
reported by a Subcommittee shall be considered by the Committee 
until two calendar days from the time of Subcommittee action. 
No bill shall be considered by the Committee unless a copy has 
been delivered to the office of each Member of the Committee 
requesting a copy. These requirements may be waived by a 
majority vote of the Committee at the time of consideration of 
the measure or recommendation.
    (l) Access to Dais and Conference Room.--Access to the 
hearing rooms' daises (and to the conference rooms adjacent to 
the Committee hearing rooms) shall be limited to Members of 
Congress and employees of the Committee during a meeting or 
hearing of the Committee, except that Committee Members' 
personal staff may be present on the daises if their employing 
Member is the author of a bill or amendment under consideration 
by the Committee, but only during the time that the bill or 
amendment is under active consideration by the Committee. 
Access to the conference rooms adjacent to the Committee 
hearing rooms shall be limited to Members of Congress and 
employees of Congress during a meeting or hearing of the 
Committee.
    (m) Cellular Telephones.--The use of cellular telephones is 
prohibited on the Committee dais or in the Committee hearing 
rooms during a meeting or hearing of the Committee.
    (n) Motion to go to Conference with the Senate.--The 
Chairman may offer a motion under clause 1 of Rule XXII 
whenever the Chairman considers it appropriate.

                       RULE 4. HEARING PROCEDURES

    (a) Written Statement; Oral Testimony.--Each witness who is 
to appear before the Committee or a Subcommittee shall file 
with the relevant Full Committee Staff or Subcommittee Clerk, 
at least two working days before the day of his or her 
appearance, a written statement of their proposed testimony. 
Each witness shall limit his or her oral presentation to a 
five-minute summary of the written statement, unless the 
Chairman, in consultation with the Ranking Minority Member, 
extends this time period. Subject to the approval of the 
Committee, the Chairman may waive oral testimony of any witness 
who has submitted written testimony for the record. In 
addition, a witness appearing in a nongovernmental capacity 
shall include a curriculum vitae and a disclosure of any 
Federal grants or contracts, or contracts or payments 
originating with a foreign government, received during the 
current calendar year or either of the previous calendar years 
by the witness or by the entity represented by the witness and 
related to the subject matter of the hearing. The disclosure 
shall include the amount and source of each Federal grant (or 
subgrant thereof) or contract (or subcontract thereof) related 
to the subject matter of the hearing and the amount and country 
of origin of any payment or contract related to the subject 
matter of the hearing originating with a foreign government. 
Failure to comply with these disclosure requirements may result 
in the exclusion of the written testimony from the hearing 
record and/or the barring of an oral presentation of the 
testimony.
    (b) Minority Witnesses.--When any hearing is conducted by 
the Committee or any Subcommittee upon any measure or matter, 
the Minority party Members on the Committee or Subcommittee 
shall be entitled, upon request to the Chairman by a majority 
of those Minority Members before the completion of the hearing, 
to call witnesses selected by the Minority to testify with 
respect to that measure or matter during at least one day of 
hearings thereon.
    (c) Information for Members.--After announcement of a 
hearing, the Committee shall make available as soon as 
practicable to all Members of the Committee a tentative witness 
list and to the extent practicable the Majority staff shall 
make publicly available a memorandum explaining the subject 
matter of the hearing (including relevant legislative reports 
and other necessary material). In addition, the Chairman shall 
make available to the Members of the Committee any official 
reports from departments and agencies on the subject matter as 
they are received.
    (d) Subpoenas.--The Committee or a Subcommittee may 
authorize and issue a subpoena under clause 2(m) of House Rule 
XI if authorized by a majority of the Members voting. In 
addition, the Chairman of the Committee may authorize and issue 
subpoenas during any period of time in which the House of 
Representatives has adjourned for more than three days. 
Subpoenas shall be signed only by the Chairman of the 
Committee, or any Member of the Committee authorized by the 
Committee, and may be served by any person designated by the 
Chairman or Member.
    (e) Oaths.--The Chairman of the Committee, the Chairmen of 
the Subcommittees or any Member designated by the Chairman may 
administer oaths to any witness before the Committee. All 
witnesses appearing in hearings may be administered the 
following oath by the Chairman or his designee prior to 
receiving the testimony: ``Do you solemnly swear or affirm that 
the testimony that you are about to give is the truth, the 
whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God''
    (f) Opening Statements; Questioning of Witnesses.
    (1) Opening statements by Members may not be presented 
orally, unless the Chairman or his designee makes a statement, 
in which case the Ranking Minority Member or his designee may 
also make a statement. In addition, the Vice Chairman may make 
a statement, in which case, a designee of the Ranking Minority 
Member may also make a statement. If a witness scheduled to 
testify at any hearing of the Committee is a constituent of a 
Member of the Committee, that Member shall be entitled to 
briefly introduce the witness at the hearing.
    (2) The questioning of witnesses in Committee and 
Subcommittee hearings shall be initiated by the Chairman, 
followed by the Ranking Minority Member and all other Members 
alternating between the Majority and Minority parties. In 
recognizing Members to question witnesses, the Chairman shall 
take into consideration the ratio of the Majority to Minority 
Members present and shall establish the order of recognition 
for questioning in a manner so as not to disadvantage the 
Members of the Majority or the Members of the Minority. A 
motion is in order to allow designated Majority and Minority 
party Members to question a witness for a specified period to 
be equally divided between the Majority and Minority parties. 
This period shall not exceed one hour in the aggregate.
    (g) Materials for Hearing Record.--Any materials submitted 
specifically for inclusion in the hearing record must address 
the announced subject matter of the hearing and be submitted to 
the relevant Full Committee Staff or Subcommittee Clerk no 
later than 10 business days following the last day of the 
hearing.
    (h) Claims of Privilege.--Claims of common-law privileges 
made by witnesses in hearings, or by interviewees or deponents 
in investigations or inquiries, are applicable only at the 
discretion of the Chairman, subject to appeal to the Committee.

                  RULE 5. FILING OF COMMITTEE REPORTS

    (a) Duty of Chairman.--Whenever the Committee authorizes 
the favorable reporting of a measure from the Committee, the 
Chairman or his designee shall report the same to the House of 
Representatives and shall take all steps necessary to secure 
its passage without any additional authority needing to be set 
forth in the motion to report each individual measure. In 
appropriate cases, the authority set forth in this rule shall 
extend to moving in accordance with the Rules of the House of 
Representatives that the House be resolved into the Committee 
of the Whole House on the State of the Union for the 
consideration of the measure; and to moving in accordance with 
the Rules of the House of Representatives for the disposition 
of a Senate measure that is substantially the same as the House 
measure as reported.
    (b) Filing.--A report on a measure which has been approved 
by the Committee shall be filed within seven calendar days 
(exclusive of days on which the House of Representatives is not 
in session) after the day on which there has been filed with 
the relevant Full Committee Staff a written request, signed by 
a majority of the Members of the Committee, for the reporting 
of that measure. Upon the filing with the relevant Full 
Committee Staff of this request, the Staff shall transmit 
immediately to the Chairman notice of the filing of that 
request.
    (c) Supplemental, Additional, Dissenting or Minority 
Views.--Any Member may, if notice is given by any Member at the 
time a measure or matter is approved by the Committee, file 
supplemental, additional, dissenting or minority views. These 
views must be in writing and signed by each Member joining 
therein and be filed with the Committee Chief Counsel not less 
than two additional calendar days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays 
and legal holidays except when the House is in session on those 
days) of the time the bill or resolution is approved by the 
Committee. This paragraph shall not preclude the filing of any 
supplemental report on any measure or matter that may be 
required for the correction of any technical error in a 
previous report made by the Committee on that bill or 
resolution.
    (d) Review by Members.--Each Member of the Committee shall 
be given an opportunity to review each proposed Committee 
report before it is filed with the Clerk of the House of 
Representatives. Nothing in this paragraph extends the time 
allowed for filing supplemental, additional or minority views 
under paragraph (c).
    (e) Disclaimer.--All Committee or Subcommittee reports 
printed and not approved by a majority vote of the Committee or 
Subcommittee, as appropriate, shall contain the following 
disclaimer on the cover of the report:
    ``This report has not been officially adopted by the 
(Committee on Natural Resources) (Subcommittee) and may not 
therefore necessarily reflect the views of its Members.''

 RULE 6. ESTABLISHMENT OF SUBCOMMITTEES; FULL COMMITTEE JURISDICTION; 
                             BILL REFERRALS

    (a) Subcommittees.--There shall be five standing 
Subcommittees of the Committee, with the following jurisdiction 
and responsibilities:

Subcommittee on Federal Lands

    (1) Measures and matters related to the National Park 
System and its units, including Federal reserved water rights.
    (2) The National Wilderness Preservation System.
    (3) 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.
    (4) 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.
    (5) 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.
    (6) 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.
    (7) 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.
    (8) Public lands generally, including measures or matters 
relating to entry, easements, withdrawals, grazing and Federal 
reserved water rights.
    (9) Forfeiture of land grants and alien ownership, 
including alien ownership of mineral lands.
    (10) 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.
    (11) Forest reservations, including management thereof, 
created from the public domain.
    (12) Public forest lands generally, including measures or 
matters related to entry, easements, withdrawals, grazing and 
Federal reserved water rights.
    (13) Wildlife resources, including research, restoration, 
refuges and conservation, and National Wildlife Refuges.

Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans

    (1) Generation and marketing of electric power from Federal 
water projects by Federally chartered or Federal regional power 
marketing authorities.
    (2) All measures and matters concerning water resources 
planning conducted pursuant to the Water Resources Planning 
Act, water resource research and development programs and 
saline water research and development.
    (3) Compacts relating to the use and apportionment of 
interstate waters, water rights and major interbasin water or 
power movement programs.
    (4) All measures and matters pertaining to irrigation and 
reclamation projects and other water resources development and 
recycling programs, including policies and procedures.
    (5) Indian water rights and settlements.
    (6) Rights of way over public lands for energy-related 
transmission.
    (7) Fisheries management and fisheries research generally, 
including the management of all commercial and recreational 
fisheries (including the reauthorization of the Magnuson 
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act), 
interjurisdictional fisheries, international fisheries 
agreements, aquaculture, seafood safety, and fisheries 
promotion.
    (8) All matters pertaining to the protection of coastal and 
marine environments, estuarine protection, and coastal barriers 
(except coastal zone management).
    (9) Oceanography.
    (10) Ocean engineering, including materials, technology and 
systems.
    (11) Marine sanctuaries.
    (12) U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.
    (13) All matters regarding Antarctica within the 
Committee's jurisdiction.
    (14) Sea Grant programs and marine extension services.
    (15) 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.

Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources

    (1) All measures and matters concerning the U.S. Geological 
Survey, except for the activities and programs of the Water 
Resources Division or its successor.
    (2) All measures and matters affecting geothermal 
resources.
    (3) Conservation of United States uranium supply.
    (4) Mining interests generally, including all matters 
involving mining regulation and enforcement, including the 
reclamation of mined lands, the environmental effects of 
mining, and the management of mineral receipts, mineral land 
laws and claims, long-range mineral programs and deep seabed 
mining.
    (5) Mining schools, experimental stations and long-range 
mineral programs.
    (6) Mineral resources on public lands.
    (7) Conservation and development of oil and gas resources 
of the Outer Continental Shelf.
    (8) Petroleum conservation on the public lands and 
conservation of the radium supply in the United States.
    (9) Measures and matters concerning the transportation of 
natural gas from or within Alaska and disposition of oil 
transported by the trans-Alaska oil pipeline.
    (10) 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.
    (11) Coastal zone management.

Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs

    (1) Measures relating to the welfare of Native Americans, 
including management of Indian lands in general and special 
measures relating to claims which are paid out of Indian funds.
    (2) All matters regarding the relations of the United 
States with Native Americans and Native American tribes, 
including special oversight functions under House Rule X.
    (3) All matters regarding Native Alaskans.
    (4) All matters related to the Federal trust responsibility 
to Native Americans and the sovereignty of Native Americans.
    (5) All matters regarding insular areas of the United 
States.
    (6) All measures or matters regarding the Freely Associated 
States.
    (7) All matters regarding Native Hawaiians.

Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

    (1) Primary and general oversight and investigative 
authority on all activities, policies and programs within the 
jurisdiction of the Committee under House Rule X.
    (b) Full Committee.--The following measures and matters 
shall be retained at the Full Committee:
    (1) Environmental and habitat measures of general 
applicability, including the National Environmental Policy Act 
and the Endangered Species Act.
    (2) 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 Full Committee under this paragraph.
    (3) All other measures and matters retained by the Full 
Committee, including those retained under Committee Rule 6(e).
    (4) General and continuing oversight and investigative 
authority over activities, policies and programs within the 
jurisdiction of the Full Committee.
    (c) Ex-officio Members.--The Chairman and Ranking Minority 
Member of the Committee may serve as ex-officio Members of each 
standing Subcommittee to which the Chairman or the Ranking 
Minority Member have not been assigned. Ex-officio Members 
shall have the right to fully participate in Subcommittee 
activities but may not vote and may not be counted in 
establishing a quorum.
    (d) Powers and Duties of Subcommittees.--Each Subcommittee 
is authorized to meet, hold hearings, receive evidence and 
report to the Committee on all matters within its jurisdiction. 
Each Subcommittee shall review and study, on a continuing 
basis, the application, administration, execution and 
effectiveness of those statutes, or parts of statutes, the 
subject matter of which is within that Subcommittee's 
jurisdiction; and the organization, operation, and regulations 
of any Federal agency or entity having responsibilities in or 
for the administration of such statutes, to determine whether 
these statutes are being implemented and carried out in 
accordance with the intent of Congress. Each Subcommittee shall 
review and study any conditions or circumstances indicating the 
need of enacting new or supplemental legislation within the 
jurisdiction of the Subcommittee. Each Subcommittee shall have 
general and continuing oversight and investigative authority 
over activities, policies and programs within the jurisdiction 
of the Subcommittee.
    (e) Referral to Subcommittees; Recall.
    (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) and for those 
measures or matters retained at the Full Committee, every 
legislative measure or other matter referred to the Committee 
shall be referred to the maximum extent possible to the 
Subcommittee of jurisdiction within two weeks of the date of 
its referral to the Committee. If any measure or matter is 
within or affects the jurisdiction of one or more 
Subcommittees, the Chairman may refer that measure or matter 
simultaneously to two or more Subcommittees for concurrent 
consideration or for consideration in sequence subject to 
appropriate time limits, or divide the matter into two or more 
parts and refer each part to a Subcommittee.
    (2) The Chairman, with the approval of a majority of the 
Majority Members of the Committee, may refer a legislative 
measure or other matter to a select or special Subcommittee. A 
legislative measure or other matter referred by the Chairman to 
a Subcommittee may be recalled from the Subcommittee for direct 
consideration by the Full Committee, or for referral to another 
Subcommittee, provided Members of the Committee receive one 
week written notice of the recall and a majority of the Members 
of the Committee do not object. In addition, a legislative 
measure or other matter referred by the Chairman to a 
Subcommittee may be recalled from the Subcommittee at any time 
by majority vote of the Committee for direct consideration by 
the Full Committee or for referral to another Subcommittee.
    (f) Consultation.--Each Subcommittee Chairman shall consult 
with the Chairman of the Full Committee prior to setting dates 
for Subcommittee meetings and hearings with a view towards 
avoiding whenever possible conflicting Committee and 
Subcommittee meetings and hearings.
    (g) Vacancy.--A vacancy in the membership of a Subcommittee 
shall not affect the power of the remaining Members to execute 
the functions of the Subcommittee.

          RULE 7. TASK FORCES, SPECIAL OR SELECT SUBCOMMITTEES

    (a) Appointment.--The Chairman of the Committee is 
authorized, after consultation with the Ranking Minority 
Member, to appoint Task Forces, or special or select 
Subcommittees, to carry out the duties and functions of the 
Committee.
    (b) Ex-Officio Members.--The Chairman and Ranking Minority 
Member of the Committee may serve as ex-officio Members of each 
Task Force, or special or select Subcommittee if they are not 
otherwise members. Ex-officio Members shall have the right to 
fully participate in activities but may not vote and may not be 
counted in establishing a quorum.
    (c) Party Ratios.--The ratio of Majority Members to 
Minority Members, excluding ex-officio Members, on each Task 
Force, special or select Subcommittee shall be as close as 
practicable to the ratio on the Full Committee.
    (d) Temporary Resignation.--A Member can temporarily resign 
his or her position on a Subcommittee to serve on a Task Force, 
special or select Subcommittee without prejudice to the 
Member's seniority on the Subcommittee.
    (e) Chairman and Ranking Minority Member.--The Chairman of 
any Task Force, or special or select Subcommittee shall be 
appointed by the Chairman of the Committee. The Ranking 
Minority Member shall select a Ranking Minority Member for each 
Task Force, or standing, special or select Subcommittee.

                  RULE 8. RECOMMENDATION OF CONFEREES

    Whenever it becomes necessary to appoint conferees on a 
particular measure, the Chairman shall recommend to the Speaker 
as conferees those Majority Members, as well as those Minority 
Members recommended to the Chairman by the Ranking Minority 
Member, primarily responsible for the measure. The ratio of 
Majority Members to Minority Members recommended for 
conferences shall be no greater than the ratio on the 
Committee.

                       RULE 9. COMMITTEE RECORDS

    (a) Segregation of Records.--All Committee records shall be 
kept separate and distinct from the office records of 
individual Committee Members serving as Chairmen or Ranking 
Minority Members. These records shall be the property of the 
House and all Members shall have access to them in accordance 
with clause 2(e)(2) of House Rule XI.
    (b) Availability.--The Committee shall make available to 
the public for review at reasonable times in the Committee 
office transcripts of public meetings and hearings, except 
those that are unrevised or unedited and intended solely for 
the use of the Committee.
    (c) Archived Records.--Records of the Committee which are 
deposited with the National Archives shall be made available 
for public use pursuant to House Rule VII. The Chairman of the 
Committee shall notify the Ranking Minority Member of any 
decision, pursuant to clause 3(b)(3) or clause 4(b) of House 
Rule VII, to withhold, or to provide a time, schedule or 
condition for availability of any record otherwise available. 
At the written request of any Member of the Committee, the 
matter shall be presented to the Committee for a determination 
and shall be subject to the same notice and quorum requirements 
for the conduct of business under Committee Rule 3.
    (d) Records of Closed Meetings.--Notwithstanding the other 
provisions of this rule, no records of Committee meetings or 
hearings which were closed to the public pursuant to the Rules 
of the House of Representatives shall be released to the public 
unless the Committee votes to release those records in 
accordance with the procedure used to close the Committee 
meeting.
    (e) Classified Materials.--All classified materials shall 
be maintained in an appropriately secured location and shall be 
released only to authorized persons for review, who shall not 
remove the material from the Committee offices without the 
written permission of the Chairman.
    (f) Committee Information Available for the Public.--In 
addition to any other requirement of these rules or the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the Chairman shall cause to be 
made available publicly in electronic form the following:
    (1) a record of the votes on any question on which a 
recorded vote is taken which shall be posted no later than 24 
hours after the vote is taken that shall include:
          (i) a copy of the amendment or a detailed description 
        of the motion, order or other proposition; and
          (ii) the name of each Member voting for and each 
        Member voting against such amendment, motion, order, or 
        proposition, the names of those Members voting present, 
        and the names of any Member not present.
    (2) copies of all amendments adopted in Committee by voice 
vote or unanimous consent within 24 hours of the adoption of 
the amendment.
    (3) the rules of the Committee, once adopted, and any 
amendments thereto, in accordance with clause 2(a)(2) of House 
Rule XI.
    (4) the statements required under the second sentence of 
clause 2(g)(5) of House Rule XI, with appropriate redactions to 
protect the privacy of the witness, which shall be posted no 
later than one day after the witness appears before the 
Committee.

                 RULE 10. COMMITTEE BUDGET AND EXPENSES

    (a) Budget.--At the beginning of each Congress, after 
consultation with the Chairman of each Subcommittee and the 
Ranking Minority Member, the Chairman shall present to the 
Committee for its approval a budget covering the funding 
required for staff, travel, and miscellaneous expenses.
    (b) Expense Resolution.--Upon approval by the Committee of 
each budget, the Chairman, acting pursuant to clause 6 of House 
Rule X, shall prepare and introduce in the House a supporting 
expense resolution, and take all action necessary to bring 
about its approval by the Committee on House Administration and 
by the House of Representatives.
    (c) Amendments.--The Chairman shall report to the Committee 
any amendments to each expense resolution and any related 
changes in the budget.
    (d) Additional Expenses.--Authorization for the payment of 
additional or unforeseen Committee expenses may be procured by 
one or more additional expense resolutions processed in the 
same manner as set out under this rule.
    (e) Monthly Reports.--Copies of each monthly report, 
prepared by the Chairman for the Committee on House 
Administration, which shows expenditures made during the 
reporting period and cumulative for the year, anticipated 
expenditures for the projected Committee program, and detailed 
information on travel, shall be available to each Member.

                        RULE 11. COMMITTEE STAFF

    (a) Rules and Policies.--Committee staff members are 
subject to the provisions of clause 9 of House Rule X, as well 
as any written personnel policies the Committee may from time 
to time adopt.
    (b) Majority and Nonpartisan Staff.--The Chairman shall 
appoint, determine the remuneration of, and may remove, the 
legislative and administrative employees of the Committee not 
assigned to the Minority. The legislative and administrative 
staff of the Committee not assigned to the Minority shall be 
under the general supervision and direction of the Chairman, 
who shall establish and assign the duties and responsibilities 
of these staff members and delegate any authority he determines 
appropriate.
    (c) Minority Staff.--The Ranking Minority Member of the 
Committee shall appoint, determine the remuneration of, and may 
remove, the legislative and administrative staff assigned to 
the Minority within the budget approved for those purposes. The 
legislative and administrative staff assigned to the Minority 
shall be under the general supervision and direction of the 
Ranking Minority Member of the Committee who may delegate any 
authority the Ranking Member determines appropriate.
    (d) Availability.--The skills and services of all Committee 
staff shall be available to all Members of the Committee.

                       RULE 12. COMMITTEE TRAVEL

    In addition to any written travel policies the Committee 
may from time to time adopt, all travel of Members and staff of 
the Committee or its Subcommittees, to hearings, meetings, 
conferences and investigations, including all foreign travel, 
must be authorized by the Full Committee Chairman prior to any 
public notice of the travel and prior to the actual travel. In 
the case of Minority staff, all travel shall first be approved 
by the Ranking Minority Member. Funds authorized for the 
Committee under clauses 6 and 7 of House Rule X are for 
expenses incurred in the Committee's activities within the 
United States.

                  RULE 13. CHANGES TO COMMITTEE RULES

    The rules of the Committee may be modified, amended, or 
repealed, by a majority vote of the Committee, provided that 
written notice of the proposed change has been provided each 
Member of the Committee prior to the meeting date on which the 
changes are to be discussed and voted on consistent with 
Committee Rule 3(a). A change to the rules of the Committee 
shall be published in the Congressional Record no later than 30 
days after its approval and made publicly available in 
electronic form.

                       RULE 14. OTHER PROCEDURES

    The Chairman may establish procedures and take actions as 
may be necessary to carry out the rules of the Committee or to 
facilitate the effective administration of the Committee, in 
accordance with the rules of the Committee and the Rules of the 
House of Representatives.

      Statistical Overview of Legislative and Oversight Activities

LEGISLATIVE BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS REFERRED:
    House Bills..................................................   605
    House Resolutions............................................    21
    House Concurrent Resolutions.................................     4
    House Joint Resolutions......................................     2
    Senate Bills.................................................    14
        Total Number of Legislative Bills and Resolutions 
          Referred...............................................   646
COMMITTEE MEETING DAYS:
    Full Committee...............................................    37
        (Oversight: 20  Legislative: 2  Markup: 14  
          Organizational: 1)
    Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.................    28
        (Oversight: 18  Legislative: 10)
    Subcommittee on Federal Lands................................    30
        (Oversight: 12  Legislative: 18)
    Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs....    21
        (Oversight: 7  Legislative: 14)
    Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.................    14
        (Oversight: 14)
    Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans......................    22
        (Oversight: 11  Legislative: 11)
        Total Number of Committee Meetings Held..................   152
COMMITTEE LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY:
    Total Number of Bills Ordered Reported.......................   117
    Total Number of Bill Reports Filed...........................   112
    Total Number of Bills Passed By the House....................    95
    Total Number of Bills Which Failed to Pass the House.........     1
    Total Number of Public Laws..................................    27
    Total Number of Enacted Bills................................    34
    Total Number of Public Laws Including Enacted Bills..........    61
    Total Number of Printed Hearings.............................    55
    Total Number of Committee Prints.............................     4
LEGISLATIVE DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE:
    Total Number of Executive Communications.....................   700
    Total Number of Memorials....................................    49
    Total Number of Petitions....................................     6
    Total Number of Presidential Messages........................     1
    Total Number of House Documents..............................     3

                             Full Committee


                       I. LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES

A. Legislative Hearings, Markups and Administrative Business Meetings

    January 28, 2015--Full Committee met to organize for the 
114th Congress, consider Committee Rules, the Committee 
Oversight Plan and appoint Committee staff.
    March 24, 2015--Markup convened for opening statements 
only.
    March 25, 2015--Markup reconvened for consideration of H.R. 
152, To direct the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an 
agreement to provide for management of the free-roaming wild 
horses in and around the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge; 
H.R. 308, To prohibit gaming activities on certain Indian lands 
in Arizona until the expiration of certain gaming compacts; 
H.R. 373, To direct the Secretary of the Interior and Secretary 
of Agriculture to expedite access to certain Federal land under 
the administrative jurisdiction of each Secretary for good 
Samaritan search-and-recovery missions, and for other purposes; 
H.R. 404, To authorize early repayment of obligations to the 
Bureau of Reclamation within the Northport Irrigation District 
in the State of Nebraska; H.R. 533, To revoke the charter of 
incorporation of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma at the request of 
that tribe, and for other purposes; H.R. 979, To designate a 
mountain in the John Muir Wilderness of the Sierra National 
Forest as ``Sky Point''; H.R. 984, To amend the National Trails 
System Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a 
study on the feasibility of designating the Chief Standing Bear 
National Historic Trail, and for other purposes; H.R. 1168, To 
amend the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence 
Prevention Act to require background checks before foster care 
placements are ordered in tribal court proceedings, and for 
other purposes; and H.R. 1324, To adjust the boundary of the 
Arapaho National Forest, Colorado, and for other purposes.
    April 29, 2015--Markup convened for opening statements 
only.
    April 30, 2015--Markup reconvened for consideration of H.R. 
774, To strengthen enforcement mechanisms to stop illegal, 
unreported, and unregulated fishing, to amend the Tuna 
Conventions Act of 1950 to implement the Antigua Convention, 
and for other purposes; H.R. 1214, To amend the Small Tracts 
Act to expand the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture to 
sell or exchange small parcels of National Forest System land 
to enhance the management of the National Forest System, to 
resolve minor encroachments, and for other purposes; H.R. 1335, 
To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act to provide flexibility for fishery managers and 
stability for fishermen, and for other purposes; and H.R. 1991, 
To extend the authority of the Secretary of the Interior and 
the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out the Federal Lands 
Recreation Enhancement Act, and for other purposes.
    June 10, 2015--Markup convened for opening statements only.
    June 11, 2015--Markup reconvened for consideration of H.R. 
387, To provide for certain land to be taken into trust for the 
benefit of Morongo Band of Mission Indians, and for other 
purposes; H.R. 521, To provide for the conveyance of certain 
property to the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation located in 
Bethel, Alaska; H.R. 1289, To authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to acquire approximately 44 acres of land in Martinez, 
California, and for other purposes; H.R. 1992, To reduce 
temporarily the royalty required to be paid for sodium produced 
on Federal lands, and for other purposes; H.R. 2295, To amend 
the Mineral Leasing Act to require the Secretary of the 
Interior to identify and designate National Energy Security 
Corridors for the construction of natural gas pipelines on 
Federal land, and for other purposes; H.R. 2358, To amend the 
Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to enhance the 
reliability of the electricity grid and reduce the threat of 
wildfires to and from electric transmission and distribution 
facilities on Federal lands by facilitating vegetation 
management on such lands; and H.R. 2647, To expedite under the 
National Environmental Policy Act and improve forest management 
activities in units of the National Forest System derived from 
the public domain, on public lands under the jurisdiction of 
the Bureau of Land Management, and on tribal lands to return 
resilience to overgrown, fire-prone forested lands, and for 
other purposes.
    July 8, 2015--Markup convened for opening statements only.
    July 9, 2015--Markup reconvened for consideration of H.R. 
487, To allow the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma to lease or transfer 
certain lands; H.R. 959, To authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to conduct a special resource study of the Medgar 
Evers House, located in Jackson, Mississippi, and for other 
purposes; H.R. 1138, To establish certain wilderness areas in 
central Idaho and to authorize various land conveyances 
involving National Forest System land and Bureau of Land 
Management land in central Idaho, and for other purposes; H.R. 
1554, To require a land conveyance involving the Elkhorn Ranch 
and the White River National Forest in the State of Colorado, 
and for other purposes; H.R. 1937, To require the Secretary of 
the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to more 
efficiently develop domestic sources of the minerals and 
mineral materials of strategic and critical importance to 
United States economic and national security and manufacturing 
competitiveness; H.R. 1949, To provide for the consideration 
and submission of site and design proposals for the National 
Liberty Memorial approved for establishment in the District of 
Columbia; H.R. 2223, To authorize, direct, expedite, and 
facilitate a land exchange in El Paso and Teller Counties, 
Colorado, and for other purposes; H.R. 2791, To require that 
certain Federal lands be held in trust by the United States for 
the benefit of certain Indian tribes in Oregon, and for other 
purposes; H.R. 2898, To provide drought relief in the State of 
California, and for other purposes; and S. 501, A bill to make 
technical corrections to the Navajo water rights settlement in 
the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes.
    September 9, 2015--Markup convened for opening statements 
only.
    September 10, 2015--Markup reconvened for consideration of 
H.R. 538, To facilitate the development of energy on Indian 
lands by reducing Federal regulations that impede tribal 
development of Indian lands, and for other purposes; H.R. 1541, 
To amend title 54, United States Code, to make Hispanic-serving 
institutions eligible for technical and financial assistance 
for the establishment of preservation training and degree 
programs; H.R. 1644, To amend the Surface Mining Control and 
Reclamation Act of 1977 to ensure transparency in the 
development of environmental regulations, and for other 
purposes; H.R. 1880, To require the Secretary of the Interior 
to take into trust 4 parcels of Federal land for the benefit of 
certain Indian Pueblos in the State of New Mexico; H.R. 2130, 
To provide legal certainty to property owners along the Red 
River in Texas, and for other purposes; H.R. 2168, To make the 
current Dungeness crab fishery management regime permanent and 
for other purposes; and H.R. 2288, To remove the use 
restrictions on certain land transferred to Rockingham County, 
Virginia, and for other purposes.
    October 7, 2015--Markup convened for opening statements 
only.
    October 8, 2015--Markup reconvened for consideration of 
H.R. 974, To direct the Secretary of the Interior to promulgate 
regulations to allow the use of hand-propelled vessels on 
certain rivers and streams that flow in and through certain 
Federal lands in Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton 
National Park, the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway, 
and for other purposes; H.R. 1107, To require the Secretary of 
the Interior to submit to Congress a report on the efforts of 
the Bureau of Reclamation to manage its infrastructure assets; 
H.R. 1452, To authorize Escambia County, Florida, to convey 
certain property that was formerly part of Santa Rosa Island 
National Monument and that was conveyed to Escambia County 
subject to restrictions on use and reconveyance; H.R. 1820, To 
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to retire coal 
preference right lease applications for which the Secretary has 
made an affirmative commercial quantities determination, and 
for other purposes; H.R. 2212, To take certain Federal lands 
located in Lassen County, California, into trust for the 
benefit of the Susanville Indian Rancheria, and for other 
purposes; H.R. 2270, To redesignate the Nisqually National 
Wildlife Refuge, located in the State of Washington, as the 
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, to 
establish the Medicine Creek Treaty National Historic Site 
within the wildlife refuge, and for other purposes; H.R. 2406, 
To protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, 
fishing, and shooting, and for other purposes; and H.R. 3382, 
To amend the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act to enhance recreational 
opportunities, environmental restoration activities, and forest 
management activities in the Lake Tahoe Basin, and for other 
purposes.
    November 18, 2015--Hearing held on Discussion Draft H.R. 
__, ``Protecting America's Recreation and Conservation Act.''
    February 2, 2016--Markup convened for opening statements 
only.
    February 3, 2016--Markup reconvened for consideration of 
H.R. 482, To redesignate Ocmulgee National Monument in the 
State of Georgia and revise its boundary, and for other 
purposes; H.R. 812, To provide for Indian trust asset 
management reform, and for other purposes; H.R. 890, To correct 
the boundaries of the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources 
System Unit P16; H.R. 894, To extend the authorization of the 
Highlands Conservation Act; H.R. 1296, To amend the San Luis 
Rey Indian Water Rights Settlement Act to clarify certain 
settlement terms, and for other purposes; H.R. 1475, To 
authorize a Wall of Remembrance as part of the Korean War 
Veterans Memorial and to allow certain private contributions to 
fund that Wall of Remembrance; H.R. 1815, To facilitate certain 
pinyon-juniper related projects in Lincoln County, Nevada, to 
modify the boundaries of certain wilderness areas in the State 
of Nevada, and to provide for the implementation of a 
conservation plan for the Virgin River, Nevada; H.R. 2273, To 
amend the Colorado River Storage Project Act to authorize the 
use of the active capacity of the Fontenelle Reservoir; H.R. 
2538, To take lands in Sonoma County, California, into trust as 
part of the reservation of the Lytton Rancheria of California, 
and for other purposes; H.R. 2857, To facilitate the addition 
of park administration at the Coltsville National Historical 
Park, and for other purposes; H.R. 2880, To redesignate the 
Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in the State 
of Georgia, and for other purposes; H.R. 3004, To amend the 
Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Act to extend the 
authorization for the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor 
Commission; H.R. 3036, To designate the National September 11 
Memorial located at the World Trade Center site in New York 
City, New York, as a national memorial, and for other purposes; 
H.R. 3079, To take certain Federal land located in Tuolumne 
County, California, into trust for the benefit of the Tuolumne 
Band of Me-Wuk Indians, and for other purposes; H.R. 3342, To 
provide for stability of title to certain lands in the State of 
Louisiana, and for other purposes; H.R. 3371, To adjust the 
boundary of the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park to 
include the Wallis House and Harriston Hill, and for other 
purposes; H.R. 3620, To amend the Delaware Water Gap National 
Recreation Area Improvement Act to provide access to certain 
vehicles serving residents of municipalities adjacent to the 
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and for other 
purposes; and H.R. 4119, To authorize the exchange of certain 
land located in Gulf Islands National Seashore, Jackson County, 
Mississippi, between the National Park Service and the Veterans 
of Foreign Wars, and for other purposes.
    March 15, 2016--Markup convened for opening statements 
only.
    March 16, 2016--Markup reconvened for consideration of H.R. 
87, To modify the boundary of the Shiloh National Military Park 
located in Tennessee and Mississippi, to establish Parker's 
Crossroads Battlefield as an affiliated area of the National 
Park System, and for other purposes; H.R. 295, To reauthorize 
the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Historic 
Preservation program; H.R. 329, To amend the Indian Employment, 
Training and Related Services Demonstration Act of 1992 to 
facilitate the ability of Indian tribes to integrate the 
employment, training, and related services from diverse Federal 
sources, and for other purposes; H.R. 496, To establish the 
Alabama Hills National Scenic Area in the State of California, 
and for other purposes; H.R. 1621, To modify the boundary of 
Petersburg National Battlefield in the Commonwealth of 
Virginia, and for other purposes; H.R. 1838, To establish the 
Clear Creek National Recreation Area in San Benito and Fresno 
Counties, California, to designate the Joaquin Rocks Wilderness 
in such counties, to designate additional components of the 
National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes; 
H.R. 2009, To provide for the conveyance of certain land 
inholdings owned by the United States to the Tucson Unified 
School District and to the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona; H.R. 
2733, To require the Secretary of the Interior to take land 
into trust for certain Indian tribes, and for other purposes; 
H.R. 3070, To clarify that for purposes of all Federal laws 
governing marine fisheries management, the landward boundary of 
the exclusive economic zone between areas south of Montauk, New 
York, and Point Judith, Rhode Island, and for other purposes; 
H.R. 3211, To provide for the addition of certain real property 
to the reservation of the Siletz Tribe in the State of Oregon; 
H.R. 3826, To amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 
2009 to modify provisions relating to certain land exchanges in 
the Mt. Hood Wilderness in the State of Oregon; H.R. 4579, To 
withdraw certain Bureau of Land Management land in the State of 
Utah from all forms of public appropriation, to provide for the 
shared management of the withdrawn land by the Secretary of the 
Interior and the Secretary of the Air Force to facilitate 
enhanced weapons testing and pilot training, enhance public 
safety, and provide for continued public access to the 
withdrawn land, to provide for the exchange of certain Federal 
land and State land, and for other purposes; and H.R. 4680, To 
prepare the National Park Service for its Centennial in 2016 
and for a second century of promoting and protecting the 
natural, historic, and cultural resources of our National Parks 
for the enjoyment of present and future generations, and for 
other purposes.
    April 13, 2016--Hearing held on Discussion Draft H.R. __, 
``Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability 
Act''.
    April 13, 2016--Markup convened for opening statements 
only. Note: The Committee adjourned and did not consider H.R. 
4900, To establish an Oversight Board to assist the Government 
of Puerto Rico, including instrumentalities, in managing its 
public finances, and for other purposes.
    May 24, 2016--Markup convened for opening statements only.
    May 25, 2016--Markup reconvened for consideration of H.R. 
5278, To establish an Oversight Board to assist the Government 
of Puerto Rico, including instrumentalities, in managing its 
public finances, and for other purposes.
    June 14, 2016--Markup convened for opening statements only.
    June 15, 2016--Markup reconvened for consideration of H. 
Res. 169, Acknowledging and honoring brave young men from 
Hawaii who enabled the United States to establish and maintain 
jurisdiction in remote equatorial islands as prolonged conflict 
in the Pacific lead to World War II; H.R. 2316, To generate 
dependable economic activity for counties and local governments 
containing National Forest System land by establishing a 
demonstration program for local, sustainable forest management, 
and for other purposes; H.R. 3062, To prohibit the use of 
eminent domain in carrying out certain projects; H.R. 3094, To 
amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management 
Act to transfer to States the authority to manage red snapper 
fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico; H.R. 3212, To amend the Grand 
Ronde Reservation Act to make technical corrections, and for 
other purposes; H.R. 3480, To expand the boundary of Fort 
Frederica National Monument in the State of Georgia, and for 
other purposes; H.R. 3650, To authorize States to select and 
acquire certain National Forest System lands to be managed and 
operated by the State for timber production and other purposes 
under the laws of the State, and for other purposes; H.R. 3734, 
To amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 
to provide support to mining schools, and for other purposes; 
H.R. 3839, To transfer administrative jurisdiction over certain 
Bureau of Land Management land from the Secretary of the 
Interior to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for inclusion in 
the Black Hills National Cemetery, and for other purposes; H.R. 
3843, To authorize for a 7-year period the collection of claim 
location and maintenance fees, and for other purposes; H.R. 
3844, To establish the Energy and Minerals Reclamation 
Foundation to encourage, obtain, and use gifts, devises, and 
bequests for projects to reclaim abandoned mine lands and 
orphan oil and gas well sites, and for other purposes; H.R. 
3881, To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to repeal provisions 
relating only to the Allegheny National Forest; H.R. 4202, To 
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special 
resource study of Fort Ontario in the State of New York; H.R. 
4245, To exempt importation and exportation of sea urchins and 
sea cucumbers from licensing requirements under the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973; H.R. 4510, To insure adequate use and 
access to the existing Bolts Ditch headgate and ditch segment 
within the Holy Cross Wilderness in Eagle County, Colorado, and 
for other purposes; H.R. 4582, To exclude striped bass from the 
anadromous fish doubling requirement in section 3406(b)(1) of 
the Central Valley Project Improvement Act, and for other 
purposes; H.R. 4685, To take certain Federal lands located in 
Tulare County, California, into trust for the benefit of the 
Tule River Indian Tribe, and for other purposes; H.R. 4789, To 
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish a 
structure for visitor services on the Arlington Ridge tract, in 
the area of the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, and for other 
purposes; and H.R. 5244, To provide for the establishment of a 
national memorial and national monument to commemorate those 
killed by the collapse of the Saint Francis Dam on March 12, 
1928, and for other purposes.
    July 12, 2016--Markup convened for opening statements only.
    July 13, 2016--Markup reconvened for consideration of H.R. 
1157, To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to take land 
into trust for the benefit of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash 
Mission Indians, and for other purposes; H.R. 2333, To 
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire certain 
property related to the Fort Scott National Historic Site in 
Fort Scott, Kansas; H.R. 2817, To amend title 54, United States 
Code, to extend the authorization of appropriations for the 
Historic Preservation Fund; H.R. 4576, To implement the 
Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas 
Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific Ocean, to implement 
the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas 
Fishery Resources in the South Pacific Ocean, and for other 
purposes; H.R. 5468, To direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
allow for prepayment of repayment obligations under Repayment 
Contracts between the United States and the Weber Basin Water 
Conservancy District; H.R. 5577, To amend the Outer Continental 
Shelf Lands Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
conduct offshore oil and gas lease sales through Internet-based 
live lease sales, and for other purposes; S. 246, A bill to 
establish the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission 
on Native Children, and for other purposes; and S. 1579, A bill 
to enhance and integrate Native American tourism, empower 
Native American communities, increase coordination and 
collaboration between Federal tourism assets, and expand 
heritage and cultural tourism opportunities in the United 
States.
    September 7, 2016--Markup convened for opening statements 
only.
    September 8, 2016--Markup reconvened for consideration of 
H.R. 3764, To provide that an Indian group may receive Federal 
acknowledgment as an Indian tribe only by an Act of Congress, 
and for other purposes; H.R. 4564, To redesignate the small 
triangular property located in Washington, DC, and designated 
by the National Park Service as reservation 302 as ``Robert 
Emmet Park'', and for other purposes; H.R. 5032, To allow 
certain property in the town of Louisa, Virginia, to be used 
for purposes related to compliance with water quality 
standards, and for other purposes; and H.R. 5259, To direct the 
Secretary of the Interior to reestablish the Royalty Policy 
Committee in order to further a more consultative process with 
key Federal, State, tribal, environmental, and energy 
stakeholders, and for other purposes.
    September 21, 2016--Markup convened for opening statements 
only.
    September 22, 2016--Markup reconvened for consideration of 
H.R. 564, To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to 
reduce predation on endangered Columbia River salmon and other 
nonlisted species, and for other purposes; H.R. 2387, To amend 
the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide for 
equitable allotment of land to Alaska Native veterans; H.R. 
5780, To provide greater conservation, recreation, economic 
development and local management of Federal lands in Utah, and 
for other purposes; H.R. 5984, To authorize the Pechanga Band 
of Luiseno Mission Indians Water Rights Settlement, and for 
other purposes; and S. 3028, A bill to redesignate the Olympic 
Wilderness as the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness.
    November 15, 2016--Markup convened for opening statements 
only.
    November 16, 2016--Markup reconvened for consideration of 
H.R. 1219, To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey 
certain land and appurtenances of the Arbuckle Project, 
Oklahoma, to the Arbuckle Master Conservancy District, and for 
other purposes; H.R. 3711, To authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to conduct a special resource study of Chicano Park, 
located in San Diego, California, and for other purposes; H.R. 
4366, To affirm an agreement between the United States and 
Westlands Water District dated September 15, 2015, and for 
other purposes; and H.R. 5633, To authorize and implement the 
water rights compact among the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet 
Indian Reservation, the State of Montana, and the United 
States, and for other purposes.

             II. OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES OF THE FULL COMMITTEE

A. Oversight Hearings

    March 5, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Examining the 
Department of the Interior's Spending Priorities and the 
President's Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Proposal.''
    April 22, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Innovations in 
Safety Since the 2010 Macondo Incident.''
    May 13, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``The Obama 
Administration's CEQ Recently Revised Draft Guidance for GHG 
Emissions and the Effects of Climate Change.''
    May 19, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Empowering State 
Management of Greater Sage Grouse.''
    July 22, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``An Analysis of the 
Obama Administration's Social Cost of Carbon.''
    July 29, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Federal Agencies' 
Selective Enforcement of ESA Consultation.''
    August 3, 2015--Joint oversight field hearing with the 
Committee on Small Business in Homestead, Florida, on 
``Restricted Access at Biscayne National Park and Implications 
for Fishermen, Small Businesses, the Local Economy and 
Environment.''
    September 15, 2015--Oversight field hearing in New Orleans, 
Louisiana, on ``The Impacts of Federal Policies on Energy 
Production and Economic Growth in the Gulf.''
    September 17, 2015--Joint oversight hearing with the 
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on ``EPA's Animas 
Spill.''
    September 30, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Respecting State 
Authority, Responsibilities and Expertise Regarding Resource 
Management and Energy Development.''
    December 7, 2015--Oversight field hearing in Riverhead, New 
York, on ``Restoring Atlantic Fisheries and Protecting the 
Regional Seafood Economy.''
    December 9, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``The Department of 
the Interior's Role in the EPA's Animas Spill.''
    February 25, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``The U.S. 
Department of the Treasury's Analysis of the Situation in 
Puerto Rico.''
    March 1, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``Examining the 
Department of the Interior's Spending Priorities and the 
President's Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Proposal.''
    April 19, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``Recent Changes to 
Endangered Species Critical Habitat Designation and 
Implementation.''
    June 1, 2016--Oversight field hearing in East Millinocket, 
Maine, on ``Elevating Local Voices and Promoting Transparency 
for a Potential Monument Designation in Maine.''
    June 22, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``Investigating the 
Appropriate Role of NEPA in the Permitting Process.''
    July 26, 2016--Oversight field hearing in North Las Vegas, 
Nevada, on ``Improving Federal Land Management and Use to 
Better Serve Las Vegas Valley Communities.''
    September 21, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``The Impacts of 
the Obama CEQ's Final Guidance for GHG Emissions and the 
Effects of Climate Change.''
    October 4, 2016--Oversight field hearing in Santa Fe, New 
Mexico, on ``Tribal Prosperity and Self-Determination through 
Energy Development.''

              Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources


                       I. LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES

A. Legislative Hearings

    May 14, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 1644, To amend the 
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to ensure 
transparency in the development of environmental regulations, 
and for other purposes.
    May 20, 2015--Hearing held on Discussion Draft H.R. ____, 
``National Energy Security Corridors Act''.
    June 25, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 1937, To require the 
Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to 
more efficiently develop domestic sources of the minerals and 
mineral materials of strategic and critical importance to 
United States economic and national security and manufacturing 
competitiveness.
    November 4, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 3843, To authorize 
for a 7-year period the collection of claim location and 
maintenance fees, and for other purposes; and H.R. 3844, To 
establish the Energy and Minerals Reclamation Foundation to 
encourage, obtain, and use gifts, devises, and bequests for 
projects to reclaim abandoned mine lands and orphan oil and gas 
well sites, and for other purposes.
    December 14, 2015--Field hearing held in Idaho Springs, 
Colorado, on H.R. 3734, To amend the Surface Mining Control and 
Reclamation Act of 1977 to provide support to mining schools, 
and for other purposes.
    April 19, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 3881, To amend the 
Mineral Leasing Act to repeal provisions relating only to the 
Allegheny National Forest.
    June 14, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 5259, To direct the 
Secretary of the Interior to reestablish the Royalty Policy 
Committee in order to further a more consultative process with 
key Federal, State, tribal, environmental, and energy 
stakeholders, and for other purposes.
    July 6, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 5577, To amend the Outer 
Continental Shelf Lands Act to authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to conduct offshore oil and gas lease sales through 
Internet-based live lease sales, and for other purposes.
    July 13, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 2663, To promote the 
development of renewable energy on public land, and for other 
purposes.
    November 15, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 866, To achieve 
domestic energy independence by empowering States to control 
the development and production of all forms of energy on all 
available Federal land; and H.R. 1484, To direct the Secretary 
of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to convey 
certain Federal lands to the State of Nevada in fulfillment of 
the Nevada Statehood Enabling Act, and for other purposes.

  II. OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND MINERAL 
                               RESOURCES

A. Oversight Hearings

    March 17, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Examining the 
Spending Priorities and Missions of the Bureau of Ocean Energy 
Management (BOEM), the Bureau of Safety and Environmental 
Enforcement (BSEE) and the Office of Natural Resources Revenue 
(ONRR) in the President's FY 2016 Budget Proposals.''
    March 18, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Effect of the 
President's FY 2016 Budget and Legislative Proposals for the 
Office of Surface Mining on Private Sector Job Creation, 
Domestic Energy Production, State Programs and Deficit 
Reduction.''
    March 24, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Examining the 
Spending Priorities and Mission of the U.S. Geological Survey 
in the President's FY 2016 Budget Proposal.''
    March 26, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Effect of the 
President's FY 2016 Budget and Legislative Proposals for the 
Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service's Energy 
and Minerals Programs on Private Sector Job Creation, Domestic 
Energy and Minerals Production and Deficit Reduction.''
    April 15, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Examining the Future 
Impacts of President Obama's Offshore Energy Plan.''
    June 16, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Arctic Resources and 
American Competitiveness.''
    July 8, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``The Helium Stewardship 
Act and the Path Forward.''
    July 14, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``The Fundamental Role 
of Safe Seismic Surveying in OCS Energy Exploration and 
Development.''
    July 15, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``The Future of 
Hydraulic Fracturing on Federally Managed Lands.''
    July 28, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Federal 
Implementation of the Coastal Zone Management Act.''
    December 8, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Ensuring Certainty 
for Royalty Payments on Federal Resource Production.''
    January 12, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``Exploring Energy 
Challenges and Opportunities Facing Puerto Rico''.
    March 2, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``The Impact of the 
President's FY 2017 Budget on the Energy and Mineral Leasing 
and Production Missions of the Bureau of Ocean Energy 
Management (BOEM), the Bureau of Safety and Environmental 
Enforcement (BSEE), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).''
    March 23, 2016--Oversight hearing on the ``Effect of the 
President's FY 2017 Budget and Legislative Proposals for the 
Office of Surface Mining on Private Sector Job Creation, 
Domestic Energy Production, State Programs and Deficit 
Reduction.''
    April 27, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``Bureau of Land 
Management's Regulatory Overreach into Methane Emissions 
Regulation.''
    May 19, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``Examining Deficiencies 
in Transparency at the Department of the Interior.''
    May 25, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``Exploring 21st Century 
Mining Safety, Environmental Control, and Technological 
Innovation.''
    July 12, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``Opportunities and 
Challenges of Developing the Mancos Shale Resource.''

                     Subcommittee on Federal Lands


                       I. LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES

A. Legislative Hearings

    May 20, 2015--Joint hearing held with the Subcommittee on 
Water, Power and Oceans on Discussion Draft H.R. ____, ``To 
protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, 
fishing, and shooting, and for other purposes.''
    June 3, 2015--Hearing held on Discussion Draft H.R. ____, 
``Returning Resilience to Our Overgrown, Fire-prone National 
Forests Act of 2015.''
    June 16, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 482, To redesignate 
Ocmulgee National Monument in the State of Georgia and revise 
its boundary, and for other purposes; H.R. 496, To establish 
the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area in the State of 
California, and for other purposes; H.R. 959, To authorize the 
Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study 
of the Medgar Evers House, located in Jackson, Mississippi, and 
for other purposes; H.R. 1138, To establish certain wilderness 
areas in central Idaho and to authorize various land 
conveyances involving National Forest System land and Bureau of 
Land Management land in central Idaho, and for other purposes; 
H.R. 1554, To require a land conveyance involving the Elkhorn 
Ranch and the White River National Forest in the State of 
Colorado, and for other purposes; and H.R. 2223, To authorize, 
direct, expedite, and facilitate a land exchange in El Paso and 
Teller Counties, Colorado, and for other purposes.
    July 14, 2015--Hearing held on Discussion Draft H.R. ____, 
``To amend the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act to enhance 
recreational opportunities, environmental restoration 
activities, and forest management activities in the Lake Tahoe 
Basin, and for other purposes. ``Lake Tahoe Restoration Act of 
2015''; and H.R. 2270, To redesignate the Nisqually National 
Wildlife Refuge, located in the State of Washington, as the 
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, to 
establish the Medicine Creek Treaty National Historic Site 
within the wildlife refuge, and for other purposes.
    September 11, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 3036, To designate 
the National September 11 Memorial located at the World Trade 
Center site in New York City, New York, as a national memorial, 
and for other purposes.
    October 28, 2015--Hearing held on Discussion Draft H.R. 
____, ``Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Modernization 
Act.''
    November 4, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 1815, To facilitate 
certain pinyon-juniper related projects in Lincoln County, 
Nevada, to modify the boundaries of certain wilderness areas in 
the State of Nevada, and to provide for the implementation of a 
conservation plan for the Virgin River, Nevada; and H.R. 3342, 
To provide for stability of title to certain lands in the State 
of Louisiana, and for other purposes.
    December 2, 2015--Hearing held on Discussion Draft H.R. 
____. ``National Park Service Centennial Act.''
    December 9, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 1838, To establish 
the Clear Creek National Recreation Area in San Benito and 
Fresno Counties, California, to designate the Joaquin Rocks 
Wilderness in such counties, to designate additional components 
of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other 
purposes; and H.R. 3668, To codify in law and expand certain 
off-highway vehicle recreation areas in the State of 
California, to designate as wilderness certain public lands in 
the State of California administered by the Bureau of Land 
Management, to expand the Death Valley National Park Wilderness 
and the San Gorgonio Wilderness in San Bernardino National 
Forest, to ensure the conservation and necessary management of 
wildlife in these wilderness areas, to establish the Mojave 
Trails Special Management Area in the State, and for other 
purposes.
    February 11, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 87, To modify the 
boundary of the Shiloh National Military Park located in 
Tennessee and Mississippi, to establish Parker's Crossroads 
Battlefield as an affiliated area of the National Park System, 
and for other purposes; H.R. 295, To reauthorize the 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities Historic 
Preservation program; H.R. 1621, To modify the boundary of 
Petersburg National Battlefield in the Commonwealth of 
Virginia, and for other purposes; and H.R. 2817, To amend title 
54, United States Code, to extend the authorization of 
appropriations for the Historic Preservation Fund.
    February 25, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 2316, To generate 
dependable economic activity for counties and local governments 
containing National Forest System land by establishing a 
demonstration program for local, sustainable forest management, 
and for other purposes; H.R. 3650, To authorize States to 
select and acquire certain National Forest System lands to be 
managed and operated by the State for timber production and 
other purposes under the laws of the State, and for other 
purposes; H.R. 3826, To amend the Omnibus Public Land 
Management Act of 2009 to modify provisions relating to certain 
land exchanges in the Mt. Hood Wilderness in the State of 
Oregon; H.R. 4510, To insure adequate use and access to the 
existing Bolts Ditch headgate and ditch segment within the Holy 
Cross Wilderness in Eagle County, Colorado, and for other 
purposes; and H.R. 4579, To withdraw certain Bureau of Land 
Management land in the State of Utah from all forms of public 
appropriation, to provide for the shared management of the 
withdrawn land by the Secretary of the Interior and the 
Secretary of the Air Force to facilitate enhanced weapons 
testing and pilot training, enhance public safety, and provide 
for continued public access to the withdrawn land, to provide 
for the exchange of certain Federal land and State land, and 
for other purposes.
    April 28, 2016--Hearing held on Discussion Draft H.R. ____, 
``Locally-elected Officials Cooperating with Agencies in Land 
Management Act'' (LOCAL Management Act).
    May 12, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 3565, To expand the 
boundary of the California Coastal National Monument, and for 
other purposes; H.R. 3839, To transfer administrative 
jurisdiction over certain Bureau of Land Management land from 
the Secretary of the Interior to the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs for inclusion in the Black Hills National Cemetery, and 
for other purposes; H.R. 4233, To eliminate an unused 
lighthouse reservation, provide management consistency by 
incorporating the rocks and small islands along the coast of 
Orange County, California, into the California Coastal National 
Monument managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and meet the 
original Congressional intent of preserving Orange County's 
rocks and small islands, and for other purposes; and H.R. 5132, 
To adjust the eastern boundary of the Whychus-Deschutes 
Wilderness Study Area in the State of Oregon to facilitate fire 
prevention and response activities to protect adjacent private 
property, and for other purposes.
    May 24, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 3480, To expand the 
boundary of Fort Frederica National Monument in the State of 
Georgia, and for other purposes; H.R. 4202, To authorize the 
Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study 
of Fort Ontario in the State of New York; H.R. 4789, To 
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish a 
structure for visitor services on the Arlington Ridge tract, in 
the area of the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, and for other 
purposes; and H.R. 5244, To provide for the establishment of a 
national memorial and national monument to commemorate those 
killed by the collapse of the Saint Francis Dam on March 12, 
1928, and for other purposes.
    June 23, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 2167, To amend the 
Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to expand the authority of the 
Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, and the 
Secretary of the Interior to provide service opportunities for 
young Americans, to help restore natural, cultural, historic, 
archaeological, recreational, and scenic resources of the 
United States, to train a new generation of public land 
managers and enthusiasts, to promote the value of public 
service, and for other purposes; H.R. 2333, To authorize the 
Secretary of the Interior to acquire certain property related 
to the Fort Scott National Historic Site in Fort Scott, Kansas; 
H.R. 4387, To establish the Tule Lake National Historic Site in 
the State of California, and for other purposes; and H.R. 5114, 
To establish the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps to 
place youth and veterans in the United States in national 
service positions to protect, restore, and enhance the great 
outdoors of the United States, and for other purposes.
    September 14, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 5780, To provide 
greater conservation, recreation, economic development and 
local management of Federal lands in Utah, and for other 
purposes.
    November 15, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 5718, To direct the 
Secretary of Agriculture to acquire and to convey certain lands 
or interests in lands in Utah, and for other purposes.
    November 30, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 799, To revise the 
authorized route of the North Country National Scenic Trail in 
northeastern Minnesota and to extend the trail into Vermont to 
connect with the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, and for 
other purposes; H.R. 3683, To amend title 54, United States 
Code, to establish within the National Park Service the African 
American Civil Rights Network, and for other purposes; and H.R. 
5129, To authorize the Secretary of the Interior and the 
Secretary of Agriculture to issue permits for recreation 
services on lands managed by Federal agencies, and for other 
purposes.

     II. OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON FEDERAL LANDS

A. Oversight Hearings

    March 17, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Examining the 
Spending Priorities and Missions of the National Park Service 
in the President's FY 2016 Budget Proposal.''
    March 19, 2015--Joint oversight hearing with the 
Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans on ``Examining the 
Spending Priorities and Missions of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
in the President's FY 2016 Budget Proposal.''
    March 24, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Examining the 
Spending Priorities and Missions of the Forest Service and the 
Bureau of Land Management in the President's FY 2016 Budget 
Proposals.''
    April 15, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Federal Land 
Acquisition and its Impacts on Communities and the 
Environment.''
    April 23, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``The Devastating 
Impacts of Wildland Fires and the Need to Better Manage our 
Overgrown, Fire-prone National Forests.''
    May 14, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Litigation and 
Increased Planning's Impact on Our Nation's Overgrown, Fire-
Prone National Forests.''
    July 23, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``New and Innovative 
Ideas for the Next Century of Our National Parks.''
    September 29, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``State, Local, 
and Tribal Approaches to Forest Management: Lessons for Better 
Management of our Federal Forests.''
    January 22, 2016--Oversight field hearing in St. George, 
Utah, on ``Ensuring Local Input, Legal Consistency and Multi-
Use Resource Management in St. George BLM Planning.''
    March 22, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``Examining the 
Spending Priorities and Missions of the Forest Service in the 
President's Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Proposal.''
    April 20, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``Exploring Current 
Natural Resource Research Efforts and the Future of America's 
Land-Grant Colleges and Universities.''
    June 22, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``Challenges and 
Potential Solutions for BLM's Wild Horse & Burro Program.''

       Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs


                       I. LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES

A. Legislative Hearings

    April 14, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 329, To amend the 
Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Demonstration 
Act of 1992 to facilitate the ability of Indian tribes to 
integrate the employment, training, and related services from 
diverse Federal sources, and for other purposes; H.R. 521, To 
provide for the conveyance of certain property to the Yukon 
Kuskokwim Health Corporation located in Bethel, Alaska; and 
H.R. 812, To provide for Indian trust asset management reform, 
and for other purposes.
    June 10, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 487, To allow the Miami 
Tribe of Oklahoma to lease or transfer certain lands; H.R. 
2212, To take certain Federal lands located in Lassen County, 
California, into trust for the benefit of the Susanville Indian 
Rancheria, and for other purposes; and H.R. 2387, To amend the 
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide for equitable 
allotment of land to Alaska Native veterans.
    June 17, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 1157, To authorize the 
Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for the 
benefit of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians, and 
for other purposes; H.R. 2386, To provide for the recognition 
of certain Native communities and the settlement of certain 
claims under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and for 
other purposes; and H.R. 2538, To take lands in Sonoma County, 
California, into trust as part of the reservation of the Lytton 
Rancheria of California, and for other purposes.
    July 15, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 1028, To provide for 
the implementation of the negotiated property division 
regarding Former Fort Wingate Depot Activity in McKinley 
County, New Mexico, and for other purposes; H.R. 2684, To 
restore tribal economic development opportunity for the 
Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas on terms that are equal and 
fair, and for other purposes; and H.R. 2733, To require the 
Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for certain 
Indian tribes, and for other purposes.
    July 22, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 1880, To require the 
Secretary of the Interior to take into trust 4 parcels of 
Federal land for the benefit of certain Indian Pueblos in the 
State of New Mexico; and H.R. 2388, To reverse the designation 
by the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of 
Agriculture of certain communities in the State of Alaska as 
nonrural.
    September 29, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 286, To extend the 
Federal recognition to the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa 
Indians of Montana, and for other purposes; and H.R. 872, To 
extend Federal recognition to the Chickahominy Indian Tribe, 
the Chickahominy Indian Tribe-Eastern Division, the Upper 
Mattaponi Tribe, the Rappahannock Tribe, Inc., the Monacan 
Indian Nation, and the Nansemond Indian Tribe.
    October 28, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 3764, To provide 
that an Indian group may receive Federal acknowledgment as an 
Indian tribe only by an Act of Congress, and for other purposes 
(Part I).
    November 4, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 2009, To provide for 
the conveyance of certain land inholdings owned by the United 
States to the Tucson Unified School District and to the Pascua 
Yaqui Tribe of Arizona; H.R. 2719, To amend the Coastal Zone 
Management Act of 1972 to authorize grants to Indian tribes to 
further achievement of tribal coastal zone objectives, and for 
other purposes; and H.R. 3079, To take certain Federal land 
located in Tuolumne County, California, into trust for the 
benefit of the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians, and for other 
purposes.
    December 8, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 3764, To provide 
that an Indian group may receive Federal acknowledgment as an 
Indian tribe only by an Act of Congress, and for other purposes 
(Part II).
    February 24, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 3477, To enhance 
and integrate Native American tourism, empower Native American 
communities, increase coordination and collaboration between 
Federal tourism assets, and expand heritage and cultural 
tourism opportunities in the United States; and H.R. 3599, To 
take certain Federal lands in Tennessee into trust for the 
benefit of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and for other 
purposes.
    May 18, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 4289, To provide for the 
conveyance of certain property to the Tanana Tribal Council 
located in Tanana, Alaska, and to the Bristol Bay Area Health 
Corporation located in Dillingham, Alaska, and for other 
purposes; and S. 246, A bill to establish the Alyce Spotted 
Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children, and for 
other purposes.
    June 14, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 4685, To take certain 
Federal lands located in Tulare County, California, into trust 
for the benefit of the Tule River Indian Tribe, and for other 
purposes; and H.R. 5379, To prescribe procedures for effective 
consultation and coordination by Federal agencies with 
federally recognized Indian tribes regarding Federal Government 
activities that impact tribal lands and interests to ensure 
that meaningful tribal input is an integral part of the Federal 
decisionmaking process.
    July 6, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 4531, To approve an 
agreement between the United States and the Republic of Palau, 
and for other purposes.
    July 12, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 5406, To amend the 
Indian Health Care Improvement Act to improve access to tribal 
health care by providing for systemic Indian Health Service 
workforce and funding allocation reforms, and for other 
purposes.

  II. OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON INDIAN, INSULAR AND 
                         ALASKA NATIVE AFFAIRS

A. Oversight Hearings

    March 18, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Funding Priorities 
for and the United States' Responsibilities concerning Indians, 
Alaska Natives, and Insular Areas in the President's FY 2016 
Budget Request for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Indian Health 
Service, Office of Insular Affairs, and Office of the Special 
Trustee for American Indians.''
    April 22, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``The Obama 
Administration's Part 83 Revisions and How They May Allow the 
Interior Department to Create Tribes, not Recognize Them.''
    May 14, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Inadequate Standards 
for Trust Land Acquisition in the Indian Reorganization Act of 
1934.''
    June 24, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Examining Procedures 
Regarding Puerto Rico's Political Status and Economic 
Outlook.''
    February 2, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``The Need for the 
Establishment of a Puerto Rico Financial Stability and Economic 
Growth Authority.''
    March 22, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``The President's 
Fiscal Year 2017 Funding Priorities and Impacts on Indian 
Country and Insular Areas.''
    September 13, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``Reviewing the 
Economic Impacts from the Implementation of the Commonwealth-
only Worker Program in the Northern Mariana Islands under 
Public Law 110-229.''

              Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations


     I. OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND 
                             INVESTIGATIONS

A. Oversight Hearings

    April 29, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Zero Accountability: 
The Consequences of Politically Driven Science.''
    May 20, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``State Perspectives on 
the Status of Cooperating Agencies for the Office of Surface 
Mining's Stream Protection Rule.''
    June 24, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``GAO Report Documents 
BLM's Chronic Mismanagement of Wind and Solar Reclamation 
Bonds.''
    July 28, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Accountability, 
Policies, and Tactics of Law Enforcement within the Department 
of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service.''
    February 24, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``The Imposition of 
New Regulations Through the President's Memorandum on 
Mitigation.''
    March 17, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``Implementation of 
the Department of the Interior's Law Enforcement Records 
System.''
    April 28, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``The Consequences of 
Federal Land Management along the U.S. Border to Rural 
Communities and National Security.''
    May 12, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``Local and State 
Perspectives on BLM's Draft Planning 2.0 Rule.''
    May 24, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``Investigating the 
Culture of Corruption at the Department of the Interior.''
    June 23, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``The Administration's 
Response to Findings of Unethical and Criminal Conduct at the 
Department of the Interior.''
    July 7, 2016--Oversight hearing held on ``State 
Perspectives on BLM's Draft Planning 2.0 Rule.''
    July 14, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``The Status of Ivanpah 
and Other Federal Loan-Guaranteed Solar Energy Projects on 
Bureau of Land Management Lands.''
    September 21, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``The Status of 
the Federal Government's Management of Wolves.''
    December 6, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``Examining Decades 
of Data Manipulation at the United States Geological Survey.''

                Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans


                       I. LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES

A. Legislative Hearings

    May 20, 2015--Joint hearing with the Subcommittee on 
Federal Lands on Discussion Draft H.R. ____, ``To protect and 
enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing, and 
shooting, and for other purposes.''
    May 20, 2015--Hearing held on Discussion Draft H.R. ____, 
``Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act.''
    June 25, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 1107, To require the 
Secretary of the Interior to submit to Congress a report on the 
efforts of the Bureau of Reclamation to manage its 
infrastructure assets; H.R. 1406, To make technical corrections 
to the Navajo water rights settlement in the State of New 
Mexico, and for other purposes; H.R. 2273, To amend the 
Colorado River Storage Project Act to authorize the use of the 
active capacity of the Fontenelle Reservoir; and H.R. 2749, To 
amend the Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978.
    July 23, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 564, To amend the 
Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to reduce predation on 
endangered Columbia River salmon and other nonlisted species, 
and for other purposes; H.R. 1772, To direct the Secretary of 
the Interior to establish a nonregulatory program to build on 
and help coordinate funding for restoration and protection 
efforts of the 4-State Delaware River Basin region, and for 
other purposes; and H.R. 2168, To make the current Dungeness 
crab fishery management regime permanent and for other 
purposes.
    October 22, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 3094, To amend the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to 
transfer to States the authority to manage red snapper 
fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico.
    October 28, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 1219, To authorize 
the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land and 
appurtenances of the Arbuckle Project, Oklahoma, to the 
Arbuckle Master Conservancy District, and for other purposes; 
H.R. 1296, To amend the San Luis Rey Indian Water Rights 
Settlement Act to clarify certain settlement terms, and for 
other purposes; and H.R. 3062, To prohibit the use of eminent 
domain in carrying out certain projects.
    February 2, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 3070, To clarify 
that for purposes of all Federal laws governing marine 
fisheries management, the landward boundary of the exclusive 
economic zone between areas south of Montauk, New York, and 
Point Judith, Rhode Island, and for other purposes; and H.R. 
4245, To exempt importation and exportation of sea urchins and 
sea cucumbers from licensing requirements under the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973.
    March 1, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 4576, To implement the 
Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas 
Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific Ocean, to implement 
the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas 
Fishery Resources in the South Pacific Ocean, and for other 
purposes.
    April 20, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 1869, To provide for 
transparency and reporting related to direct and indirect costs 
incurred by the Bonneville Power Administration, the Western 
Area Power Administration, the Southwestern Power 
Administration, and the Southeastern Power Administration 
related to compliance with any Federal environmental laws 
impacting the conservation of fish and wildlife, and for other 
purposes; H.R. 2993, To amend the Reclamation Wastewater and 
Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize funding for 
water recycling projects in areas experiencing severe, extreme, 
or exceptional drought, and for other purposes; and H.R. 4582, 
To exclude striped bass from the anadromous fish doubling 
requirement in section 3406(b)(1) of the Central Valley Project 
Improvement Act, and for other purposes.
    May 24, 2016--Hearing held on Discussion Draft H.R. ____, 
To authorize and implement the water rights compact among the 
Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, the State 
of Montana, and the United States, and for other purposes; H.R. 
4366, To affirm an agreement between the United States and 
Westlands Water District dated September 15, 2015, and for 
other purposes; and H.R. 5217, To affirm ``The Agreement 
Between the United States and Westlands Water District'' dated 
September 15, 2015, ``The Agreement Between the United States, 
San Luis Water District, Panoche Water District and Pacheco 
Water District'', and for other purposes.
    June 23, 2016--Hearing held on Discussion Draft H.R. ____, 
To authorize the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians Water 
Rights Settlement, and for other purposes; H.R. 5032, To allow 
certain property in the town of Louisa, Virginia, to be used 
for purposes related to compliance with water quality 
standards, and for other purposes; H.R. 5430, To exempt from 
the Lacey Act and the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 certain 
water transfers between any of the States of Texas, Arkansas, 
and Louisiana; and H.R. 5468, To direct the Secretary of the 
Interior to allow for prepayment of repayment obligations under 
Repayment Contracts between the United States and the Weber 
Basin Water Conservancy District.

II. OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON WATER, POWER AND OCEANS

A. Oversight Hearings

    March 19, 2015--Joint oversight hearing with the 
Subcommittee on Federal Lands on ``Examining the Spending 
Priorities and Missions of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the 
President's FY 2016 Budget Proposal.''
    March 24, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Examining the 
Spending Priorities and Missions of the Bureau of Reclamation, 
the Power Marketing Administrations and USGS Water Division in 
the President's FY 2016 Budget Proposal.''
    April 14, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``Proposed Federal 
Water Grabs and Their Potential Impacts on States, Water and 
Power Users, and Landowners.''
    September 29, 2015--Oversight hearing on ``The Potential 
Implications of Pending Marine National Monument 
Designations.''
    February 10, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``The Costly 
Impacts of Predation and Conflicting Federal Statutes on Native 
and Endangered Fish Species.''
    February 24, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``The 2016 
California Water Supply Outlook During the El Nino and Three 
Years of Restricted Water Deliveries.''
    March 22, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``Examining the 
Missions and Impacts of the President's Proposed Fiscal Year 
2017 Budgets of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the 
National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, the Bureau of 
Reclamation and the Power Marketing Administrations.''
    April 13, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``Empowering States 
and Western Water Users Through Regulatory and Administrative 
Reforms.''
    April 27, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``Realizing the 
Potential of Hydropower as a Clean, Renewable and Domestic 
Energy Resource.''
    May 17, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``The Implications of 
President Obama's National Ocean Policy.''
    July 12, 2016--Oversight hearing on ``Changing Demands and 
Water Supply Uncertainty in California.''

          Summary of Oversight and Legislative Accomplishments


                             FULL COMMITTEE

    Chaired by Rep. Rob Bishop (UT-01), the Committee on 
Natural Resources worked to rein in burdensome regulatory 
policies on U.S. industries, oversee American energy production 
and mining on federal lands, examine regulations related to the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Endangered 
Species Act (ESA), and strengthen our economic security by 
expanding and protecting access to our energy, water and 
mineral resources. The Committee pursued legislation to 
increase and improve public access to our publically owned 
lands, restore sound forest and rangeland management practices, 
and reduce excessive and restrictive federal land acquisition. 
The Committee also focused on legislation promoting job 
creation and economic growth and prosperity in Tribal, Alaska 
Native and U.S. Insular communities. Numerous hearings were 
held, and, with the creation of a new Oversight and 
Investigation subcommittee, aggressive oversight of the 
Executive Branch and agencies under the Committee's 
jurisdiction was pursued. The focus of these oversight efforts 
was to achieve job creation and economic growth, reducing 
spending and ensuring responsible use of taxpayer resources, 
and protecting public access to public lands and waters for 
recreation and economic development. Finally, the Committee 
continued its work toward enhancing water and power supplies, 
reducing litigation and providing water certainty, eliminating 
conflicting federal requirements, promoting fishing access in 
domestic and international waters, instilling federal 
transparency and accountability and empowering states, and 
providing thorough oversight of federal regulations and 
proposals that threaten American jobs, water and electricity 
rates, and economic growth.

              Full Committee Oversight Hearings (20 Total)

    March 5, 2015--``Examining the Department of the Interior's 
Spending Priorities and the President's Fiscal Year 2016 Budget 
Proposal.''
     The hearing focused on agency priorities and 
accountability, appropriate use of taxpayer and ratepayer 
spending, as well as the future missions of the Department, its 
bureaus and sub-agencies.
    April 22, 2015--``Innovations and Safety since the 2010 
Macondo Incident.''
     This hearing focused on how the impacts of the 
April 20, 2010 Macondo oil spill have completely changed the 
regulatory playing field for offshore energy development in the 
United States and why it is important that layers of federal 
rulemakings and notices are not duplicative--and do not degrade 
the symbiotic goal of safe operations and increased exploration 
and production.
    May 13, 2015--``The Obama Administration's CEQ Recently 
Revised Draft Guidance for GHG Emissions and the Effects of 
Climate Change.''
     This NEPA hearing sought to address the Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) Revised Draft Guidance document and 
its effects on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions regarding all 
federal actions including land and resource management actions, 
transportation, energy, forestry, and a host of other economic 
activities. Unfortunately, the CEQ Guidance, as written, is 
likely to result in significant increased costs, delays, and 
uncertainty for a host of economic and energy-related 
activities nationwide.
    May 19, 2015--``Empowering State Management of Greater Sage 
Grouse''
     The hearing focused on examining the efforts of 
states to protect the endangered Greater Sage Grouse. It also 
functioned as a platform to give states the opportunity to 
explain their role as wildlife managers, and to support true 
cooperation between the federal agencies and state and local 
governments. Witnesses included state officials from Utah, 
Idaho, and Colorado who have worked at the ground level on 
sage-grouse conservation efforts.
    July 22, 2015--``An Analysis of the Obama Administration's 
Social Cost of Carbon.''
     This hearing more specifically addressed concerns 
about the lack of transparency of the Administration's Draft 
Guidance to give instructions to federal agencies on the 
inclusion of GHG emissions in their NEPA reviews including 
concerns about the considerable uncertainty, arbitrary 
assumptions and questionable accuracy of the models used to 
develop the Social Cost of Carbon, and the inputs for the 
models.
    July 29, 2015--``Federal Agencies'/Selective Enforcement of 
ESA Consultation''
     The hearing focused on the ESA; namely its 
requirement for consultation with FWS and/or the National 
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) under section 7 when any 
discretionary federal action may affect a listed species or 
designated critical habitat. Discussion in the hearing centered 
around the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who, while 
acknowledging it ``works closely with the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service on 
consultation for protection of endangered species through a 
Memorandum of Agreement,'' did not consult with FWS on effects 
its rules for carbon emissions from new and existing power 
plants may have on listed species, including endangered 
manatees. Witnesses included officials from the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and DOI.
    August 3, 2015--Field Hearing in Homestead, Florida on 
``Restricted Access at Biscayne National Park and Implications 
for Fishermen, Small Businesses, the Local Economy and 
Environment.''
     This hearing focused on the General Management 
Plan for Biscayne National Park issues by the National Park 
Service (NPS). This plan includes a 10,502 acre Marine Reserve 
Zone which would be closed to all commercial and recreational 
fishing, including more than one-third of the Park's hard 
bottom habitat for reef fishing. Traditionally fishing and 
other harvesting activities had been governed by state law even 
though the Park is part of a federal agency. NPS claimed to be 
working in collaboration with state agencies, but the Florida 
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission opposed the plan.
    September 15, 2015--Field Hearing in New Orleans, Louisiana 
on ``The Impacts of Federal Policies on Energy Production and 
Economic Growth in the Gulf.''
     This hearing highlighted offshore energy 
production in the Gulf of Mexico since the Macondo incident, 
including industry safety reforms in the Gulf, Arctic, and 
eventually in the Atlantic. This hearing brought to light the 
need for the federal government to strike an appropriate 
balance in order to ensure that offshore production continues 
in a safe operating environment for the benefit of American 
energy consumers.
    September 17, 2015--``EPA's Animas Spill'' (Joint hearing 
with the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform)
     The hearing that was held jointly with the House 
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that focused on 
the involvement of the EPA, the circumstances surrounding the 
spill, and the resulting effects and subsequent response 
efforts by multiple federal agencies. The ``EPA's Animas 
Spill'' had one of the highest Member turnouts and was one of 
the highest profile hearings for the Committee during the 114th 
Congress. Witnesses included EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, 
representatives from the Navajo Nation and Ute Tribes, and 
state officials from New Mexico and Colorado.
    September 30, 2015--``Respecting State Authority, 
Responsibilities and Expertise Regarding Resource Management 
and Energy Development.''
     This hearing focused on the sweeping and growing 
impact of the federal government's regulations and policies on 
states, specifically on improving coordination between the 
federal government and western states, and a need for the 
government to defer to state authority in areas of state 
experience and expertise. Specific focus is drawn on the 
federal government's mismanagement of western national forests, 
water resources, and Native American issues.
    December 7, 2015--Field Hearing in Riverhead, NY 
``Restoring Atlantic Fisheries and Protecting the Regional 
Seafood Economy.''
     This hearing focused on challenges relating to the 
management, access to and science of key commercial and 
recreational fisheries in parts of the Atlantic region. 
Industry leaders and stakeholders expressed concerns about 
conflicting science on affected fisheries stocks as it has 
inhibited access to the resources for both commercial and 
recreational fishing. Specific attention was given to the lack 
of science and inadequate data collection used in the 
management of key species, as well as other potential federal 
regulatory issues in the region that could hurt the regional 
seafood economy.
    December 9, 2015--``The Department of the Interior's Role 
in the EPA's Animas Spill''
     This follow up hearing covered the actions of DOI 
before, during and after the disaster and how its 
responsibilities were managed, and the released the Bureau of 
Reclamation's (BOR) technical review of the incident. Interior 
Secretary Sally Jewell testified at the hearing and received 
questions from the Committee.
    February 25, 2016--``The U.S. Department of the Treasury's 
Analysis of the Situation in Puerto Rico.
     The aim of the third Full Committee hearing on 
Puerto Rico was primarily focused on the U.S. Department of the 
Treasury's plan to address the Commonwealth's economic and 
fiscal crisis through a legislative plan submitted to Congress 
involving four interrelated elements that the Administration 
believes are necessary to address Puerto Rico's fiscal crisis 
and restore economic growth. The four are summarized as 
follows: (1) access to debt restructuring, (2) implementation 
of strong independent oversight to improve Puerto Rico's fiscal 
governance, (3) ``adequate'' treatment to Medicaid benefits, 
and (4) promotion of economic measures aimed at promoting 
growth.
    March 1, 2016--``Examining the Department of the Interior's 
Spending Priorities and the President's Fiscal Year 2017 Budget 
Proposal.''
     The hearing focused on providing budgetary 
oversight for the President's fiscal year 2017 (FY17) budget 
request and other spending as it relates to the U.S. Department 
of the Interior. The Committee heard testimony for Secretary 
Jewell, and focused on agency priorities, budget 
accountability, and appropriate use of taxpayer and ratepayer 
spending. In the hearing, the Committee addressed the 
disappointing trend of runaway federal spending, along with the 
increase in federal fees and taxes aimed at dis-incentivizing 
American energy research and development.
    April 19, 2016--``Recent Changes in Endangered Species 
Critical Habitat Designation and Implementation''
     This hearing focused on recent final rules and 
policy from FWS and NOAA's Fisheries Service that amended 
regulations and policy regarding critical habitat under the 
ESA. These included new definitions codified at 50 CFR 
Sec. 424.02, significantly, new definitions for the term 
``geographical area occupied by the species'' and the term 
``physical or biological features,'' as well as a finalized 
revised regulatory definition of ``destruction or adverse 
modification'' as codified at 50 CFR Sec. 424.02. The Services 
also issued a new policy regarding the use of exclusions, 
notably exclusions on federal land and water under Section 
4(b)(2) of the ESA. Witnesses included the Director of FWS, Dan 
Ashe, as well as a former DOI Solicitor, a county 
administrator, and the Endangered Species Recovery Director at 
the Center for Biological Diversity.
    June 1, 2016--``Elevating Local Voices and Promoting 
Transparency for a Potential Monument Designation in Maine.''
     The hearing focused on the potential designation 
of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, later 
designated by President Obama in August of 2016. The Committee 
heard testimony about how a designation would disrupt several 
existing uses important to local citizens and communities 
including hunting, snowmobiling, forest management and road and 
trail access to recreation. The Committee heard opposition from 
the Governor of Maine, elected national, state, and local 
officials, recreation and sportsmen's groups, and members of 
the public. The hearing highlighted the lack of transparency 
and local input in the administration's designation of the 
National Monument, demonstrating its abuse of authority under 
the Antiquities Act.
    June 22, 2016--``Investigating the Appropriate Role of NEPA 
in the Permitting Process.''
     This hearing examined whether NEPA provides the 
best framework to evaluate and demonstrate compliance with 
other regulatory and statutory requirements. The hearing 
highlighted the Gateway Pacific Terminal (Gateway), proposed by 
Pacific International Holdings, LLC (PIH) and the Pebble Mine 
located within the Pebble Deposit in Bristol Bay Watershed in 
Alaska, as examples for why the NEPA permitting process has 
significant gaps in the way it is administered via federal 
agencies.
    July 26, 2016--``Improving Federal Land Management and Use 
To Better Serve Las Vegas Valley Communities.''
     The hearing focused on providing oversight for the 
Federal Land Management for the Las Vegas valley and the 
surrounding communities.
    September 21, 2016--``The Impacts of the Obama CEQ's Final 
Guidance for GHG Emissions and the Effects of Climate Change.''
     This NEPA hearing focused on likely impacts of the 
Final Guidance on a host of American economic and energy-
related projects, permitting and activities. Specific attention 
was given to the Social Cost of Carbon (SCC), ``direct'' and 
``indirect'' language, and the ``lifecycle analysis'' concept 
in the Final Guidance.
    October 4, 2016--Field Hearing in Santa Fe, New Mexico on 
``Tribal Prosperity and Self-Determination through Energy 
Development.''
     The Committee held an oversight field hearing in 
Santa Fe, New Mexico, on the development of tribal energy 
resources and the creation of jobs on Indian lands. While 
Indian lands contain vast energy resources, actions by the 
Obama Administration have prevented many tribes from developing 
resources, creating jobs, and improving their local tribal 
economies. Since taking office, the Obama Administration has 
implemented numerous roadblocks to Indian energy development. 
The Subcommittee has continued vigorous oversight of the 
Administration in order to shine light on these policies and 
ensure accountability.

             Full Committee Legislative Hearings (2 Total)

    November 18, 2015--Discussion Draft of the ``Protecting 
America's Recreation and Conservation Act (PARC Act).''
     The discussion draft of the PARC Act reauthorized 
and reformed the Land and Water Conservation Fund. 
Specifically, the draft significantly increased the amount of 
available funds to states, local governments, and cities for 
vital recreation projects; limited the amount of funds and area 
available for federal land acquisition; eliminated the use of 
eminent domain and condemnation for land acquisition; ensured 
funds addressed growing deferred maintenance and operations 
backlogs; established an offshore oil and gas pilot program and 
technology hub and provided STEM-focused higher education 
grants; and provided additional resources for the Payment In-
Lieu of Taxes program.
    April 13, 2016--Discussion Draft of the ``Puerto Rico 
Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act.''
     The Discussion Draft was later introduced as H.R. 
5278, ``Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic 
Stability Act.''
     H.R. 5278, as amended, passed the House by 
recorded vote on 6/09/2016.
     H.R. 5278 became Public Law 114-184 on 6/30/2016.

              Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources

    Chaired by Rep. Doug Lamborn (CO-05), the Energy and 
Mineral Resources Subcommittee worked this Congress to rein in 
burdensome regulatory policies on U.S. industries, oversee 
American energy production and mining on federal lands, examine 
regulations related to the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA), and strengthen our economic security by expanding and 
protecting access to our energy and mineral resources.

Examining the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

    Throughout the 114th Congress, the Subcommittee held a 
series of Full Committee hearings on the White House Council on 
Environmental Quality's Guidance for Federal Agencies on 
Consideration of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and the Effects of 
Climate Change in NEPA Reviews. In December 2014, the Obama 
Administration's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), 
released a 31-page Revised Draft Guidance document to provide 
federal agencies with guidance on when and how to consider the 
effects of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change in 
their evaluation of all proposed Federal actions.
    The first Full Committee NEPA hearing focused on the lack 
of transparency of the Guidance's instructions to agencies on 
the inclusion of GHG emissions in their NEPA reviews. The 
Subcommittee also addressed the Revised Draft Guidance's 
sweeping application of CEQ's Social Cost of Carbon model that 
sought to further quantify GHG emissions through a variety of 
arbitrary assumptions, including estimates of temperature 
sensitivities, discount rates, and a time horizon.
    Despite numerous industry and public complaints, including 
incompatibility with the Office of Management and Budget's 
(OMB) Circular A-4, CEQ has sought to force ``voluntary'' 
consideration of GHG emissions through NEPA environmental 
reviews leading to an inefficient and outdated process that 
needs to be fundamentally examined in the upcoming Congress.

Promoting Coal and Mineral Production on Federal Lands

    The Subcommittee also worked to ensure agency transparency 
and accountability regarding regulations aimed at undermining 
private control of mineral rights, manufacturing 
competitiveness, and strategic mineral production. In October 
2015, the House passed H.R. 1937, the ``National Strategic and 
Critical Minerals Production Act of 2015,'' which would allow 
the United States to more efficiently develop our nation's 
strategic and critical minerals and streamline the permitting 
process for mineral development.
    The House also passed H.R. 1644, ``STREAM Act,'' to ensure 
transparency in the development of environmental regulations 
and to ensure greater legal certain for industry to invest in 
future projects.
    In September of 2016, the House passed H.R. 3881, the 
``Cooperative Management of Mineral Rights Act of 2016.'' This 
act would repeal unnecessary rulemaking authority from the 
Mineral Rights Leasing Act for the Alleghany National Forest, 
and prevents the Forest Service from interpreting statutory 
authority in a way that infringes upon private property rights.

Expanding Offshore Energy Production

    Despite record lows in the Obama Administration's five-year 
offshore leasing plans and its blanket regulatory policies like 
the Arctic Rule and Well Control Rule, industry leaders 
continue to innovate and drive economic growth forward by 
investing millions of dollars in technologies to safely and 
efficiently develop offshore resources in the Outer Continental 
Shelf (OCS).
    Seismic surveying is one such cutting edge technology that 
is used to discover vast energy potential (both renewable and 
traditional sources) in the OCS. In January 2009, the 
Department of the Interior first initiated the regulatory 
process to allow seismic surveying in the Atlantic OCS; and 
over seven years later, not a single permit has been granted. 
Regardless of the increase in mitigation measures and 
bureaucratic delays facing industry action, seismic surveying 
has been a decades-long tool used to safely and efficiently 
acquire scientific data regarding the potential resources 
located in federal lands off U.S. coasts.
    Another innovative technology modernizing offshore energy 
production is the creation of an internet-based oil and gas 
lease sale. There has been a bipartisan push for the Department 
of the Interior to modernize the offshore leasing process while 
ensuring all data is made publicly available. H.R. 5577, 
``Innovation in Offshore Leasing Act,'' amends the Outer 
Continental Shelf Lands Act to authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to conduct offshore oil and gas lease sales through 
Internet-based live lease sales. H.R. 5577 passed the House in 
September 2016.

Expanding Onshore Energy Production

    The Subcommittee held several oversight and legislative 
hearings to protect and expand onshore American energy 
production.
    During the Obama Administration, the Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM) has sought to stretch its statutory limits by 
promulgating rule making on federal lands through its hydraulic 
fracturing rule and methane and waste prevention rule. Both of 
these rules have been staunchly opposed by industry and tribal 
groups alike for its regulatory conflicts with state regulation 
and federal agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA). Not only are the costs of implementation and expected 
delays underestimated, but many energy-abundant western 
states--which account for 94 percent of all federal land--are 
disproportionately impacted and subject to a proliferation of 
litigation that adversely impact the states' statutorily-
defined jurisdictional roles and economies.
    Overshadowing the need to efficiently deliver energy 
resources and prevent waste, the BLM has refused to address 
pipeline rights-of-way delays on BLM lands--the most common 
sense tool to prevent waste of natural gas. In October 2015, 
the House passed H.R. 2295, ``National Energy Security 
Corridors Act,'' to provide the Secretary of the Interior with 
the authority to negotiate rights-of-way for natural gas 
pipelines on National Park System lands in addition to issuing 
streamlined permits for National Energy Security Corridors. 
This bill seeks to address obstacles created by the lack of 
current access from state and private lands across federal 
lands.

Addressing Puerto Rico's Energy Infrastructure

    The Subcommittee also worked on several fronts to address 
the fiscal crisis facing the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
    In January 2016, the Subcommittee held an oversight hearing 
focusing on the circumstances leading to the current financial 
crisis faced by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority 
(PREPA). PREPA has faced significant challenges starting with 
its bureaucratic organizational structure, reliance on outdated 
energy infrastructure, and contributions in lieu of taxes 
(CILT) that have provided free electricity to approximately 20% 
of PREPA's customers.
    In order for Puerto Rico to properly address its growing 
debt crisis and stimulate economic growth, PREPA must: (1) 
adjust its ``base rate charge'' to ensure it covers debt 
service and operational costs, including CILT payments; (2) 
update its reliance on outdated oil-fired power plants and 
diversify its energy portfolio through the utilization of Power 
Purchase Operating Agreements (PPOA); and (3) address the 
workplace culture and operations within PREPA.
    PREPA's financial restructuring agreement is contingent on 
a number of third party actors including the Puerto Rican 
legislature that must adhere to specific deadlines if the 
restructuring agreement is to be approved.

       Full Committee Oversight Hearings (EMR the Lead) (8 Total)

    April 22, 2015--``Innovations and Safety since the 2010 
Macondo Incident.''
     This Full Committee hearing focused on how the 
impacts of the April 20, 2010 Macondo oil spill have completely 
changed the regulatory playing field for offshore energy 
development in the United States and why it is important that 
layers of federal rulemakings and notices are not duplicative--
and do not degrade the symbiotic goal of safe operations and 
increased exploration and production.
    May 13, 2015--``The Obama Administration's CEQ Recently 
Revised Draft Guidance for GHG Emissions and the Effects of 
Climate Change.''
     This Full Committee NEPA hearing sought to address 
the CEQ Revised Draft Guidance document and its effects on GHG 
emissions regarding all federal actions including land and 
resource management actions, transportation, energy, forestry, 
and a host of other economic activities. Unfortunately, the CEQ 
Guidance, as written, is likely to result in significant 
increased costs, delays, and uncertainty for a host of economic 
and energy-related activities nationwide.
    July 22, 2015--``An Analysis of the Obama Administration's 
Social Cost of Carbon.''
     This Full Committee hearing more specifically 
addressed concerns about the lack of transparency of the 
Administration's Draft Guidance to give instructions to federal 
agencies on the inclusion of GHG emissions in their NEPA 
reviews including concerns about the considerable uncertainty, 
arbitrary assumptions and questionable accuracy of the models 
used to develop the Social Cost of Carbon, and the inputs for 
the models.
    September 15, 2015--Field Hearing in New Orleans, Louisiana 
on ``The Impacts of Federal Policies on Energy Production and 
Economic Growth in the Gulf.''
     This Full Committee field hearing highlighted 
offshore energy production in the Gulf of Mexico since the 
Macondo incident, including industry safety reforms in the 
Gulf, Arctic, and eventually in the Atlantic. This hearing 
brought to light the need for the federal government to strike 
an appropriate balance in order to ensure that offshore 
production continues in a safe operating environment for the 
benefit of American energy consumers.
    September 30, 2015--``Respecting State Authority, 
Responsibilities and Expertise Regarding Resource Management 
and Energy Development.''
     This Full Committee hearing focused on the 
sweeping and growing impact of the federal government's 
regulations and policies on states, specifically on improving 
coordination between the federal government and western states, 
and a need for the government to defer to state authority in 
areas of state experience and expertise. Specific focus is 
drawn on the federal government's mismanagement of western 
national forests, water resources, and Native American issues.
    February 25, 2016--``The U.S. Department of the Treasury's 
Analysis of the Situation in Puerto Rico.''
     The aim of the third Full Committee hearing on 
Puerto Rico primarily focused on the U.S. Department of the 
Treasury's plan to address the Commonwealth's economic and 
fiscal crisis through a legislative plan submitted to Congress 
involving four interrelated elements that the Administration 
believes are necessary to address Puerto Rico's fiscal crisis 
and restore economic growth. The four are summarized as 
follows: (1) access to debt restructuring; (2) implementation 
of strong independent oversight to improve Puerto Rico's fiscal 
governance; (3) ``adequate'' treatment to Medicaid benefits; 
and (4) promotion of economic measures aimed at promoting 
growth.
    June 22, 2016--``Investigating the Appropriate Role of NEPA 
in the Permitting Process.''
     This Full Committee NEPA hearing examined whether 
NEPA provides the best framework to evaluate and demonstrate 
compliance with other regulatory and statutory requirements. 
The hearing highlighted the Gateway Pacific Terminal (Gateway), 
proposed by Pacific International Holdings, LLC (PIH) and the 
Pebble Mine located within the Pebble Deposit in Bristol Bay 
Watershed in Alaska, as examples for why the NEPA permitting 
process has significant gaps in the way it is administered via 
federal agencies.
    September 21, 2016--``The Impacts of the Obama CEQ's Final 
Guidance for GHG Emissions and the Effects of Climate Change.''
     This final Full Committee NEPA hearing focused on 
likely impacts of the Final Guidance on a host of American 
economic and energy-related projects, permitting and 
activities. Specific attention was given to the Social Cost of 
Carbon (SCC), ``direct'' and ``indirect'' language, and the 
``lifecycle analysis'' concept in the Final Guidance.

   Legislative Activities of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral 
         Resources (10 Subcommittee and 1 Full Committee Total)

    May 14, 2015--H.R. 1644, ``Supporting Transparent 
Regulatory and Environmental Actions in Mining Act.''
     H.R. 1644, as amended, passed the House by 
recorded vote on 1/12/16.
    May 20, 2015--Discussion Draft of the ``National Energy 
Security Corridors Act.''
     This draft became H.R. 2295, which passed the 
House on 12/3/2015 via H.R. 8, ``North American Energy Security 
and Infrastructure Act of 2015.''
    June 25, 2015--``National Strategic and Critical Minerals 
Production Act of 2015.''
     H.R. 1937 passed the House by recorded vote on 10/
22/15.
    November 4, 2015--H.R. 3843, ``Locatable Minerals Claim 
Location and Maintenance Fees Act'' and H.R. 3844, ``Energy and 
Minerals Reclamation Foundation Establishment Act of 2015.''
    December 14, 2015--H.R. 3734, ``Mining Schools Enhancement 
Act.''
    April 13, 2016--Full Committee Legislative Hearing on a 
Discussion Draft of the ``Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, 
and Economic Stability Act.''
    April 19, 2016--H.R. 3881, ``Cooperative Management of 
Mineral Rights Act of 2016.''
     H.R. 3881, as amended, passed the House by 
recorded vote on 9/6/2016.
    June 14, 2016--H.R. 5259, ``Certainty for States and Tribes 
Act.''
    July 6, 2016--H.R. 5577, ``Innovation in Offshore Leasing 
Act.''
     H.R. 5577, as amended, passed the House by voice 
vote on 9/6/2016.
    July 13, 2016--H.R. 2663, ``Public Land Renewable Energy 
Development Act of 2015.''
    November 15, 2016--H.R. 1484, ``Honor the Nevada Enabling 
Act of 1864 Act'' and H.R. 866, ``Federal Land Freedom Act of 
2015.''

    Oversight Activities of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral 
                          Resources (18 total)

    March 17, 2015--``Examining the Spending Priorities and 
Missions of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the 
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the 
Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) in the President's 
FY 2016 Budget Proposals.''
     This hearing focused on the budget proposals put 
forward by the BOEM and BSEE, which are charged with overseeing 
the safe and expedient exploration and production of our 
domestic resources on the outer Continental Shelf (OCS), as 
well as ONRR, which is charged with the collection of revenue 
on federal and tribal land.
    March 18, 2015--``Effect of the President's FY 2016 Budget 
and Legislative Proposals for the Office of Surface Mining on 
Private Sector Job Creation, Domestic Energy Production, State 
Programs and Deficit Reduction.''
     This hearing focused on agency priorities and 
accountability, appropriate use of taxpayer and ratepayer 
spending, as well as the future missions of the Office of 
Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE). The OSMRE's 
budget request for fiscal year (FY) FY16 increases federal 
taxes and fees and shifts federal spending in a manner that 
dis-incentivizes energy production on both federal and private 
lands.
    March 24, 2015--``Examining the Spending Priorities and 
Mission of the U.S. Geological Survey in the President's FY 
2016 Budget Proposal.''
     This hearing focused on agency mission and 
priorities other than water resources and the biological 
service. The Subcommittee specifically questioned the United 
States Geological Survey's (USGS) request for an investment in 
critical minerals activities and pointed to its lack of data 
transparency, especially in regards to the Greater Sage Grouse.
    March 26, 2015--``Effect of the President's FY 2016 Budget 
and Legislative Proposals for the Bureau of Land Management and 
the U.S. Forest Service's Energy and Minerals Programs on 
Private Sector Job Creation, Domestic Energy and Minerals 
Production and Deficit Reduction.''
     This hearing focused on the budget proposals put 
forward by the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), with 
particular focus on each entity's leasing activities, as well 
as their exploration and production of energy.
    April 15, 2015--``Examining the Future Impacts of President 
Obama's Offshore Energy Plan.''
     This hearing focused on the 2017-2022 Draft 
Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program 
(``five-year plan'') and the impacts this plan will have on 
state and local communities as well as our national economy. 
The Subcommittee paid specific attention to the importance of 
diversifying exploration and production to new offshore areas 
given the fact that less than 2% of the 1.71 billion federal 
OCS acres were under lease.
    June 16, 2015--``Arctic Resources and American 
Competitiveness.''
     This hearing focused on the importance of Arctic 
offshore energy development to Alaskan natives, the State of 
Alaska, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, and to our nation's 
goal of energy security and independence. Specific attention 
was given to the Department of Interior's Arctic Rule that 
would have likely made these valuable offshore resources not 
economically feasible to develop.
    July 8, 2015--``The Helium Stewardship Act and the Path 
Forward.''
     This hearing focused on how the BLM has 
implemented the Helium Stewardship Act, and how the BLM's 
management of the federal helium reserves could better align 
with the goals of the Act. Highlights at this hearing were the 
BLM's misinterpretation and misapplication of the Helium 
Stewardship Act that has driven several long-time purchasers of 
helium from the BLM to obtain helium from Algeria, Qatar, and 
Russia which undermines American market competitiveness.
    July 14, 2015--``The Fundamental Role of Safe Seismic 
Surveying in OCS Energy Exploration and Development.''
     This hearing focused on the cutting edge 
technology currently used in the field of seismic surveying to 
ascertain data on potential offshore energy resources. The 
hearing also focused on the important role seismic research 
plays in moving forward with future offshore energy development 
in the Atlantic OCS and provided an update into the federal 
permitting process for seismic surveying.
    July 15, 2015--``The Future of Hydraulic Fracturing on 
Federally Managed Lands.''
     This hearing focused on the BLM's final hydraulic 
fracturing rule, notably how it duplicates state efforts, 
causes unnecessary delays and burdens to operators, and is 
premised on questionable authority. Specific attention was 
aimed at addressing the rule's variance provision that permits 
the BLM the opportunity to adopt and interpret state rules on 
federal lands.
    July 28, 2015--``Federal Implementation of the Coastal Zone 
Management Act.''
     This hearing explored the effects of the Coastal 
Zone Management Act as implemented by the federal government 
and exercised at the state and local level. The hearing 
demonstrated how the Act works at the federal, state and local 
level, and the impacts that state coastal zone management plans 
have on federally-permitted activities.
    December 8, 2015--``Ensuring Certainty for Royalty Payments 
on Federal Resource Production.''
     This hearing focused on the Office of Natural 
Resources Revenue's (ONRR) proposed rule concerning the 
valuation of produced federal onshore oil, natural gas, and 
coal for royalty purposes, as well as ONRR's reinterpretation 
of existing regulations as to when produced natural gas is in 
marketable condition.
    January 12, 2016--``Exploring Energy Challenges and 
Opportunities Facing Puerto Rico.''
     This hearing focused on the circumstances leading 
to the current financial crisis faced by the Puerto Rico 
Electric Power Authority (PREPA). More specifically, the 
Subcommittee addressed PREPA's reliance on outdated energy 
infrastructure, contributions in lieu of taxes, workplace 
deficiencies, and the organizational structure of PREPA that 
has promoted bureaucracy and politics over a meritocracy.
    March 2, 2016--``The Impact of the President's FY 2017 
Budget on the Energy and Mineral Leasing and Production 
Missions of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the 
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), and the 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM).''
     This hearing focused on the FY 2017 budget 
proposals put forward by BOEM, the BSEE, and the BLM--the three 
major federal agencies at the Department of the Interior 
charged with overseeing the safe and expedient exploration and 
production of domestic resources on both offshore and onshore 
federal lands. In particular, the Subcommittee attempted to 
address why leasing and energy production on federal lands has 
paled in comparison to growth rates on state and private lands.
    March 23, 2016--``Effect of the President's FY 2017 Budget 
and Legislative Proposals for the Office of Surface Mining on 
Private Sector Job Creation, Domestic Energy Production, State 
Programs and Deficit Reduction.''
     This hearing focused on agency priorities and 
accountability, appropriate use of taxpayer and ratepayer 
spending, as well as the future missions of the Office of 
Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE). OSMRE has 
proposed no new solutions and is doubling down on past 
practices that shift federal spending in a manner that dis-
incentivizes energy production on both federal and private 
lands.
    April 27, 2016--``Bureau of Land Management's Regulatory 
Overreach into Methane Emissions Regulation.''
     This hearing focused on a recent regulation issued 
by the BLM regarding methane on federal lands. The Subcommittee 
specifically addressed the claim that BLM has authority under 
the Clean Air Act and why it refuses to address pipeline 
rights-of-way delays on BLM lands--the most common sense tool 
in their toolshed to prevent waste of natural gas.
    May 19, 2016--``Examining Deficiencies in Transparency at 
the Department of the Interior.''
     This hearing focused on investigating concerns 
regarding fair access to data, studies, reports, and other 
kinds of information used in the federal rulemaking process. 
The recent proliferation of federal regulations issued by the 
Department of the Interior highlights the need for increased 
data transparency across all sub-agencies. These regulatory 
restrictions on federal land have put states, industry, and 
local communities and their citizens in tough positions.
    May 25, 2016--``Exploring 21st Century Mining Safety, 
Environmental Control, and Technological Innovation.''
     This hearing focused on the state of the modern 
mining industry and contemporary techniques, technologies, and 
practices of 21st century mines. Attention was given to the 
multitude of federal and state agencies which regulate and 
enforce numerous health and safety laws and how industry and 
other stakeholders must demonstrate that they will be good 
stewards of the land, air, and water resources.
    July 12, 2016--``Opportunities and Challenges to Developing 
the Mancos Shale Resource.''
     This hearing focused on the science and policy of 
energy development on public lands in the Mancos Shale of 
western Colorado and nearby areas. Recent findings indicate 
that the Mancos Shale contains recoverable energy resources 
that are more than 40 times the original USGS assessment of 
reserves. Also being discussed are recent policies and 
decisions by the BLM that have increased the costs and 
unpredictability of operating on public lands, making it more 
difficult and expensive to access resources such as those found 
in the Mancos Shale region.

                     Subcommittee on Federal Lands

    Chaired by Rep. Tom McClintock (CA-04), the Federal Lands 
Subcommittee worked this Congress to fight for increased public 
access to our publically owned lands, the restoration of sound 
forest and rangeland management practices, and the reduction of 
excessive and restrictive federal land acquisition.

Restoring Public Access to Public Lands

    The Subcommittee worked this Congress to ensure public 
access to public lands for recreational enjoyment and economic 
development. The Subcommittee travelled to East Millinocket, 
Maine, North Las Vegas, Nevada, and St. George, Utah for field 
hearings to investigate how Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and 
National Park Service (NPS) policies prevented economic growth, 
historic uses of land, and recreational opportunities. The 
Subcommittee focused on restoring sensible access for America's 
sportsmen and women to ensure they could hunt, fish, shoot, 
hike, and recreate on public lands. The House passed H.R. 2406, 
``SHARE Act,'' to protect sportsmen's second amendment rights 
and reduce regulations prohibiting recreational activities on 
public lands. In the NPS' Centennial year, the Subcommittee 
also worked to promote new and innovative ideas for the 
management of our national parks. In particular, the House 
passed H.R. 4680, ``National Park Service Centennial Act'' to 
improve visitor experiences at national parks and reduce the 
$12 billion deferred maintenance backlog in the NPS.

Promoting Sound Management of Public Lands

    The Subcommittee focused on promoting sound management of 
public lands, particularly within the U.S. Forest Service 
(USFS) and the BLM. The Subcommittee held several hearings 
examining the impact of litigation on national forests, the 
consequences of catastrophic wildfires, tribal, local, and 
state forestry practices, and the ways that forest health 
degrade when there is a lack of active management. The House 
passed H.R. 2647, ``Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015,'' to 
return resiliency and promote health in our fire-prone, 
overgrown national forests. The Subcommittee routinely promoted 
policies to streamline timber harvests for forest health, 
wildlife habitat, watersheds, and the reduction of catastrophic 
wildfire, insects, and disease as well as reduce litigation on 
collaborative management projects.

Making the Federal Government a Good Neighbor to Local Communities

    One of the Subcommittee's top priorities is ensuring that 
the federal government acts as a good neighbor to local 
communities with public lands. The Subcommittee worked to 
prevent buffer zones that limit activities outside of national 
parks in all bills considered by the Committee, enhance 
collaboration between tribes and the federal government over 
Bears Ears in Utah, and expand popular programs that benefited 
states and local communities. The Subcommittee held a hearing 
on a discussion draft of the ``LOCAL Management Act'' to 
empower state and local entities and require the Federal 
Government to engage in more collaborative and cooperative 
relationships with these agencies. The Subcommittee also 
promoted unprecedented cooperation between local tribes in San 
Juan County, Utah, and the federal government in order to 
protect the area known as Bears Ears in Utah. The Committee 
passed H.R. 5780, ``Utah Public Lands Initiative Act,'' to 
facilitate that cooperation as well as the transfer and 
consolidation of federal and state lands in Utah to enhance 
conservation protections, economic development, and 
recreational opportunities. Lastly, the Full Committee held a 
hearing on a discussion draft of the ``PARC Act'' to 
reauthorize and reform the Land and Water Conservation Fund. 
The Subcommittee draft proposed limiting harmful land 
acquisitions and the use of eminent domain and expanded the 
stateside program to benefit local communities.

Reducing the Federal Footprint and Curtailing Federal Regulatory 
        Overreach

    Throughout the 114th Congress, the Subcommittee 
successfully reported several bills that also passed the House. 
These bills exchanged or conveyed land from the federal 
government to local communities, resulting in new potential 
recreational and economic opportunities for rural communities. 
The Subcommittee demonstrated the negative impact increased 
federal land acquisitions have on local communities and the 
environment and pushed to limit this authority in the Land and 
Water Conservation Fund. The Subcommittee also investigated 
egregious examples of government overreach and passed bills to 
prevent federal land grabs in northern Texas along the Red 
River and in Northern Louisiana around Lake Bistineau. The 
Subcommittee considered several other bills to achieve this 
goal including H.R. 1214, ``National Forest Small Tracts Act 
Amendments Act of 2015,'' H.R. 2316, ``Self-Sufficient 
Community Lands Act,'' and H.R. 3650, ``State National Forest 
Management Act of 2015.''

              Full Committee Oversight Hearings (4 total)

    March 5, 2015--``Examining the Department of the Interior's 
Spending Priorities and the President's Fiscal Year 2016 Budget 
Proposal.''
     The hearing focused on agency priorities and 
accountability, appropriate use of taxpayer and ratepayer 
spending, as well as the future missions of the Department, its 
bureaus and sub-agencies.
    March 1, 2016--``Examining the Department of the Interior's 
Spending Priorities and the President's Fiscal Year 2017 Budget 
Proposal.''
     The hearing focused on providing budgetary 
oversight for the President's fiscal year 2017 (FY17) budget 
request and other spending as it relates to the U.S. Department 
of the Interior. The Committee heard testimony for Secretary 
Jewell, and focused on agency priorities, budget 
accountability, and appropriate use of taxpayer and ratepayer 
spending. At the hearing, Committee Members addressed the 
disappointing trend of runaway federal spending, along with the 
increase in federal fees and taxes aimed at dis-incentivizing 
American energy research and development.
    June 1, 2016--Field Hearing in East Millinocket, Maine held 
on ``Elevating Local Voices and Promoting Transparency for a 
Potential Monument Designation in Maine.''
     The hearing focused on the potential designation 
of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, later 
designated by President Obama in August of 2016. The Committee 
heard testimony about how a designation would disrupt several 
existing uses important to local citizens and communities 
including hunting, snowmobiling, forest management and road and 
trail access to recreation. Committee Members heard opposition 
from the Governor of Maine, elected national, state, and local 
officials, recreation and sportsmen's groups, and members of 
the public. The hearing highlighted the lack of transparency 
and local input in the administration's designation of the 
National Monument, demonstrating its abuse of authority under 
the Antiquities Act.
    July 26, 2016--Field hearing held in Las Vegas, Nevada on 
``Improving Federal Land Management and Use to Better Serve Las 
Vegas Valley Communities.''
     The hearing focused on providing oversight for the 
Federal Land Management for the Las Vegas valley and the 
surrounding communities.

             Full Committee Legislative Hearings (1 total)

    November 18, 2015--Legislative hearing held a Discussion 
Draft of the ``Protecting America's Recreation and Conservation 
Act (PARC Act).''
     The discussion draft of the PARC Act reauthorized 
and reformed the Land and Water Conservation Fund. 
Specifically, the draft significantly increased the amount of 
available funds to states, local governments, and cities for 
vital recreation projects; limited the amount of funds and area 
available for federal land acquisition; eliminated the use of 
eminent domain and condemnation for land acquisition; ensured 
funds addressed growing deferred maintenance and operations 
backlogs; established an offshore oil and gas pilot program and 
technology hub and provided STEM-
focused higher education grants; and provided additional 
resources for the Payment In-Lieu of Taxes program.

 Legislative Activities of the Subcommittee on Federal Lands (18 total)

    May 20, 2015--Joint hearing with the Subcommittee on Water, 
Power, and Oceans held on a Discussion Draft of a bill to 
protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, 
fishing, and shooting, and for other purposes; which was 
introduced as the ``Sportsmen's Heritage and Recreational 
Enhancement Act of 2015 (SHARE Act).'' Later introduced as H.R. 
2406, the SHARE Act included thirteen individual legislative 
efforts to increase opportunities for hunters, anglers, and 
recreational shooters; eliminate regulatory impediments and 
safeguard against new regulations that impede outdoor sporting 
activities; and protect Second Amendment rights.
     H.R. 2406, as amended, passed the House by 
recorded vote on 2/26/2016.
    June 3, 2015--Discussion Draft of ``The Resilient Federal 
Forests Act of 2015.'' Later introduced as H.R. 2647, the bill 
addressed the growing economic and environmental threats of 
catastrophic wildfire and sought to improve the health and 
resiliency of our fire-prone, overgrown national forests. The 
bill simplified environmental process requirements, reduced 
project planning times and reduced the cost of implementing 
forest management projects while still ensuring robust 
protection of the environment.
     H.R. 2647, as amended, passed the House by 
recorded vote on 7/09/2015.
    June 16, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 482, ``Ocmulgee Mounds 
National Historical Park Boundary Revision Act of 2015''; H.R. 
496, ``Alabama Hills National Scenic Area Establishment Act''; 
H.R. 959, ``Medgar Evers House Study Act''; H.R. 1138, 
``Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Jerry Peak Wilderness 
Additions Act''; H.R. 1554, ``Elkhorn Ranch and White River 
National Forest Conveyance Act of 2015''; and H.R. 2223, 
``Crags, Colorado Land Exchange Act of 2015.''
     H.R. 482, as amended, passed the House by voice 
vote on 3/22/2016.
     H.R. 496, as amended, passed the House by voice 
vote on 5/23/2016.
     H.R. 959, as amended, passed the House by voice 
vote on 9/16/2015.
     H.R. 1138 passed the House by voice vote on 7/27/
2015.
     H.R. 1138 became Public Law 114-46 on 8/07/2015.
     H.R. 1554 passed the House by voice vote on 9/16/
2015.
     H.R. 2223 passed the House by voice vote on 9/16/
2015.

July 14, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 2270, ``Billy Frank Jr. Tell Your 
        Story Act''; and a Discussion Draft of H.R. ____, To amend the 
        Lake Tahoe Restoration Act to enhance recreational 
        opportunities, environmental restoration activities, and forest 
        management activities in the Lake Tahoe Basin, and for other 
        purposes.

     H.R. 2270, as amended, passed the House by voice 
vote on 11/30/2015.
     H.R. 2270 became Public Law 114-101 on 12/18/2015.
    September 11, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 3036, ``9/11 
Memorial Act.''
     H.R. 3036, as amended, passed the House by 
recorded vote on 2/09/2016.
    October 28, 2015--Hearing held on a Discussion Draft of the 
``Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Modernization Act.''
    November 4, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 1815, ``Eastern 
Nevada Land Implementation Improvement Act''; and H.R. 3342, To 
provide for the stability of title to certain lands in the 
State of Louisiana.
     H.R. 1815, as amended, passed the House by 
recorded vote on 6/07/2016.
    December 2, 2015--Hearing held on a discussion draft of the 
``National Park Service Centennial Act.''
     The draft was later introduced as H.R. 4680, 
``National Park Service Centennial Act.''
     H.R. 4680, as amended, passed the House by voice 
vote on 12/06/2016.
     H.R. 4680, as amended, passed the Senate on 12/10/
2016.
     H.R. 4680, as amended, was presented to the 
President on 12/14/2016.
    December 9, 2015--Hearing held on H.R. 1838, ``Clear Creek 
National Recreation Area and Conservation Act''; and H.R. 3668, 
``California Minerals, Off-Road Recreation, and Conservation 
Act.''
     H.R. 1838, as amended, passed the House by voice 
vote on 7/05/2016.
    February 11, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 87, ``Shiloh 
National Military Park Boundary Adjustment and Parker's 
Crossroads Battlefield Designation Act''; H.R. 295, To 
reauthorize the Historically Black Colleges and Universities 
Historic Preservation program; H.R. 1621, To modify the 
boundary of Petersburg National Battlefield in the Commonwealth 
of Virginia, and for other purposes; and H.R. 2817, ``National 
Historic Preservation Amendments Act.''
     H.R. 87, as amended, passed the House by voice 
vote on 6/07/2016.
     H.R. 295, as amended, passed the House by voice 
vote on 9/12/2016.
    February 25, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 2316, ``Self-
Sufficient Community Lands Act''; H.R. 3650, ``State National 
Forest Management Act of 2015''; H.R. 3826, ``Mount Hood Cooper 
Spur Land Exchange Clarification Act''; H.R. 4510, ``Bolts 
Ditch Access and Use Act''; and H.R. 4579, ``Utah Test and 
Training Range Encroachment Prevention and Temporary Closure 
Act.''
     H.R. 3826, as amended, passed the House by 
recorded vote on 6/08/2016.
     H.R. 4510, as amended, passed the House by voice 
vote on 9/06/2016.
    April 28, 2016--Hearing held on Discussion Draft of the 
``Locally-elected Officials Cooperating with Agencies in Land 
Management Act (LOCAL Management Act).''
    May 12, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 3565, ``California 
Coastal National Monument Expansion Act''; H.R. 3839, ``Black 
Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act''; H.R. 4233, To 
eliminate an unused lighthouse reservation, provide management 
consistency by incorporating the rocks and small islands along 
the coast of Orange County, California, into the California 
Coastal National Monument managed by the Bureau of Land 
Management, and meet the original Congressional intent of 
preserving Orange County's rocks and small islands, and for 
other purposes; and H.R. 5132, ``Crooked River Ranch Fire 
Protection Act.''
     H.R. 3839, as amended, passed the House by voice 
vote on 9/06/2016.
    May 24, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 3480, ``Fort Frederica 
National Monument Boundary Expansion Act''; H.R. 4202, ``Fort 
Ontario Study Act''; H.R. 4789, To authorize the Secretary of 
the Interior to establish a structure for visitor services on 
the Arlington Ridge tract, in the area of the U.S. Marine Corps 
War Memorial, and for other purposes; and H.R. 5244, ``Saint 
Francis Dam Disaster National Memorial Act.''
     H.R. 3480, as amended, passed the House by voice 
vote on 9/06/2016.
     H.R. 4202, as amended, passed the House by voice 
vote on 9/06/2016.
     H.R. 4789 passed the House by voice vote on 9/06/
2016.
     H.R. 5244, as amended, passed the House by voice 
vote on 7/05/2016.
    June 23, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 2167, ``Public Lands 
Service Corps Act of 2015''; H.R. 2333, To authorize the 
Secretary of the Interior to acquire certain property related 
to the Fort Scott National Historic Site in Fort Scott, Kansas; 
H.R. 4387, ``Tule Lake National Historic Site Establishment Act 
of 2016''; and H.R. 5114, ``21st Century Conservation Service 
Corps Act of 2016.''
    September 14, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 5780, ``Utah 
Public Lands Initiative Act.''
    November 15, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 5718, ``Central 
Wasatch National Conservation and Recreation Area Act.''
    November 30, 2016--Hearing held on H.R. 5129, ``GO Act''; 
H.R. 799, ``North Country National Scenic Trail Route 
Adjustment Act''; and H.R. 3683, ``African American Civil 
Rights Network Act of 2015.''

  Oversight Activities of the Subcommittee on Federal Lands (12 total)

    March 17, 2015--``Examining the Spending Priorities and 
Missions of the National Park Service in the President's FY 
2016 Budget Proposal.''
    March 19, 2015--Joint hearing held with the Subcommittee on 
Water, Power and Oceans on ``Examining the Spending Priorities 
and Missions of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the 
President's FY 2016 Budget Proposal.''
    March 24, 2015--``Examining the Spending Priorities and 
Missions of the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land 
Management in the President's FY 2016 Budget Proposal.''
    April 15, 2015--``Federal Land Acquisition and Its Impacts 
on Communities and the Environment.''
     The hearing focused on federal land acquisition 
through the Land and Water Conservation Fund and whether 
increased land acquisition is consistent with the Fund's 
original statutory mission. The hearing highlighted the adverse 
impact federal land acquisition has on counties' budgets and 
the federal land management agencies' growing maintenance and 
operations backlogs.
    April 23, 2015--``The Devastating Impacts of Wildland Fires 
and the Need to Better Manage Our Overgrown, Fire-prone 
National Forests.''
     This hearing was the first in a series of hearings 
to help restore sound management to our fire-prone, overgrown 
National Forests. The hearing highlighted some of the 
devastating consequences of catastrophic wildland fires 
including reduced watershed health, diminished wildlife 
habitat, property destruction and fatalities, as well as the 
debilitating impact forest fires currently have on the Forest 
Service budget. The Committee heard testimony explaining how a 
lack of active forest management directly contributes to the 
growing number, size, and intensity of these catastrophic 
fires.
    May 14, 2015--``Litigation and Increased Planning's Impact 
on Our Nation's Overgrown, Fire-Prone National Forests.''
     This hearing was the second in a series of 
hearings to help restore sound management to our fire-prone, 
overgrown national forests. The hearing focused on the impact 
of increased frivolous litigation, the Forest Service's 
response to this increased litigious environment, added 
requirements by other agencies and the impact on our nation's 
national forests.
    July 23, 2015--``New and Innovative Ideas for the Next 
Century of Our National Parks.''
     In celebration of the National Park Service 
Centennial in 2016, the Committee held a hearing to focus on 
new and innovative ideas for generating funding for the 
National Park System, outside of congressional appropriations, 
including increasing park visitation, enhancing guest services, 
and promoting recreational opportunities within parks. Another 
key concern was addressing the many challenges the National 
Park Service faces in its Centennial year, chief among them 
being the twelve billion dollar deferred maintenance and 
operations backlog.
    September 29, 2015--``State, Local, and Tribal Approaches 
to Forest Management: Lessons for Better Management of our 
Federal Forests.''
     This hearing was the third in a series of hearings 
to help restore sound management to our fire-prone, overgrown 
national forests. The hearing focused on additional approaches 
to improve the health of our nation's national forests that are 
being carried out under state, local, and tribal laws and 
regulations.
    January 22, 2016--Field hearing held in St. George, Utah on 
``Ensuring Local Input, Legal Consistency and Multiple-Use 
Resource Management in St. George BLM Planning.''
     The hearing focused on gathering community input 
and providing oversight for the BLM's management plans in the 
area. The Subcommittee heard testimony about how the current 
plan would disrupt several existing uses important to local 
citizens and communities including hunting, snowmobiling, 
forest management and road and trail access to recreation.
    March 22, 2016--``Examining the Spending Priorities and 
Missions of the Forest Service in the President's Fiscal Year 
2017 Budget Proposal.''
    April 20, 2016--``Exploring Current Natural Resource 
Research Efforts and the Future of America's Land-Grant 
Colleges and Universities.''
    June 22, 2016--``Challenges and Potential Solutions for 
BLM's Wild Horse & Burro Program.''
     During this hearing, the Subcommittee heard 
testimony on the issues and challenges facing the Bureau of 
Land Management's management of wild horses and burros on 
federal lands across the West and the associated impacts on 
rangeland health, wildlife habitat, livestock ranching, 
agricultural development, and other natural resources. 
Specifically, the Subcommittee highlighted how the threat of 
litigation from animal rights' groups as well as longstanding 
Congressional appropriations language severally limited the 
Bureau's ability to sell or humanely dispose of certain horses. 
As a result, taxpayers are spending more than $49 million 
dollars a year to house over 45,000 horses in long-term holding 
facilities and more than 67,000 horses, far over the 
recommended number of 26,715 that currently roam on Western 
rangelands. The Subcommittee examined new potential solutions 
and authorities for the Bureau of Land Management in order to 
remedy this situation and improve the health of our horses and 
rangelands.

       Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs

    Chaired by Rep. Don Young of Alaska, the Subcommittee 
focused this Congress on promoting job creation and economic 
growth and prosperity in Tribal, Alaska Native and U.S. Insular 
communities.

Tribal Prosperity through Energy and Natural Resources

    In September 2015, the Natural Resources Committee adopted 
and favorably reported H.R. 538, ``Native American Energy 
Act,'' a bill sponsored by Subcommittee Chairman, Don Young. 
The bill would streamline or eliminate burdensome and 
duplicative government regulations and increase the opportunity 
for Indian tribes to develop energy resources on their own 
land.
    In April 2016, the U.S. Senate passed a comprehensive 
energy package which included S. 209, ``Indian Tribal Energy 
Development and Self-Determination Act Amendments of 2015.'' 
Both House and Senate Indian energy bills were considered in a 
formal House-Senate conference on S. 2012, ``North American 
Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2016.''
    In October 2016, the Committee held a Full Committee 
oversight field hearing in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on the 
development of tribal energy resources and the creation of jobs 
on Indian lands. While Indian lands contain vast energy 
resources, actions by the Obama Administration have prevented 
many tribes from developing resources, creating jobs, and 
improving their local tribal economies. Since taking office, 
the Obama Administration has implemented numerous roadblocks to 
Indian Energy development. The Subcommittee has continued 
vigorous oversight of the Administration in order to shine 
light on these policies and ensure accountability.

Trust Asset Reform

    In February 2016, the House passed H.R. 812, ``Indian Trust 
Asset Reform Act.'' On June 22, 2016 the bill was enacted into 
Public Law 114-178. The Act reaffirms the federal government's 
duty to promote tribal self-determination by setting forth a 
process by which an Indian tribe may opt to assume direct 
control over its trust assets. While tribes over the last 40 
years have increased their capacity to administer federal funds 
and services, most of their lands and tribal funds continue to 
be held in trust by the Secretary of the Interior, an 
arrangement that is often a hindrance to Indian prosperity. 
Some statutes require the Secretary to perform comprehensive 
control over an Indian asset in a manner that exposes taxpayers 
to enormous liabilities if the Secretary mismanages trust 
assets. In these cases, the Secretary's primary concern is risk 
avoidance, which may benefit the taxpayer but not the tribe. 
Other statutes authorize the Secretary to perform merely basic 
administrative duties for Indians with no enforceable fiduciary 
standards. Accordingly, an Indian trust asset could be 
underutilized or even mismanaged with no meaningful remedy 
available to the beneficial owner of that asset.
    H.R. 812 (P.L. 114-178), allows a tribe to assume 
responsibility for the management of its trust assets as long 
as federal liability is not thereby increased.

Federal Recognition of Indian Nations

    In April 2015, the Subcommittee began a series of oversight 
hearings into whether the Obama Administration exceeded its 
authority in the federal recognition of tribes. On July 1, 
2015, the Bureau of Indian Affairs finalized a controversial 
rule to revise the ``Part 83'' recognition regulations 
(regulations codified in 25 C.F.R. Part 83). At an April 22, 
2015, Subcommittee hearing, the then-proposed rule was the 
focus of criticism from bipartisan Members of the House and 
Senate, and from several federally recognized tribes. Though 
the Government Accountability Office, Members of Congress, 
federally recognized tribes, and other interest holders (states 
and local governments) for years have criticized the Part 83 
process for being inefficient, inconsistent, and lacking 
transparency, there have been virtually no requests from 
Congress or federally recognized tribes for the Administration 
to relax the criteria or lower the evidentiary standards a 
petitioner must meet to be acknowledged as a tribe. In October 
of 2015, Chairman Rob Bishop (UT-01) introduced a bill, H.R. 
3764, ``Tribal Recognition Act of 2015.''
    H.R. 3764 recognizes and reasserts Congress' appropriate, 
superior role over the formation of Indian policy by 
establishing a basis for the Secretary to examine the evidence 
submitted by groups seeking recognition as tribes, and for the 
determination on extending recognition to be reserved only to 
the Congress. In September 2016, the Natural Resources 
Committee ordered the bill reported, as amended.
    The criteria contained in the bill reflect the major parts 
of the ``old'' Part 83 criteria as they existed before the 2015 
revisions. Under the bill, the Secretary shall not have any 
power to recognize a tribe (except as expressly authorized by 
Act of Congress), and the Part 83 rule shall have no force or 
effect.
    Recognition of a tribe is a solemn act of the United States 
government, with long-term consequences not only to a tribe's 
members, but to other tribes, and to states and non-Indian 
citizens. This makes recognition a question for the political--
or legislative--branch. A tribe is eligible for a variety of 
federal services and benefits, including operation of a casino 
on its lands, and absolute sovereign immunity against anyone 
except the federal government. It usually obtains federal 
protection in controversies where states, local governments, or 
private citizens are adverse parties. A tribe may exercise 
special political authority over its territory and its Indian 
members. Land acquired in trust for a tribe divests state and 
local government jurisdiction over such property. A tribe is 
not deemed to be a party to the Constitution and as a result, 
an individual under a tribe's civil or criminal jurisdiction 
does not possess on that tribe's lands any of the rights 
guaranteed by the Constitution, except as provided by Congress.
    These unique tribal powers and immunities exist through 
centuries of treaties and statutes enacted in and by the 
Congress.

Indian Child Welfare

    In June of 2015, the House passed H.R. 1168, ``Native 
American Children's Safety Act,'' sponsored by Rep. Kevin 
Cramer. The Act amends the Indian Child Protection and Family 
Violence Prevention Act by prohibiting any foster care 
placement and foster care license until the tribal social 
services agency preforms a criminal background check of foster 
parents and employees. The companion bill to H.R. 1168, S. 184, 
was signed into law in June 2016. This bill was the continued 
effort of the subcommittee to address numerous reports by the 
media and tribal members that over several years, incidents of 
child abuse, neglect, and death were at epidemic levels on the 
Spirit Lake Indian Reservation in North Dakota.

Tribal Forest Management

    In September of 2015, the House passed H.R. 2791, ``Western 
Oregon Tribal Fairness Act,'' which was sponsored by Rep. Peter 
DeFazio. The bill requires land to be held in trust for the Cow 
Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, and another trust for 
the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw 
Indians. The bill also amends the Coquille Restoration Act to 
remove the Department of the Interior's jurisdiction of the 
Coquille Forest.
    The lack of active federal forest management has destroyed 
tens of thousands of jobs, deprived rural counties of revenue, 
and made our national forests increasingly susceptible to 
devastating wildfires and invasive species. Tribal forest 
managers continue to be more effective at using their limited 
resources to better protect forest health, prevent catastrophic 
wildfires and create jobs.

Oversight of the Indian Health Service

    For decades, federally-run Indian Health Service (IHS) 
facilities have been plagued by low-quality health care, 
accusations of impropriety, nepotism, and corruption. To make 
matters worse, the tribes served by the Great Plains area are 
generally located on large rural reservations that are plagued 
by long-term systemic non-healthcare problems like high 
unemployment, alcohol and drug abuse, a youth suicide epidemic, 
housing shortages, and lack of education.
    In response, Congress permanently reauthorized the Indian 
Health Care Improvement Act through the Affordable Care Act in 
2010. However, since that time, Centers for Medicare and 
Medicaid Services (CMS) continues to find serious health 
deficiencies at several IHS hospitals. CMS has terminated its 
provider contract with the Omaha-Winnebago Indian Health 
Service Hospital in Nebraska, while several in South Dakota 
were put on notice that their performance was potentially 
deficient.
    The troubles come when Congress has continued to increase 
the IHS budget almost each year since 2010, often exceeding the 
President's budget request since taking office. Since 2008, 
funding for the IHS has increased by more than 50 percent. The 
House's fiscal year (FY) 2017 proposed appropriation sits at 
approximately $1 billion over FY 2010 levels, yet the dangerous 
situation in the Great Plains area and the staffing shortage 
problem throughout the twelve IHS areas continues to exist if 
not grow. The Subcommittee remains extremely concerned about 
what this Administration has done to better the healthcare 
system for Indian tribes.
    In June of 2016, Rep. Kristi Noem introduced H.R. 5406, 
``Helping Ensure Accountability, Leadership, and Trust in 
Tribal Healthcare Act.'' On July 13, 2016, the Subcommittee 
held a legislative hearing on the bill, receiving favorable 
testimony. Though the bill does not address every problem 
plaguing the IHS, the Subcommittee will continue strong 
oversight in this area.

Restoring Tribal Homelands

    The Subcommittee continued to exercise its legislative 
authority to review and move bills to place excess federal land 
into trust for Indian tribes. Restoring tribal homelands 
continues to be a priority of the Subcommittee, working 
alongside federal, local and tribal stakeholders.
     H.R. 2733, ``Nevada Native Nations Land Act.'' In 
October 2016, the bill was enacted into Public Law 114-232, 
which placed into trust approximately 71,000 total acres of 
federal land for 6 tribes in the state of Nevada.
     H.R. 1880, ``Albuquerque Indian School Land 
Transfer Act.'' In October 2015, the Senate companion bill was 
enacted into Public Law 114-69, which placed 4 tracts of 
federal land totaling approximately 11.11 acres, into trust for 
the benefit for 19 pueblos in New Mexico.
     H.R. 2212, To take certain Federal lands located 
in Lassen County, California, into trust for the benefit of the 
Susanville Indian Rancheria, and for other purposes. In June 
2016, the bill was enacted into Public Law 114-181, which 
placed approximately 301 acres of federal land into trust for 
the benefit of the Susanville Indian Rancheria in California.
     H.R. 3079, To take certain Federal land located in 
Tuolumne County, California, into trust for the benefit of the 
Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians, and for other purposes. In 
July 2016, the House passed H.R. 3079 which places into trust 
approximately 80 acres of U.S. Forest Service land located in 
Tuolumne County, California for the benefit the Tuolumne Band 
of Me-Wuk Indians.

Puerto Rico

    Puerto Rico is in the midst of a fiscal crisis that 
Congress, through the leadership of this Committee, has taken 
concrete measures to resolve. The island has accumulated over 
$110 billion in combined debt and unfunded pension liabilities, 
and has seen a 10 percent decline in population over the past 
decade. Puerto Rico's local politicians have accelerated the 
crisis on the island through the passage of harmful 
legislation, including the imposition of a moratorium on the 
payment of debt. Due to the realities facing the island, and 
the inability of its local politicians to bring order and 
transparency, immediate congressional action was required. 
Because Puerto Rico is a United States territory and its 
residents are United States citizens, Congress has the 
responsibility and authority to make all needful rules and 
regulations for Puerto Rico.
    Puerto Rico's situation underscores the necessity for 
Congressional action, and highlights the purpose of the 
Committee on Natural Resources' efforts to address the crisis. 
On May 18, 2016, Congressman Sean P. Duffy introduced H.R. 
5278, ``Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic 
Stability Act (PROMESA).'' H.R. 5278 represents the second 
iteration of PROMESA, the first being H.R. 4900, and 
incorporates solutions to the Puerto Rico crisis learned from 
the testimony received during the Committee's four hearings, as 
well as concerns raised by Members and stakeholders commenting 
on H.R. 4900.
    The Committee's first oversight hearing, ``Exploring Energy 
Challenges and Opportunities Facing Puerto Rico'' was held by 
the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources on January 12, 
2016. The hearing identified the need for energy and 
infrastructure development on the island, and highlighted the 
current deficiencies plaguing the island. For instance, Puerto 
Rico is hampered by permitting inefficiencies, with the World 
Bank having ranked Puerto Rico as 135th out of 189 countries 
for ease of `Dealing with Construction Permits.' PROMESA in 
Title V addresses both the bureaucratic processes that hinder 
development on the island, and promotes the infusion of private 
capital to spur economic development. The Oversight Board 
established in PROMESA has the opportunity to fast-track 
infrastructure projects by co-opting existing Puerto Rico laws, 
thus providing project proponents with the assurances of 
regulatory certainty.
    The Natural Resources Committee's second oversight hearing, 
``The Need for the Establishment of a Puerto Rico Financial 
Stability and Economic Growth Authority'' was held by the 
Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs on 
February 2, 2016. The hearing outlined the need for an 
independent oversight board to oversee Puerto Rico's fiscal and 
governmental activities. At that hearing, the Natural Resources 
Committee received testimony from former Washington, D.C. Mayor 
Anthony Williams who had previously served as an officer of the 
D.C. Board. Mayor Williams described the successes of the D.C. 
Board, and the challenges a similar board would face if 
instituted over Puerto Rico. Other testimony highlighted the 
limited oversight and transparency of actions within Puerto 
Rico's governmental entities, such as the failure of Puerto 
Rico's government to provide any audited financials for the 
past two fiscal years, and the lack of institutional control. 
As such, Titles I and II of PROMESA remedy the deteriorating 
health of Puerto Rico's finances and economy--at no net cost to 
the U.S. taxpayer--through the establishment of an Oversight 
Board for the territory.
    The third hearing, ``U.S. Department of the Treasury's 
Analysis of the Situation in Puerto Rico,'' held at the Full 
Committee on February 25, 2016, provided valuable testimony as 
to why Puerto Rico needed access to debt restructuring. 
Counsellor Antonio Weiss with the U.S. Department of the 
Treasury informed the Natural Resources Committee as to the 
unsustainability of Puerto Rico's debt and the disorderly state 
of Puerto Rico's financials. Therefore, Titles III and VI of 
H.R. 5278 provide Puerto Rico's indebted entities with the 
management of the Oversight Board, and the opportunity to 
restructure their debts in a fair and equitable manner for 
their respective creditors.
    The final hearing was a Full Committee legislative hearing 
on a discussion draft on what became H.R. 4900 on April 13, 
2016. The hearing alerted the Natural Resources Committee to a 
number of concerns expressed by stakeholders, such as the U.S. 
Department of the Treasury, and Members of the Committee. H.R. 
5278 addresses many of the concerns raised to the Committee 
during the hearing and provides a workable solution that will 
ensure Puerto Rico regains access to capital markets and 
achieves fiscal responsibility and transparency.
    In June 2016, the House passed H.R. 5278. The language of 
H.R. 5278 was incorporated into S. 2328, which was enacted as 
Public Law 114-187 on June 30, 2016.

Republic of Palau

    On September 3, 2010, the Obama Administration and the 
Government of Palau made an agreement to renew the compact for 
which Congress has yet to provide funding. H.R. 4531, To 
approve an agreement between the United States and the Republic 
of Palau, and for other purposes, would approve the agreement 
and provide funding for it. The review agreement made in 2010 
between the U.S. and the Republic of Palau calls for the U.S. 
to provide $229 million to Palau through the year 2024. 
However, since the agreement has not been brought into force, 
the Department of the Interior has been making annual payments 
of approximately $13.1 million a year since 2010, totaling $92 
million in discretionary funding thus far. At a July 6, 2016, 
legislative hearing, the Subcommittee heard testimony from the 
Assistant Secretary of the Office of Insular Affairs, the 
Honorable Esther Kia'aina, as well as from the Ambassador of 
Palau, His Excellency Hersey Kyota. Dr. David Gootnick, M.D., 
Director of International Affairs and Trade, U.S. Government 
Accountability Office also provided testimony at this hearing.

              Full Committee Oversight Hearings (1 total)

    October 4, 2016--Field Hearing in Santa Fe, New Mexico on 
``Tribal Prosperity and Self-Determination through Energy 
Development''
     The Full Committee held an oversight field hearing 
in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on the development of tribal energy 
resources and the creation of jobs on Indian lands. While 
Indian lands contain vast energy resources, actions by the 
Obama Administration have prevented many tribes from developing 
resources, creating jobs, and improving their local tribal 
economies. Since taking office, the Obama Administration has 
implemented numerous roadblocks to Indian energy development. 
The Subcommittee has continued vigorous oversight of the 
Administration in order to shine light on these policies and 
ensure accountability.

   Legislative Activities of the Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and 
                    Alaska Native Affairs (14 total)

    April 14, 2015--H.R. 329, ``Indian Employment, Training and 
Related Services Consolidation Act of 2015''; H.R. 521, To 
provide for the conveyance of certain property to the Yukon 
Kuskokwim Health Corporation located in Bethel, Alaska; and 
H.R. 812, ``Indian Trust Asset Reform Act.''
     H.R. 812, as amended, was passed by the House by 
voice vote on 2/24/16.
     H.R. 812, as amended, became Public Law 114-178 on 
6/22/2016.
    June 10, 2015--H.R. 487, To allow the Miami Tribe of 
Oklahoma to lease or transfer certain lands; H.R. 2212, To take 
certain Federal lands located in Lassen County, California, 
into trust for the benefit of the Susanville Indian Rancheria, 
and for other purposes; and H.R. 2387, ``Alaska Native Veterans 
Land Allotment Equity Act.''
     H.R. 487 was passed by the House by voice vote on 
9/16/2015.
     H.R. 487 became Public Law 114-127 on 2/29/2016.
     H.R. 2212, as amended, was passed by the House by 
voice vote on 11/30/2015.
     H.R. 2212, as amended, became Public Law 114-181 
on 6/22/2016.
    June 17, 2015--H.R. 1157, ``Santa Ynez Band of Chumash 
Mission Indians Land Transfer Act of 2016''; H.R. 2386, 
``Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition 
and Compensation Act''; and H.R. 2538, ``Lytton Rancheria 
Homelands Act of 2015.''
    July 15, 2015--H.R. 1028, ``Return of Certain Lands at Fort 
Wingate to The Original Inhabitants Act''; H.R. 2684, 
``Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas Equal and Fair Opportunity 
Settlement Act''; and H.R. 2733, ``Nevada Native Nations Lands 
Act.''
     H.R. 2733, as amended, was passed by the House by 
voice vote on 06/07/2016.
     H.R. 2733, as amended, became Public Law 114-232 
on 10/07/2016.
    July 22, 2015--H.R. 1880, ``Albuquerque Indian School Land 
Transfer Act''; and H.R. 2388, ``Subsistence Access Management 
Act of 2015.''
    September 29, 2015--H.R. 286, ``Little Shell Tribe of 
Chippewa Indians Restoration Act of 2015''; and H.R. 872, 
``Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal 
Recognition Act of 2015.''
    October 28, 2015--H.R. 3764, ``Tribal Recognition Act of 
2015.'' (Part I of II)
    November 4, 2015--H.R. 2009, ``Pascua Yaqui Tribe Land 
Conveyance Act''; H.R. 2719, ``Tribal Coastal Resiliency Act''; 
and H.R. 3079, To take certain Federal land located in Tuolumne 
County, California, into trust for the benefit of the Tuolumne 
Band of Me-Wuk Indians, and for other purposes.
     H.R. 2009, as amended, was passed by the House by 
voice vote on 06/07/2016.
     H.R. 3079, as amended, was passed by the House by 
voice vote on 07/05/2016.
    December 8, 2015-- H.R. 3764, ``Tribal Recognition Act of 
2015.'' (Part II of II)
    February 24, 2016--H.R. 3477, ``Native American Tourism and 
Improving Visitor Experience Act''; and H.R. 3599, ``Eastern 
Band Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act.''
    May 18, 2016--H.R. 4289, To provide for the conveyance of 
certain property to the Tanana Tribal Council located in 
Tanana, Alaska, and to the Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation 
located in Dillingham, Alaska, and for other purposes; and S. 
246, ``Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on 
Native Children Act.''
     S. 246, as amended, was passed by the House by 
voice vote on 09/12/2016.
     S. 246, as amended, became Public Law 114-244 on 
10/14/2016.
    June 14, 2016--H.R. 4685, ``Tule River Indian Reservation 
Land Trust, Health, and Economic Development Act''; and H.R. 
5379, ``Requirements, Expectations, and Standard Procedures for 
Executive Consultation with Tribes Act.''
     H.R. 4685 was passed by the House by voice vote on 
07/05/2016.
     The text of H.R. 4685, as passed by the House, was 
incorporated into S. 612, ``Water Infrastructure Improvements 
for the Nation Act.''
     S. 612 passed the House on 12/08/2016, and the 
Senate agreed to House amendment on 12/12/2016.
     S. 612 was presented to the President on 12/14/
2016.
    July 6, 2016--H.R. 4531, To approve an agreement between 
the United States and the Republic of Palau, and for other 
purposes.
    July 12, 2016--H.R. 5406, ``Helping Ensure Accountability, 
Leadership, and Trust in Tribal Healthcare Act.''

Oversight Activities of the Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska 
                        Native Affairs (7 total)

    March 18, 2015--``Funding Priorities for and the United 
States' Responsibilities concerning Indians, Alaska Natives, 
and Insular Areas in the President's FY 2016 Budget Request for 
the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Indian Health Service, Office of 
Insular Affairs, and Office of the Special Trustee for American 
Indians.''
     The hearing concerned the President's budget 
request covering services and programs for Native Americans 
provided by four agencies in two Departments, as follows: In 
the Department of the Interior--Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), 
Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians (OST), and 
the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA). In the Department of 
Health and Human Services, it concerned the Indian Health 
Service (IHS). The President's Budget request for Indian 
programs largely proposes to spend more money without proposing 
fundamental changes in federal laws and policies that have led 
to severe poverty, unemployment, and health problems in many 
tribal and Alaska Native village communities.
    April 22, 2015--``The Obama Administration's Part 83 
Revisions and How They May Allow the Interior Department to 
Create Tribes, Not Recognize Them.''
     Federal recognition regulations under Part 83 were 
created by the Department of the Interior, not Congress, even 
though Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 of the Constitution 
delegates only to Congress the power to regulate Indian 
affairs. As a result, a political question (i.e., extending 
political relations to an Indian tribe) reserved to Congress 
has been converted by the Department into a kind of entitlement 
under which a petitioner must meet Department-invented 
criteria. The recognition of new tribes has profound 
consequences on the federal budget, on existing recognized 
tribes, on state civil, criminal, and tax jurisdiction, and on 
individual rights.
    May 14, 2015--``Inadequate Standards for Trust Land 
Acquisition in the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934.''
     The purpose of this oversight hearing was to 
examine whether or not there should be any meaningful statutory 
conditions imposed on the Secretary's power to acquire trust 
land, and what the policy and Constitutional risks may be if 
Congress fails to enact such conditions.
    June 24, 2015--``Examining procedures regarding Puerto 
Rico's political status and economic outlook.''
     The Subcommittee examined the link between the 
current economic conditions of the island and the unresolved 
issue of its political status. One area of specific interest is 
whether economic conditions would improve, decline further, or 
show no effect with a change in Puerto Rico's political status.
    February 02, 2016--``The Need for the Establishment of a 
Puerto Rico Financial Stability and Economic Growth 
Authority.''
     The purpose of this hearing was to provide 
commentary on a possible solution to the Puerto Rican debt 
crisis, which will emphasize improved management policies and 
long-term sustainability.
    March 22, 2016--``The President's Fiscal Year 2017 Funding 
Priorities and Impacts on Indian Country and Insular Areas.''
     The hearing concerned the President's budget 
request covering services and programs for Native Americans and 
Insular Areas of the United States provided by four agencies in 
two Departments, including the BIA, OST, and OIA within the 
Department of the Interior, and the IHS within the Department 
of Health and Human Services.
    September 13, 2016--``Reviewing the economic impacts from 
the implementation of the Commonwealth-only worker program in 
the Northern Mariana Islands under Public Law 110-229.''
     The purpose of this hearing was to discuss the 
Commonwealth-only worker program and the effects the 
implementation is having on the current economic state of the 
Commonwealth.

              Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

    The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations was 
created in the 114th Congress with the expressed purpose of 
ensuring a specific focus on aggressive oversight of the 
Executive Branch. The focus of these oversight efforts was on 
promoting job creation and economic growth, reducing spending 
and ensuring responsible use of taxpayer resources, and 
protecting public access to public lands and waters for 
recreation and economic development.
    Chaired by the Honorable Louie Gohmert (TX-01), the 
Subcommittee took seriously its responsibility to conduct 
oversight of the Executive Branch and examined numerous Obama 
Administration policies, regulations, and actions; most notably 
at the Department of the Interior (DOI) and its various sub-
agencies, The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), The 
Department of Justice (DOJ), the Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). Through 
investigations and oversight hearings, the Subcommittee sought 
answers from the Administration on behalf of the American 
people and promoted accountability and transparency.

Department of the Interior

    During the 114th Congress, the Subcommittee focused on a 
myriad of issues across the Department of the Interior. Major 
and ongoing issues that the Subcommittee continues to 
investigate include the EPA's Gold King Mine Spill in the 
Animas River, the DOI's continued lack of movement and 
accountability on addressing ongoing ethics concerns; the 
promulgating of new rules and regulations by the various sub-
agencies, and how they utilize and interpret existing rules; 
agency law enforcement on federal lands; analysis of the Office 
of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement's (OSMRE) Stream 
Protection Rule; the National Park Service's (NPS) response to 
findings of mismanagement at Effigy Mounds National Monument; 
and issues of data manipulation at the U.S. Geological 
Service's (USGS) laboratory in Lakewood, Colorado.

Subcommittee Reports

    The Subcommittee also contributed to the increased 
education of House Members and staff, as well as the public, on 
various issues under the Natural Resources Committee's 
jurisdiction through various reports and projects. In the 
114th, the Subcommittee commissioned a Congressional Research 
Service (CRS) report on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), NPS, and the USFS 
deferred maintenance backlog. The major undertaking of the 
Subcommittee during the 114th was its investigation into 
actions and missteps from the EPA that facilitated the Gold 
King Mine Spill into the Animas River and subsequent actions by 
both EPA and DOI after the spill. These efforts culminated into 
a report issued by the Committee. Another major accomplishment 
of the Subcommittee was the creation of the Federal Footprint 
Map, which utilizes continuously updating data direct from the 
agencies themselves to complete layers and legends detailing 
the roughly 640 million acres of land that the federal 
government currently owns, particularly in western states. The 
Subcommittee also provided whistleblowers a means to contact 
the Subcommittee via website.

Endangered Species Act

    The Subcommittee also focused on various issues regarding 
the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the species and 
communities that the law affects. The ESA was created over four 
decades ago in 1973. Since that time, over 1,500 U.S. domestic 
species and sub-species have been added to the endangered list 
and only a small fraction of species has ever been removed as a 
result of successful conservation activities. The Subcommittee 
led Full Committee hearings on the consultation requirements of 
Section 7 of the ESA, also commissioning a CRS report on the 
issue; as well as recent policy changes for critical habitat 
designation and implementation.

  SUBCOMMITTEE ACTIONS ON THE GOLD KING MINE SPILL (1 JOINT COMMITTEE 
          HEARING--1 FULL COMMITTEE HEARING--11 LETTERS SENT)

    Over the course of the 114th Congress, the EPA's Gold King 
Mine Spill in the Animas River has been the Subcommittee's 
largest undertaking, as the Subcommittee has been at the 
forefront of the multiple Congressional investigations that 
have occurred since the event occurred in August of 2015. Major 
highlights of the Subcommittee's involvement in the Animas 
River Spill include two hearings, numerous document requests, 
document analysis, and continued correspondence with agency 
officials and representatives. The Natural Resources Committee 
also issued subpoenas to the Department of Interior and the 
Army Corps of Engineers, and requested an analysis of the 
Bureau of Reclamation's (BOR) technical review by the 
Government Accountability Office (GAO). This work culminated 
into the Subcommittee issuing a report detailing the 
Subcommittee's findings regarding agency reviews on the event, 
actions and missteps by EPA that led to the incident, and 
resulting effects and subsequent response efforts by the 
agencies involved. The Subcommittee has continued efforts, 
through further review of new document productions, fact-
finding, and interactions with the agencies.

Joint Full Committee Hearing on the Gold King Mine Spill

    September 17, 2015--``EPA's Animas Spill'' (Joint hearing 
with the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform).
     The Subcommittee spearheaded a Full Committee 
hearing that was held jointly with the House Committee on 
Oversight and Government Reform that focused on the involvement 
of the EPA, the circumstances surrounding the spill, and the 
resulting effects and subsequent response efforts by multiple 
federal agencies. The ``EPA's Animas Spill'' had one of the 
highest Member turnouts and was one of the highest profile 
hearings for the Natural Resources Committee during the 114th 
Congress. Witnesses included EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, 
representatives from the Navajo Nation and Ute Tribes, and 
state officials from New Mexico and Colorado.

Full Committee Hearing on the Gold King Mine Spill

    December 9, 2015--``The Department of the Interior's Role 
in the EPA's Animas Spill.''
     The Subcommittee spearheaded a follow up Full 
Committee hearing to actions of DOI before, during and after 
the disaster and how its responsibilities were managed, and the 
released BOR's technical review of the incident. Interior 
Secretary Sally Jewell testified at the hearing and received 
questions from the Full Committee.
     The EPA's Office of Inspector General (EPA-OIG) 
eventually advised staff from several Congressional Committees 
that the OIG provided evidence of criminal violations of the 
Clean Water Act and that an EPA official had provided false 
information to investigators to DOJ. The Natural Resources 
Committee's report had asserted that EPA's actions were in 
violation of the Clean Water Act and that officials with the 
agency had provided contradictory and misleading statements.

Additional Actions Taken By the Subcommittee Regarding the Gold King 
        Mine Spill

     Between August 31, 2015-September 3, 2015, the 
Subcommittee issued document request letters to EPA, DOI, and 
the contractor working for EPA at the site, Environmental 
Restoration. The agencies and subcontractor responded multiple 
times with extensive document productions.
     On December 9, 2015, the Subcommittee sent a 
letter to the GAO requesting that they review the scope, 
objectivity, and thoroughness of BOR's technical review.
     On December 10, 2015, the Subcommittee sent a 
letter to the Army Corps of Engineers regarding peer review 
comments from the Corp for BOR's technical review.
     On December 18, 2015, the Subcommittee sent the 
EPA-OIG a letter regarding EPA's potential interference with 
the OIG's review of the incident.
     On February 17, 2016, the Subcommittee issued 
subpoenas both to DOI and the Army Corp of Engineers demanding 
outstanding documents that the agencies had not been compliant 
in sending to that point.
     On September 14, 2016, the Subcommittee issued a 
letter to FWS that focused on the toxic plume's effect on 
endangered species and the EPA's failure to consult on its Gold 
King Mine activities. To most of these letters, the 
Subcommittee received responses from the agencies in question; 
granted the agencies, more-often than not, took far longer than 
the deadline set by the Subcommittee in the request letter.
     On October 12, 2016, Full Committee Chairman Rob 
Bishop (UT-01) and Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations 
Committee, Jason Chaffetz (UT-03), sent a joint letter to 
Attorney General Loretta Lynch requesting a briefing on DOJ's 
declination to pursue evidence of criminal acts that the EPA-
OIG had referred to DOJ.
     On October 24, 2016, the Subcommittee sent another 
letter to FWS following up on the letter sent on September 14, 
2016.
     Over the course of the Subcommittee's over-a-
yearlong investigation, over 100,000 pages of records were 
analyzed.

                   FULL COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT HEARINGS 
                          (O&I--LEAD: 3 TOTAL)

    May 19, 2015--``Empowering State Management of Greater Sage 
Grouse.''
     The Subcommittee held a Full Committee hearing 
that focused on examining the efforts of states to protect the 
endangered Greater Sage Grouse. It also functioned as a 
platform to give states the opportunity to explain their role 
as wildlife managers, and to support true cooperation between 
the federal agencies and state and local governments. Witnesses 
included state officials from Utah, Idaho, and Colorado who 
have worked at the ground level on sage-grouse conservation 
efforts.
    July 29, 2015--``Federal Agencies' Selective Enforcement of 
ESA Consultation.''
     The Subcommittee held a Full Committee hearing 
that focused on the ESA; namely its requirement for 
consultation with FWS and/or the National Marine Fisheries 
Service (NMFS) under section 7 when any discretionary federal 
action may affect a listed species or designated critical 
habitat. Discussion in the hearing centered around EPA, which, 
while acknowledging it ``works closely with the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service on 
consultation for protection of endangered species through a 
Memorandum of Agreement,'' did not consult with FWS on effects 
its rules for carbon emissions from new and existing power 
plants may have on listed species, including endangered 
manatees. Witnesses included officials from the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and DOI.
     For the FY2016 Joint Budget hearing held by the 
Subcommittees on Federal Lands and Water, Power, and Oceans, 
the Subcommittee sent a preparatory letter to FWS to inform 
Director Dan Ashe that he would be asked questions regarding 
whether or not EPA asked FWS to engage in section 7 
consultation on EPA's proposed Greenhouse Gas Emissions from 
New Stationary Sources rule. At the budget hearing, Director 
Ashe confirmed that they had not.
     Additional Actions: On April 2, 2015, the 
Subcommittee followed up with FWS regarding Director Ashe's 
confirmation at the joint budget hearing that EPA had not 
entered Section 7 consultation with FWS. In the letter, 
questions were asked regarding this failure by EPA to enter 
into consultation. FWS responded to the questions. On June 11-
15th, 2016, the Subcommittee sent document request letters to 
EPA, including a joint letter with Senate Committee on 
Environment and Public Works (EPW), requesting that the agency 
both detail its decision not to consider whether consultation 
was appropriate and to detail the ground level effects of their 
new rules on ESA-listed habitat. EPA responded to these 
requests, and the Subcommittee reviewed the over 1,000 
documents that they submitted. On July 13, 2016, the Committee 
sent a document request letter to the President's Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) requesting communications with FWS 
and EPA.
     The Subcommittee also had a report commissioned on 
ESA Sec. 7 consultation from CRS.
    April 19, 2016--``Recent Changes in Endangered Species 
Critical Habitat Designation and Implementation.''
     The Subcommittee held a hearing that focused on 
recent final rules and policy from FWS and NOAA's Fisheries 
Service that amended regulations and policy regarding critical 
habitat under the ESA. These included new definitions codified 
at 50 CFR Sec. 424.02, significantly, new definitions for the 
term ``geographical area occupied by the species'' and the term 
``physical or biological features,'' as well as a finalized 
revised regulatory definition of ``destruction or adverse 
modification'' as codified at 50 CFR Sec. 424.02. The Services 
also issued a new policy regarding the use of exclusions, 
notably exclusions on federal land and water under Section 
4(b)(2) of the ESA. Witnesses included the Director of FWS, Dan 
Ashe, as well as a former DOI Solicitor, a county 
administrator, and the Endangered Species Recovery Director at 
the Center for Biological Diversity.

               SUBCOMMITTEE OVERSIGHT HEARINGS (14 TOTAL)

    April 29, 2015--``Zero Accountability: The Consequences of 
Politically Driven Science.''
     The Subcommittee held a hearing that focused on 
improving the transparency of federal agencies where science 
intersects with policy making. Examples detailing poor and 
improper use of science in decision-making by agencies provided 
by the Committee included Point Reyes Oyster Farm, poor 
management of whooping cranes in Texas, and the prioritization 
of the Houston Toad over timely disaster relief in Bastrop 
County, Texas. Witnesses included the owner of the Drake's Bay 
Oyster Company, Bastrop County's Commissioner, and a Texas 
Public Policy Foundation Scholar.
    May 20, 2015--``State Perspectives on the Status of 
Cooperating Agencies for the Office of Surface Mining's Stream 
Protection Rule.''
     The Subcommittee held a hearing detailing that, in 
2010, OSMRE, as the lead agency for the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) review of the Stream Buffer Zone Rule (SBZR) 
rewrite, entered into memoranda of understanding (MOU) with a 
number of states, affording cooperating agency status to the 
signatory states for environmental impact statement (EIS) 
activities under NEPA for the Stream Protection rulemaking. 
However, OSMRE has excluded the states from the NEPA process in 
contradiction of both NEPA regulations and their MOUs. The 
hearing focused on the perspectives of those cooperating state 
agencies on the environmental review process. Witnesses for the 
hearing included state officials from a number of states 
affected by the drafting of the Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS). During the hearing, the official testifying on behalf of 
West Virginia announced that West Virginia would be withdrawing 
its status as a cooperating agency.
     Additional Actions: On April 2, 2015, the 
Subcommittee sent a document request letter to OSMRE regarding 
the lack of ``meaningful participation'' afforded to the 11 
States that entered into a MOU with the agency to participate 
in the development of an EIS. To this, the Subcommittee 
received three responses from OSMRE. On July 15, 2015, the 
Subcommittee sent a letter to the GAO requesting information 
regarding the development of the SBZR and the responsibilities 
of OSMRE under NEPA. To this, GAO sent a response letter.
    June, 24, 2015--``GAO Report Documents BLM's Chronic 
Mismanagement of Wind and Solar Reclamation Bonds.''
     The Subcommittee held a hearing analyzing the 
BLM's repeated failure to ensure that bonds for renewable 
energy projects on federal land were sufficient to cover 
reclamation costs, accurately tracked, and securely stored. 
Focus was on recently released report from the GAO that 
followed up on a previous request from the Natural Resources 
Committee to examine BLM's polices for the bonding of wind and 
solar projects on federal lands. GAO found that BLM has 
inconsistent policies governing bonds for renewable energy 
projects, routinely fails to properly track and store such 
bonds, and has limited assurance that bonds for wind and solar 
projects on federal lands will cover reclamation costs. 
Witnesses for the hearing included officials from GAO and DOI.
     Additional Actions: On May 1, 2015, the 
subcommittee sent letters to BLM and the Department of the 
Interior's Office of the Inspector General (DOI-OIG) asking 
questions regarding a number of reclamations bonds for 
renewable energy projects that were removed from a safe and 
shredded at the Rawlins, Wyoming Field Office. To this, both 
BLM and DOI-OIG sent responses.
    July 28, 2015--``Accountability, Policies, and Tactics of 
Law Enforcement within the Department of the Interior and the 
U.S. Forest Service.''
     The Subcommittee held a hearing regarding 
accountability, policies, and tactics of law enforcement within 
DOI and the USFS. The hearing focused on an increasing lack of 
cooperation between county and federal law enforcement 
authorities, as well as conflicts rooted in altercations 
between federal agents and private landowners and other 
citizens, which are increasing in frequency. Witnesses included 
a local county sheriff, a legal scholar who specializes in 
criminal law, and a member of the Federal Law Enforcement 
Officers Association.
    February 24, 2016--``The Imposition of New Regulations 
Through the President's Memorandum on Mitigation.''
     The Subcommittee held a hearing analyzing the 
President's new Memorandum issued to the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), DOI, 
EPA, and NOAA requiring sweeping changes to their policies 
regarding mitigation of natural resource impacts from approved 
projects and activities. Specifically, the new policy requires 
agencies considering the permitting of projects to incorporate 
a standard of ensuring a ``net benefit'' or at minimum ``no net 
loss'' of important, scarce, or sensitive natural resources 
before a permit can be issued. Witnesses included officials 
from DOI, USDA, and CEQ.
    March 17, 2016--``Implementation of the Department of the 
Interior's Law Enforcement Records System.''
     The Subcommittee held a hearing that focused on 
the DOI's progress in deploying the Incident Management, 
Analysis, and Reporting System (IMARS), a law enforcement 
database system. The hearing looked to address why, after 
spending approximately $100 million on the program, IMARS has 
still not been deployed across the entirety of DOI and is not 
effectively linked to other agencies, such as U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection. The witness for this hearing was an official 
from the DOI.
     Additional Actions: On February 23, 2016, the 
Subcommittee sent a letter to DOI requesting answers to 
questions regarding the delayed implementation of the IMARS 
system. The Subcommittee received a response to this inquiry. 
To this, the Subcommittee followed up with another letter on 
March 24, 2016 requesting more information. DOI also responded 
to this request.
    April 28, 2016--``The Consequences of Federal Land 
Management Along the U.S. Border to Rural Communities and 
National Security.''
     The Subcommittee held a hearing that focused on 
the challenges to maintaining rural communities and securing 
the border under federal land management regimes. Witnesses 
included DOI's Interagency Borderland Coordinator, Jon Andrew, 
as well as a County Commissioner and two local ranchers who had 
previous dealings with illegal drug-trafficking on their 
property.
     Additional Actions: On March 27, 2015, the 
Subcommittee sent document requests to both DOI and DHS 
requesting information from both agencies detailing their 
interactions, with a focus on the impediments that DOI's 
restrictive laws and regulations place on DHS in securing the 
border. Both agencies replied, and the committee analyzed 
roughly 9,000 pages of documents provided over multiple 
productions.
    May 12, 2016--``Local and State Perspectives on BLM's Draft 
Planning 2.0 Rule.''
     The Subcommittee held an oversight hearing that 
focused on BLM's publishing of its proposed Resources 
Management Planning Rule, which is part of its Planning 2.0 
initiative. The hearing's intention was to provide an 
opportunity for affected local and state governments to present 
their concerns about BLM's proposed planning rule. Witnesses 
included state and local officials from three states set to be 
effected by Planning 2.0, including Nevada, New Mexico, and 
Wyoming.
    May 24, 2016--``Investigating the Culture of Corruption at 
the Department of the Interior.''
     The Subcommittee held a hearing that focused on 
both reports released by DOI-OIG detailing multiple instances 
of misconduct within the Department and its sub-agencies, as 
well as how DOI's culture and ethics structure have contributed 
to an environment in which ethics violations are commonplace, 
particularly on the part of political appointees. Witnesses at 
the hearing included DOI-OIG's Deputy Inspector General, Mary 
Kendall, and the Department of the interior's Office of the 
Solicitor's (DOI-OIS) Deputy Solicitor of Law, Edward Keable. 
DOJ refused to testify at the hearing.
     Additional Actions: On May 19, 2016, the 
Subcommittee sent a request letter to DOI-OIG requesting copies 
of recently released reports detailing multiple incidents of 
ethics violations and misuse/inappropriate use of federal 
utilities. On May 31, 2016, the Subcommittee followed up with a 
request for a recent report detailing the actions of a BLM 
official, who was personally involved in a land transaction 
where he stood to make substantial financial gain. On June 7, 
2016, the Subcommittee followed up with DOI-OIG again to 
requested investigative reports from DOI on concerns regarding 
alleged contract steering at NPS and failure to disclose 
employment at the FWS. DOI-OIG provided these reports.
    June 23, 2016--``The Administration's Response to Findings 
of Unethical and Criminal Conduct at the Department of the 
Interior.''
     The Subcommittee held a follow up hearing with the 
purpose of examining how DOI holds its employees accountable, 
why so many serious ethics violations have recently come to 
light, the relationship between DOJ and OIG, and how DOJ 
handles OIG referrals. Witnesses included FWS' Director of 
Policy, Steve Guertin, and DOI-OIG Deputy Inspector General, 
Mary Kendall. DOJ again refused to testify at the hearing.
     Several months after the subcommittee hearings DOJ 
announced that its Public Integrity Section was prosecuting one 
the individuals highlighted during the hearings. Two US 
Attorney's offices had declined to pursue the matter when 
originally presented the DOI-OIG's report and DOJ had refused 
to provide a witness at the hearing.
     Additional Actions: On October 18, 2016, the 
Subcommittee sent a letter to DOI-OIG requesting a copy of a 
recent report detailing allegations against the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service of improper awarding of grants to an outside 
group.
    July 7, 2016--``State Perspectives on BLM's Draft Planning 
2.0 Rule.''
     The Subcommittee held a follow-up hearing that 
looked to provide a further opportunity for more groups likely 
to be affected by BLM's new resource management planning rule 
to discuss their concerns with the Subcommittee. Witnesses 
included the Secretary of Land and Mineral Management at DOI, 
Jim Lyons, as well as the Executive Director of the Western 
Governors Association, a Utah state official, and stakeholders 
from Colorado and Nevada.
    July 14, 2016--``The Status of Ivanpah and other Federal 
Loan-Guaranteed Solar Energy Projects on Bureau of Land 
Management Lands.''
     The Subcommittee held a hearing that focused on 
the performance of the Obama Administration's significant 
taxpayer investments in solar energy projects on public lands 
managed by BLM; using the Ivanpah Solar Generating Facility to 
demonstrate the lack of return on large taxpayer investment, 
and the adverse effects of these projects on the environment, 
notably protected species. Witnesses included energy experts 
and a BLM official.
    September 21, 2016--``The Status of the Federal 
Government's Management of Wolves.''
     The Subcommittee held a hearing that focused on 
the status of federal and state wolf management and recovery 
efforts in the United States and the intentions of FWS to 
expand wolf reintroduction. The Subcommittee found federal 
management of wolves to be a failure, with the agency failing 
to work effectively with states and local stakeholders in wolf 
recovery efforts. One of the most attended hearings of 2016, 
nine Members of Congress requested to be included by unanimous 
consent for the opportunity to question witnesses. Witnesses 
included state officials from North Carolina, New Mexico, and 
Idaho, as well as the Deputy Director from FWS, Steve Guertin, 
and ranchers who have negatively been affected by wolf 
introduction.
    December 6, 2016--``Examining Decades of Data Manipulation 
at the United States Geological Survey.''
     The Subcommittee held a hearing that examined data 
manipulation that occurred at the U.S. Geological Survey's 
(USGS) Energy Resources Program (ERP) Geochemistry Laboratory 
in Lakewood, Colorado, as well as the failures of USGS 
management to implement effective quality controls which 
allowed the manipulation to go undetected for nearly two 
decades as well as management's role in fostering a ``toxic'' 
work environment and failure to take necessary corrective 
actions. The hearing also focused on the still indeterminate 
impacts the manipulated data yielded on law and policy and USGS 
was unable to provide the Subcommittee with a definitive list 
of the laws policies or projects affected by the data 
manipulation. The witness for this hearing was Deputy Director 
of the USGS, Mr. William Workheiser, who, in his oral statement 
to the Natural Resources Committee, mentioned the incident as 
his ``lowest moment [in] 30 years of Federal service at USGS.''
     Additional Actions: On August 29, 2016, the 
Subcommittee sent a document preservation letter to USGS 
related to a course of continuous data manipulation that 
occurred at the USGS's ERP Geochemistry Laboratory in Lakewood, 
Colorado between 1996 and 2014. The data manipulation, along 
with the laboratory's management failures, were the subject of 
two separate Department of Interior Office of Inspector 
General' reports as well as a Department of Interior Scientific 
Integrity Review Panel report which concluded a ``chronic 
pattern of scientific misconduct'' existed at the laboratory 
and recommended the lab's immediate closure. The Subcommittee 
followed up with a second letter to USGS on September 23, 2016, 
that made 30 separate information and document requests related 
to the data manipulation that occurred between 1996 and 2014.

            ADDITIONAL ISSUES ADDRESSED BY THE SUBCOMMITTEE

Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in 
        Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

     On February 6, 2015, the Subcommittee sent a 
letter to DOI requesting information regarding DOI's purpose 
for and involvement at the conference, as well as the 
delegation that represented them there.

Northern Long--Eared Bat (NLEB)

     On March 4, 2015, the Subcommittee wrote a letter 
to FWS concerning the potential listing of the Northern long-
eared Bat on the Endangered Species list, and the 4(d) rule 
that accompanied the listing. The Natural Resources Committee 
argued that the proposed 4(d) rule provides inadequate 
protections to both long-standing and new activities that are 
vital to communities throughout the bat's extensive range. 
After a non-responsive answer from FWS providing a link to the 
proposed listing on their website, the Subcommittee followed up 
with another letter on March 30, 2016, requesting a more 
substantial follow-up. FWS followed up on the request from the 
subcommittee.

EPA--National Ambient Air Quality Standard

     On June 10, 2015, the Subcommittee and the 
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (SST) sent a 
document request letter to the NPS regarding EPA's regulatory 
proposal to lower the existing 75 parts per billion (ppb) ozone 
National Ambient Air Quality Standard (ozone NAAQS) to 65-70 
ppb, and its effects on the further classification of parks as 
``non-attainment areas'', triggering control requirements under 
the Clean Air Act. NPS responded to this letter, though the 
response did not meet the parameters of the original request.
     The Subcommittee and the Committee on SST followed 
up with another letter to NPS encouraging a more comprehensive 
response regarding requested documents. To this, NPS sent a 
series of three separate responses to both Committees.

NPS Mismanagement--Effigy Mounds

     On August 30, 2016, the Subcommittee sent a letter 
to the DOI requesting a staff-level briefing on an NPS after 
action review of severe mismanagement at the Effigy Mounds 
National Park. The mismanagement centered around the park 
staff's failure ``to comply with the National Historic 
Preservation Act and/or the National Environmental Policy Act 
on at least 78 projects using $3,368,704 in federal funds,'' 
which included the construction of an extensive boardwalk on 
sensitive American Indian burial sites. This mismanagement 
occurred for more than 10 years. DOI responded to the 
committee's invitation. After the Subcommittee initiated 
oversight of the matter, NPS implemented the requirement that 
all superintendents be trained in implementation of the 
National Historic Preservation Act.

Mitigation in Migratory Birds Treaty Act

     On November 18, 2016, the Subcommittee sent a 
document request letter to FWS regarding the use of voluntary 
payments by energy developers to mitigate impacts on migratory 
birds. Specifically, the Subcommittee inquired about FWS 
processes used to determine dollar amounts for voluntary 
mitigation contributions and the third party fiduciaries that 
receive the contribution funds.

Tribal Theft

     On November 18, 2016, the Subcommittee sent a 
letter to DOI-OIG requesting unredacted copies of investigative 
reports concerning matters related to alleged theft and 
mismanagement of tribal funds.

FWS International Affairs Program

     On October 18, 2016, the Subcommittee sent a 
letter to DOI-OIG requesting unredacted copies of an 
investigative report concerning the awarding of a single-source 
cooperative agreement, intended to further Executive Order 
13648, to a private company by FWS' International Affairs 
program. Specifically, the Subcommittee's investigation has 
centered upon whether senior FWS officials impermissibly 
influenced procurement staff into awarding a $256,100 single-
source cooperative agreement to a private company, after being 
connected to the company by an individual who is well-connected 
in the animal conservation community.

Tribal Settlement Claims

     On December 7, 2016, the Subcommittee sent a 
letter to DOI requesting documents regarding the United States' 
settlement of a lawsuit by the Chickasaw and Chocktaw Nations 
in The Chickasaw Nation and The Chocktaw Nation v. United 
States Department of the Interior, et al. Specifically, the 
Subcommittee was interested in DOI's decision-making process in 
settling the case, as well as ensuring that any potential 
conflicts of interest were properly addressed prior to the 
settlement.

                Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans

    The Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans worked towards 
enhancing water and power supplies, reducing litigation and 
providing water certainty, eliminating conflicting federal 
requirements, promoting fishing access in domestic and 
international waters, instilling federal transparency and 
accountability and empowering states, and providing oversight 
of federal regulations and proposals that threaten American 
jobs, water and electricity rates, and economic growth.

Enhancing Water and Power Supplies

    Natural and man-made drought throughout the United States 
has dramatic impacts on the economy, and regional cultures and 
ways of life. To that end, the Natural Resources Committee and 
the House passed H.R. 2898, ``Western Water and American Food 
Security Act of 2015,'' authored by Rep. David Valadao (CA-21). 
The first six titles of the bill aimed to help alleviate the 
man-made drought caused, in part, by water being diverted from 
farms to the ocean. The remaining five titles provided 
innovative financing measures, streamlining the permitting 
process for building new water storage and protecting state-
issued water rights from federal permitting schemes.
    Existing drought conditions, along with regulations on new 
and existing infrastructure, have exacerbated water and power 
supply uncertainty throughout the West. The Subcommittee 
focused on a number of bills aimed at overcoming drought. One 
bill, H.R. 2273, authored by Rep. Cynthia Lummis (WY-At Large), 
authorizes the Interior Secretary to study, design, plan and 
construct improvements to the Fontenelle Dam in Wyoming in 
order to add more storage capacity. The House passed the bill 
in July 2016, after Subcommittee consideration.
    The Subcommittee also focused on H.R. 2358, ``Electricity 
Reliability and Forest Protection Act.'' This bipartisan bill, 
authored by Reps. Ryan Zinke (MT-At Large) and Kurt Schrader 
(OR-05), promotes federal land management agency consistency, 
accountability, and timely decision making as it relates to 
protecting electricity transmission and distribution lines on 
federal lands. The bill passed the House with bipartisan 
support in early December 2015 as part of a broader energy 
package.
    Moreover, in early December 2016, S. 612, ``Water 
Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act'' passed both 
the House and Senate with bipartisan support. Title III of the 
bill includes multiple provisions from the Natural Resources 
Committee that bring drought relief for California and the 
West, by expanding water storage and delivery.

Reducing Litigation and Providing Water Certainty

    Providing water certainty was another key goal for the 
Subcommittee, particularly as it relates to longstanding Indian 
water rights claims and litigation. As such, Full Committee 
Chairman Rob Bishop (UT-01) sent a letter to Secretary of the 
Interior Sally Jewell and former Attorney General Eric Holder 
in February 2015 that outlined the process the Natural 
Resources Committee followed when considering future Indian 
water rights claims legislation. In September 2015, the 
Administration responded to the letter conveying support for 
H.R. 1296, To amend the San Luis Rey Indian Water Rights 
Settlement Act to clarify certain settlement terms, and for 
other purposes, a bill introduced by Rep. Duncan Hunter (CA-50) 
that seeks to end an Indian water rights dispute in southern 
California.
    As previously mentioned, in addition to S. 612's efforts to 
bring drought relief for California and the West, the bill also 
contains provisions from the Natural Resources Committee that 
deliver positive outcomes for Native Americans on a range of 
important water resources development projects and approval of 
long-standing water rights settlement agreements.
    As another way of providing water supply and financial 
certainty, the Subcommittee held a hearing and the Natural 
Resources Committee passed H.R. 5468, To direct the Secretary 
of the Interior to allow for prepayment of repayment 
obligations under Repayment Contracts between the United States 
and the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, a bill 
sponsored by Chairman Rob Bishop. The bill would allow the 
Weber Basin Water Conservancy District in Utah to prepay its 
repayment contract obligations to the federal government, which 
will reduce the burden on local resources, help bring financial 
certainty to the District, and bring early revenue to the 
federal government as a result of accelerated repayments.
    The Subcommittee held several oversight hearings this 
Congress on the impacts of the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency's ``Waters of the U.S.'' (WOTUS) regulation and the U.S. 
Forest Service's Groundwater Directive. These proposals could 
have significant negative impacts on water and power ratepayers 
and property owners, states and localities. As a consequence, 
these policies have dis-incentivized some water users from 
constructing additional water infrastructure and hindered their 
ability to meet the public's water supply needs. The initial 
groundwater directive was withdrawn and efforts to reintroduce 
it have been unsuccessful. WOTUS currently is being challenged 
in federal court.

Providing Regulatory Certainty and Eliminating Conflicting Federal 
        Requirements

    Predation by invasive species poses a serious ecological 
problem in many river systems in the West, and the Subcommittee 
worked to eliminate conflicting federal requirements that 
restrict population control efforts. Such species threatened by 
predation include the Endangered Species Act-listed Delta smelt 
and subpopulations of steelhead and salmon in California and 
the Pacific Northwest. The House passed a bipartisan bill, H.R. 
4582, ``Save our Salmon Act,'' authored by Rep. Jeff Denham 
(CA-10) which amends the Central Valley Project Improvement Act 
to exclude striped bass from the statute's population doubling 
goal.
    The Subcommittee also worked to ensure local communities 
could access necessary potable water from sources unavailable 
due to bureaucratic red tape. The Town of Louisa, Virginia has 
struggled to provide clean drinking water for its citizens 
after it was discovered that its drinking water was 
contaminated, but the National Park Service refuses to allow 
the town to use a small parcel of land, acquired with Land and 
Water Conservation Fund dollars, to create a well to dilute the 
contaminated water supply. H.R. 5032, To allow certain property 
in the town of Louisa, Virginia, to be used for purposes 
related to compliance with water quality standards, and for 
other purposes, exempts the park from federal land conversion 
restrictions so that the town can have access to a safe and 
reliable source of water.

Protecting and Promoting Fishing Access

    The Subcommittee considered many bills this Congress aimed 
at protecting fishing access and returning state waters to 
local control. The House of Representatives passed H.R. 1335, 
``Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility 
in Fisheries Management Act.'' This bill, introduced by Rep. 
Don Young (AK-At Large), makes key reforms to the Magnuson-
Stevens Act--the primary law regulating federal fisheries 
management. H.R. 1335 increases transparency in federal 
fisheries agency decisions, empowers regional decision making, 
and improves recreational fishing data and access through 
requiring state data into federal assessments. The bill also 
ensures access to marine resources by affirming that the 
Magnuson-Stevens Act shall remain the ultimate authority over 
federal fisheries management even within the bounds of a Marine 
National Monument or Marine Sanctuary.
    The Subcommittee worked to reduce barriers to and encourage 
use of our ocean resources. The House passed H.R. 3070, ``EEZ 
Transit Zone Clarification and Access Act,'' introduced by Rep. 
Lee Zeldin (NY-01). The bill, as amended, allows and regulates 
recreational striped bass fishing in the Block Island Transit 
Zone and ensures that the bill will not impact federal permits 
in such waters. The House also passed H.R. 4245, To exempt 
exportation of certain echinoderms and mollusks from licensing 
requirements under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, 
sponsored by Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME-01), which would exempt 
certain echinoderms and mollusks from licensing requirements 
under the Endangered Species Act.
    Executive overreach, through both executive fiat and agency 
actions, has restricted access to fisheries and taken a toll on 
local economies. The Administration initiated the development 
of a sweeping multi-agency federal management plan for oceans, 
which culminated in July 2010 when President Obama issued 
Executive Order 13547 creating the National Ocean Council, 
which is required to develop a framework for coastal and marine 
spatial planning consistent with the objectives laid out in the 
Executive Order. These priorities include marine spatial 
planning and ecosystem-based management. Rep. Bradley Byrne 
(AL-01) successfully offered an amendment preventing federal 
funds from being used to execute actions under the National 
Ocean Policy to the fiscal year 2017 Interior Department 
appropriations bill.
    The Subcommittee conducted vigorous oversight into 
President Obama's use of the Antiquities Act to designate 
Marine National Monuments. Full Committee Chairman Rob Bishop 
and Subcommittee Chairman John Fleming and others subsequently 
sent a letter to National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA) and the Council on Environmental Quality 
echoing bipartisan requests for additional information 
regarding a proposed monument off the coast of Maine as well as 
additional opportunities for local input in what has otherwise 
not been a transparent process.
    Federal agencies have overstepped their bounds and 
subverted local management of state water resources. The 
Subcommittee conducted oversight into the General Management 
Plan for Biscayne National Park in Florida which was proposed 
in June 2015. This plan includes 10,502 acres in state waters 
that would be closed to all commercial and recreational 
fishing--despite opposition from the State of Florida and 
others.

Federal transparency and accountability and empowering states

    Local and state agencies and stakeholders often have the 
best understanding of how to manage their own resources, and 
the Subcommittee worked to promote transparency in federal 
agencies and empower states to create solutions that suit the 
specific needs for water and power of local communities. One 
such measure, H.R. 3062, ``APPROVAL Act,'' authored by Rep. 
Steve Womack (AR-03) and supported by the Arkansas 
Congressional delegation, requires state approval before 
federal eminent domain is used under a specific authority 
authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This bill passed 
the Natural Resources Committee in June 2016. In a similar 
effort to keep the federal government accountable, the 
Subcommittee heard testimony on H.R. 1219, ``Arbuckle Project 
Maintenance Complex and District Office Conveyance Act of 
2015.'' The bill, sponsored by Rep. Tom Cole (OK-04) reduces 
the federal estate by allowing a water district in Oklahoma to 
own two federal buildings and land that it has paid for and has 
operated and maintained for decades. This reduces the 
administrative burden on both the water district and the United 
States, and gives the water district more local control of its 
facilities.
    Bureau of Reclamation projects are required to implement 
unfunded mitigation measures for species listed in the 
Endangered Species Act, resulting in significant direct and 
indirect costs that are covered by ratepayers. H.R. 1869, 
``Environmental Compliance Cost Transparency Act of 2015'' was 
introduced by Subcommittee Vice-Chair Paul Gosar (AZ-04). The 
bill requires the four federal Power Marketing Administrations 
(PMAs) to estimate and report in monthly billing statements the 
total costs of each of their wholesale customer's share of any 
federal environmental laws impacting the conservation of fish 
and wildlife.
    The Subcommittee considered other transparency measures as 
well such as H.R. 1107, ``Bureau of Reclamation Transparency 
Act.'' This bipartisan bill, also authored by Rep. Gosar (AZ-
04), requires the Secretary of the Interior to publish reports 
detailing specific rehabilitation needs at Bureau of 
Reclamation facilities. This will afford Congress, states and 
localities and water and power users with the necessary 
information to make informed decisions on aging infrastructure. 
The Natural Resources Committee passed the bill in October 
2015.

       Full Committee Oversight Hearings (WPO the lead) (2 total)

    August 3, 2015--Field Hearing in Homestead, Florida on 
``Restricted Access at Biscayne National Park and Implications 
for Fishermen, Small Businesses, the Local Economy and 
Environment.''
     This hearing focused on the General Management 
Plan for Biscayne National Park issues by the National Park 
Service (NPS). This plan includes a 10,502 acre Marine Reserve 
Zone which would be closed to all commercial and recreational 
fishing, including more than one-third of the Park's hard 
bottom habitat for reef fishing. Traditionally fishing and 
other harvesting activities had been governed by state law even 
though the Park is part of a federal agency. NPS claimed to be 
working in collaboration with state agencies, but the Florida 
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission opposed the plan.
    December 7, 2015--Field Hearing in Riverhead, New York on 
``Restoring Atlantic Fisheries and Protecting the Regional 
Seafood Economy.''
     This hearing focused on challenges relating to the 
management, access to and science of key commercial and 
recreational fisheries in parts of the Atlantic region. 
Industry leaders and stakeholders expressed concerns about 
conflicting science on affected fisheries stocks as it has 
inhibited access to the resources for both commercial and 
recreational fishing. Specific attention was given to the lack 
of science and inadequate data collection used in the 
management of key species, as well as other potential federal 
regulatory issues in the region that could hurt the regional 
seafood economy.

 Legislative Activities of the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans 
                               (11 total)

    May 20, 2015--Joint legislative hearing with the 
Subcommittee on Federal Lands on a Discussion Draft of the 
``SHARE Act.''
     This bill passed the House on 12/3/2015 via H.R. 
8, ``North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 
2015.''
    May 20, 2015--Discussion Draft of the ``Electricity 
Reliability and Forest Protection Act.''
     This bill passed the House on 12/3/2015 via H.R. 
8, ``North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 
2015.''
    June 25, 2015--H.R. 1107, ``Bureau of Reclamation 
Transparency Act''; H.R. 1406, ``New Mexico Navajo Water 
Settlement Technical Corrections Act''; H.R. 2273, To amend the 
Colorado River Storage Project Act to authorize the use of the 
active capacity of the Fontenelle Reservoir; and H.R. 2749, 
``Dam Authorization, Maintenance, and Safety (DAMS) Act of 
2015.''
     H.R. 2273, as amended, passed the House by voice 
vote on 07/05/2016.
    July 23, 2015--H.R. 564, ``Endangered Salmon and Fisheries 
Predation Prevention Act''; H.R. 1772, ``Delaware River Basin 
Conservation Act of 2015''; and H.R. 2168, ``West Coast 
Dungeness Crab Management Act.''
     H.R. 2168, as amended, passed the House by voice 
vote on 10/06/2015.
     The modified text of H.R. 1772 passed the House on 
12/08/2016 via S. 612, ``Water Infrastructure Improvements for 
the Nation Act.''
     S. 612 passed the House on 12/08/2016, and the 
Senate agreed to House amendment on 12/12/2016.
     S. 612 was presented to the President on 12/14/
2016.
    October 22, 2015--H.R. 3094, ``Gulf States Red Snapper 
Management Authority Act.''
    October 28, 2015--H.R. 1219, ``Arbuckle Project Maintenance 
Complex and District Office Conveyance Act of 2015''; H.R. 
1296, To amend the San Luis Rey Indian Water Rights Settlement 
Act to clarify certain settlement terms, and for other 
purposes''; and H.R. 3062, ``Assuring Private Property Rights 
Over Vast Access to Land (APPROVAL) Act.''
     H.R. 1296, as amended, passed the House by voice 
vote on 09/22/2016.
     The text of H.R. 1296, as passed by the House, was 
incorporated into S. 612, ``Water Infrastructure Improvements 
for the Nation Act.''
     S. 612 passed the House on 12/08/2016, and the 
Senate agreed to House amendment on 12/12/2016.
     S. 612 was presented to the President on 12/14/
2016.
    February 2, 2016--H.R. 3070, ``EEZ Clarification Act,'' and 
H.R. 4245, to exempt importation and exportation of sea urchins 
and sea cucumbers from licensing requirements under the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973.
     H.R. 3070, as amended, passed the House under 
suspension of the rules on 06/07/2016.
     H.R. 4245, as amended, passed the House under 
suspension of the rules on 09/06/2016.
    March 1, 2016--H.R. 4576, ``Ensuring Access to Pacific 
Fisheries Act.''
     H.R. 4576, as amended, passed the House by voice 
vote on 09/12/2016.
    April 20, 2016--H.R. 1869, ``Environmental Compliance Cost 
Transparency Act of 2015''; H.R. 2993, ``Water Recycling 
Acceleration Act of 2015''; and H.R. 4582, ``Save Our Salmon 
Act.''
     H.R. 4582, as amended, passed the House by voice 
vote on 07/05/2016.
     The text of H.R. 4582, as passed by the house, was 
incorporated into S. 612, ``Water Infrastructure Improvements 
for the Nation Act.''
     S. 612 passed the House on 12/08/2016, and the 
Senate agreed to House amendment on 12/12/2016.
     S. 612 was presented to the President on 12/14/
2016.
    May 24, 2016--H.R. 4366, ``San Luis Unit Drainage 
Resolution Act''; H.R. 5217, ``San Luis Unit Drainage 
Resolution Act''; and a Discussion Draft of ``Blackfeet Water 
Rights Settlement Act of 2016.''
     The Discussion Draft of ``Blackfeet Water Rights 
Settlement Act of 2016'' was later introduced as H.R. 5633, 
``Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act.''
     The modified text of H.R. 5633 passed the House on 
12/08/2016 via S. 612, ``Water Infrastructure Improvements for 
the Nation Act.''
     S. 612 passed the House on 12/08/2016, and the 
Senate agreed to House amendment on 12/12/2016.
     S. 612 was presented to the President on 12/14/
2016.
    June 23, 2016--H.R. 5032, To allow certain property in the 
town of Louisa, Virginia, to be used for purposes related to 
compliance with water quality standards, and for other 
purposes; H.R. 5430, ``Public Water Supply Invasive Species 
Compliance Act of 2016''; H.R. 5468, To direct the Secretary of 
the Interior to allow for prepayment of repayment obligations 
under Repayment Contracts between the United States and the 
Weber Basin Water Conservancy District; and a Discussion Draft 
of ``Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians Water Rights 
Settlement Act.''
     H.R. 5468, as reported, passed the House on 12/08/
2016 via S. 612, ``Water Infrastructure Improvements for the 
Nation Act.''
     The Discussion Draft of ``Pechanga Band of Luiseno 
Mission Indians Water Rights Settlement Act'' was later 
introduced as H.R. 5984, ``Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission 
Indians Water Rights Settlement Act.''
     H.R. 5984, as reported, passed the House on 12/08/
2016 via S. 612, ``Water Infrastructure Improvements for the 
Nation Act.''
     S. 612 passed the House on 12/08/2016, and the 
Senate agreed to House amendment on 12/12/2016.
     S. 612 was presented to the President on 12/14/
2016.

Oversight Activities of the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans (11 
                                 total)

    March 19, 2015--Joint Oversight Budget hearing with the 
Subcommittee on Federal Lands titled ``Examining the Spending 
Priorities and Missions of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the 
President's FY 2016 Budget Proposal.''
     This hearing focused on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service's (FWS) and NOAA's budget requests for FY 2016. Special 
attention was given to FWS listing of species under the 
Endangered Species Act while lacking in recovery and de-listing 
efforts. Further focus was placed on NOAA's failure to focus on 
its fundamental mission, producing data and science regarding 
fish stocks, and instead emphasizing atmospheric and regulatory 
programs.
    March 24, 2015--``Examining the Spending Priorities and 
Missions of the Bureau of Reclamation, the Power Marketing 
Administrations and USGS Water Division in the President's FY 
2016 Budget Proposal.''
     This hearing focused on agency priorities and 
accountability among the Bureau of Reclamation, the four Power 
Marketing Administrations, and the U.S. Geological Survey's 
Water program. Special attention was given to curtailed water 
deliveries and hydropower generation due to drought, litigation 
and federal regulation. Additional focus was given to 
conservation, operating efficiencies and new storage that could 
alleviate the situation.
    April 14, 2015--``Proposed Federal Water Grabs and Their 
Potential Impacts on States, Water, and Power Users, and 
Landowners.''
     This hearing focused on actions and proposals from 
the Obama Administration such as the Environmental Protection 
Agency's ``Waters of the U.S.'' and the U.S. Forest Service's 
``Groundwater Directive''. These rules have negative impacts on 
water and power ratepayers, states, and localities. There was 
also a focus on these policies being counterproductive towards 
local conservation and groundwater recharge efforts.
    September 29, 2015--``The Potential Implications of Pending 
Marine National Monument Designations.''
     This hearing focused on the impacts of existing 
Marine National Monuments and plans for designations off the 
coasts of Alaska and Cape Cod in New England. Special attention 
was given to President Obama's significant expansion of 
existing Marine Monuments and the Administration's lack of 
transparency when considering utilizing broad authority under 
the Antiquities Act.
    February 10, 2016--``The Costly Impacts of Predation and 
Conflicting Federal Statutes on Native and Endangered Fish 
Species.''
     This hearing focused on redundant federal 
regulations and conflicting statutes that prevent the recovery 
of ESA-listed species. Predation by non-native species 
depresses these critical populations and federal laws that 
encourage recovery of endangered species often include similar 
protections for the predators at the heart of the problem. 
These conflicting laws have resulted in perpetual litigation 
and regulatory uncertainty.
    February 24, 2016--``The 2016 California Water Supply 
Outlook During the El Nino and Three Years of Restricted Water 
Deliveries.''
     This hearing focused on the continuing drought in 
California, its impacts state-wide and nationwide and ways 
Congress can help overcome it. These topics were considered in 
context of historic levels of precipitation that did not yield 
greater water deliveries for water users due to regulations 
aimed at protecting the Delta smelt.
    March 22, 2016--``Examining the Missions and Impacts of the 
President's Proposed Fiscal Year 2017 Budgets of the U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Power 
Marketing Administrations.''
     This hearing focused on the President's fiscal 
year 2017 budget requests and other spending for FWS, NOAA, 
Bureau of Reclamation and the Power Marketing Administrations. 
There was a specific focus on decreased water exports to water 
rights holders and drastically increased requests for NOAA and 
the Department of the Interior as a whole.
    April 13, 2016--``Empowering States and Western Water Users 
Through Regulatory and Administrative Reforms.''
     This hearing focused on regulatory uncertainty and 
red tape that has dis-incentivized investment in new water 
infrastructure. Specific attention was given to proposals to 
empower states to create regulatory certainty and to transfer 
water projects to local water users.
    April 27, 2016--``Realizing the Potential of Hydropower as 
a Clean, Renewable and Domestic Energy Resource.''
     This hearing focused on the potential of 
hydropower as a clean, renewable and emissions-free source of 
power. Hydropower is capable of providing base-load power where 
wind and solar sources are intermittent. Due to environmental 
concerns, hydropower development has become stagnant. The major 
themes of this hearing were how to expand hydropower and reform 
the regulatory process to incentivize future investment.
    May 17, 2016--``The Implications of President Obama's 
National Ocean Policy.''
     This hearing focused on President Obama's National 
Ocean Policy. The Administration initiated the development of a 
sweeping multi-agency federal management plan for oceans, which 
culminated in July 2010 when President Obama issued Executive 
Order 13547. Legislation implementing major national ocean 
policy failed to pass during three successive Congresses and 
this hearing sought to understand the impact this policy would 
have on coastal and inland communities.
    July 12, 2016--``Changing Demands and Water Supply 
Uncertainty in California.''
     This hearing focused on separate, sometimes 
conflicting, proposed actions by FWS and the National Marine 
Fisheries Service (NMFS) which could significantly impact the 
availability of water for multiple uses in California. Despite 
historic precipitation, many water users will likely experience 
another year of restricted water deliveries due to these 
proposals and existing regulations.

                               APPENDIX I

                            Printed Hearings

    114-1--Oversight Hearing on ``Proposed Federal Water Grabs 
and Their Potential Impacts on States, Water and Power Users, 
and Landowners.'' April 14, 2015, Washington, D.C. 
(Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans)
    114-2--Oversight Hearing on ``Examining the Future Impacts 
of President Obama's Offshore Energy Plan.'' April 15, 2015, 
Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources)
    114-3--Oversight Hearing on ``Innovations in Safety Since 
the 2010 Macondo Incident.'' April 22, 2015, Washington, D.C. 
(Full Committee)
    114-4--Oversight Hearing on ``The Obama Administration's 
Part 83 Revisions and How They May Allow the Interior 
Department to Create Tribes, not Recognize Them.'' April 22, 
2015, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and 
Alaska Native Affairs)
    114-5--Oversight Hearing on ``Zero Accountability: The 
Consequences of Politically Driven Science.'' April 29, 2015, 
Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations)
    114-6--Oversight Hearing on ``The Obama Administration's 
CEQ Recently Revised Draft Guidance for GHG Emissions and the 
Effects of Climate Change.'' May 13, 2015, Washington, D.C. 
(Full Committee)
    114-7--Oversight Hearing on ``Empowering State Management 
of Greater Sage Grouse'' May 19, 2015, Washington, D.C. (Full 
Committee)
    114-8--Legislative Hearing on Discussion Draft H.R. __, 
``National Energy Security Corridors Act''. May 20, 2015, 
Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources)
    114-9--Legislative Hearing on Discussion Draft H.R. __, 
``The Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act''. May 
20, 2015, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Water, Power and 
Oceans)
    114-10--Oversight Hearing on ``State Perspectives on the 
Status of Cooperating Agencies for the Office of Surface 
Mining's Stream Protection Rule.'' May 20, 2015, Washington, 
D.C. (Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations)
    114-11--Legislative Hearing on H.R. 1157, To authorize the 
Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for the 
benefit of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians, and 
for other purposes; H.R. 2386, To provide for the recognition 
of certain Native communities and the settlement of certain 
claims under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and for 
other purposes; and H.R. 2538, To take lands in Sonoma County, 
California, into trust as part of the reservation of the Lytton 
Rancheria of California, and for other purposes. June 17, 2015, 
Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska 
Native Affairs)
    114-12--Oversight Hearing on ``GAO Report Documents BLM's 
Chronic Mismanagement of Wind and Solar Reclamation Bonds.'' 
June 24, 2015, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations)
    114-13--Oversight Hearing on ``Examining Procedures 
Regarding Puerto Rico's Political Status and Economic 
Outlook.'' June 24, 2015, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on 
Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs)
    114-14--Legislative Hearing on H.R. 1937, To require the 
Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to 
more efficiently develop domestic sources of the minerals and 
mineral materials of strategic and critical importance to 
United States economic and national security and manufacturing 
competitiveness. June 25, 2015, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee 
on Energy and Mineral Resources)
    114-15--Oversight Hearing on ``The Future of Hydraulic 
Fracturing on Federally Managed Lands.'' July 15, 2015, 
Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources)
    114-16--Oversight Hearing on ``An Analysis of the Obama 
Administration's Social Cost of Carbon.'' July 22, 2015, 
Washington, D.C. (Full Committee)
    114-17--Oversight Hearing on ``Accountability, Policies, 
and Tactics of Law Enforcement within the Department of the 
Interior and the U.S. Forest Service.'' July 28, 2015, 
Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations)
    114-18--Oversight Hearing on ``Federal Agencies' Selective 
Enforcement of ESA Consultation.'' July 29, 2015, Washington, 
D.C. (Full Committee)
    114-19--Oversight Field Hearing in New Orleans, Louisiana 
on ``The Impacts of Federal Policies on Energy Production and 
Economic Growth in the Gulf.'' September 15, 2015, New Orleans, 
Louisiana. (Full Committee)
    114-20--Joint Oversight Hearing with the Committee on 
Oversight and Government Reform on ``EPA's Animas Spill.'' 
September 17, 2015, Washington, D.C. (Full Committee and 
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform)
    114-21--Oversight Hearing on ``The Potential Implications 
of Pending Marine National Monument Designations.'' September 
29, 2015, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Water, Power and 
Oceans)
    114-22--Legislative Hearing on H.R. 3094, To amend the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to 
transfer to states the authority to manage red snapper 
fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico. October 22, 2015, Washington, 
D.C. (Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans)
    114-23--Legislative Hearings on H.R. 3764, To provide that 
an Indian group may receive Federal acknowledgment as an Indian 
tribe only by an Act of Congress, and for other purposes. 
October 28, 2015 (Part 1); December 8, 2015 (Part 2), 
Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska 
Native Affairs)
    114-24--Legislative Hearing on Discussion Draft, H.R. __, 
``National Park Service Centennial Act.'' December 2, 2015, 
Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Federal Lands)
    114-25--Oversight Hearing on ``The Department of the 
Interior's Role in the EPA's Animas Spill.'' December 9, 2015, 
Washington, D.C. (Full Committee)
    114-26--Legislative Field Hearing in Idaho Springs, 
Colorado, on H.R. 3734, To amend the Surface Mining Control and 
Reclamation Act of 1977 to provide support to mining schools, 
and for other purposes. December 14, 2015, Idaho Springs, 
Colorado. (Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources)
    114-27--Oversight Hearing on ``Exploring Energy Challenges 
and Opportunities Facing Puerto Rico.'' January 12, 2016, 
Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources)
    114-28--Oversight Field Hearing in St. George Utah, on 
``Ensuring Local Input, Legal Consistency and Multi-Use 
Resource Management in St. George BLM Planning.'' January 22, 
2016, St. George, Utah. (Subcommittee on Federal Lands)
    114-29--Legislative Hearing on H.R. 3070, To clarify that 
for purposes of all Federal laws governing marine fisheries 
management, the landward boundary of the exclusive economic 
zone between areas south of Montauk, New York, and Point 
Judith, Rhode Island, and for other purposes; and H.R. 4245, To 
exempt importation and exportation of sea urchins and sea 
cucumbers from licensing requirements under the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973. February 2, 2016, Washington, D.C. 
(Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans)
    114-30--Oversight Hearing on ``The Need for the 
Establishment of a Puerto Rico Financial Stability and Economic 
Growth Authority.'' February 2, 2016, Washington, D.C. 
(Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs)
    114-31--Oversight Hearing on ``The Costly Impacts of 
Predation and Conflicting Federal Statutes on Native and 
Endangered Fish Species.'' February 10, 2016, Washington, D.C. 
(Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans)
    114-32--Oversight Hearing on ``The 2016 California Water 
Supply Outlook During the El Nino and Three Years of Restricted 
Water Deliveries.'' February 24, 2016, Washington, D.C. 
(Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans)
    114-33--Hearing on ``The Imposition of New Regulations 
Through the President's Memorandum on Mitigation.'' February 
24, 2016, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations)
    114-34--Hearing on ``The U.S. Department of the Treasury's 
Analysis of the Situation in Puerto Rico.'' February 25, 2016, 
Washington, D.C. (Full Committee)
    114-35--Oversight Hearing on ``Examining the Department of 
the Interior's Spending Priorities and the President's Fiscal 
Year 2017 Budget Proposal.'' March 1, 2016, Washington, D.C. 
(Full Committee)
    114-36--Legislative Hearing on H.R. __, ``Puerto Rico 
Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act.'' April 13, 
2016, Washington, D.C. (Full Committee)
    114-37--Oversight Hearing on ``Recent Changes to Endangered 
Species Critical Habitat Designation and Implementation.'' 
April 19, 2016, Washington, D.C. (Full Committee)
    114-38--Legislative Hearing on H.R. 3881, To amend the 
Mineral Leasing Act to repeal provisions relating only to the 
Allegheny National Forest. April 19, 2016, Washington, D.C. 
(Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources)
    114-39--Legislative Hearing on H.R. 1869, To provide for 
transparency and reporting related to direct and indirect costs 
incurred by the Bonneville Power Administration, the Western 
Area Power Administration, the Southwestern Power 
Administration, and the Southeastern Power Administration 
related to compliance with any Federal environmental laws 
impacting the conservation of fish and wildlife, and for other 
purposes; H.R. 2993, To amend the Reclamation Wastewater and 
Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize funding for 
water recycling projects in areas experiencing severe, extreme, 
or exceptional drought, and for other purposes; and H.R. 4582, 
To exclude striped bass from the anadromous fish doubling 
requirement in section 3406(b)(1) of the Central Valley Project 
Improvement Act, and for other purposes. April 20, 2016, 
Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans)
    114-40--Oversight Hearing on ``Realizing the Potential of 
Hydropower as a Clean, Renewable and Domestic Energy 
Resource.'' April 27, 2016, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on 
Water, Power and Oceans)
    114-41--Oversight Hearing on ``The Consequences of Federal 
Land Management along the U.S. Border to Rural Communities and 
National Security.'' April 28, 2016, Washington, D.C. 
(Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations)
    114-42--Oversight Hearing on ``Local and State Perspectives 
on BLM's Draft Planning 2.0 Rule.'' May 12, 2016, Washington, 
D.C. (Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations)
    114-43--Oversight Hearing on ``The Implications of 
President Obama's National Ocean Policy.'' May 17, 2016, 
Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans)
    114-44--Legislative Hearing on H.R. 4366, To affirm an 
agreement between the United States and Westlands Water 
District dated September 15, 2015, and for other purposes; H.R. 
5217, To affirm ``The Agreement Between the United States and 
Westlands Water District'' dated September 15, 2015, ``The 
Agreement Between the United States, San Luis Water District, 
Panoche Water District and Pacheco Water District'', and for 
other purposes; and Discussion Draft H.R. __, ``Blackfeet Water 
Rights Settlement Act of 2016''. May 24, 2016, Washington, D.C. 
(Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans)
    114-45--Oversight Hearing on ``Investigating the Culture of 
Corruption at the Department of the Interior.'' May 24, 2016, 
Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations)
    114-46--Oversight Field Hearing in East Millinocket, Maine, 
on ``Elevating Local Voices and Promoting Transparency for a 
Potential Monument Designation in Maine.'' June 1, 2016, East 
Millinocket, Maine. (Full Committee)
    114-47--Oversight Hearing on ``The Administration's 
Response to Findings of Unethical and Criminal Conduct at the 
Department of the Interior.'' June 23, 2016, Washington, D.C. 
(Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations)
    114-48--Oversight Hearing on ``State Perspectives on BLM's 
Draft Planning 2.0 Rule.'' July 7, 2016, Washington, D.C. 
(Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations)
    114-49--Oversight Hearing on ``Changing Demands and Water 
Supply Uncertainty in California.'' July 12, 2016, Washington, 
D.C. (Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans)
    114-50--Legislative Hearing on H.R. 5406, To amend the 
Indian Health Care Improvement Act to improve access to tribal 
health care by providing for systemic Indian Health Service 
workforce and funding allocation reforms, and for other 
purposes. July 12, 2016, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on 
Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs)
    114-51--Legislative Hearing on H.R. 5780, To provide 
greater conservation, recreation, economic development and 
local management of Federal lands in Utah, and for other 
purposes. September 14, 2016, Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on 
Federal Lands)
    114-52--Oversight Hearing on ``The Impacts of the Obama 
CEQ's Final Guidance for GHG Emissions and the Effects of 
Climate Change.'' September 21, 2016, Washington, D.C. (Full 
Committee)
    114-53--Oversight Hearing on ``The Status of the Federal 
Government's Management of Wolves.'' September 21, 2016, 
Washington, D.C. (Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations)
    114-54--Oversight Field Hearing in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on 
``Tribal Prosperity and Self-Determination through Energy 
Development.'' October 4, 2016, Santa Fe, New Mexico. (Full 
Committee)
    114-55--Oversight Hearing on ``Examining Decades of Data 
Manipulation at the United States Geological Survey.''

                              APPENDIX II

              Legislation Passed/Failed to Pass the House

 BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE THAT PASSED THE HOUSE

    [Asterisk (*) denotes bills that the Committee on Natural 
Resources was not the lead Committee]
    01/09/2015--H.R. 3*, To approve the Keystone XL Pipeline. 
Passed House by a vote of 266-153, 1 Present.
    02/03/2015--H.R. 596*, To repeal the Patient Protection and 
Affordable Care Act and health care-related provisions in the 
Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, and for 
other purposes. Passed House, as amended, by a vote of 239-186.
    03/26/2015--H.R. 2*, To amend title XVIII of the Social 
Security Act to repeal the Medicare sustainable growth rate and 
strengthen Medicare access by improving physician payments and 
making other improvements, to reauthorize the Children's Health 
Insurance Program, and for other purposes. Passed House, as 
amended, by a vote of 392-37. (Public Law 114-10)
    04/28/2015--H.R. 373, To direct the Secretary of the 
Interior and Secretary of Agriculture to expedite access to 
certain Federal land under the administrative jurisdiction of 
each Secretary for good Samaritan search-and-recovery missions, 
and for other purposes. Passed House, as amended, by a vote of 
413-0.
    04/28/2015--H.R. 984, To amend the National Trails System 
Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study 
on the feasibility of designating the Chief Standing Bear 
National Historic Trail, and for other purposes. Passed House 
by voice vote.
    04/28/2015--H.R. 1324, To adjust the boundary of the 
Arapaho National Forest, Colorado, and for other purposes. 
Passed House by a vote of 381-30.
    05/19/2015--H.R. 2353*, To provide an extension of Federal-
aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and 
other programs funded out of the Highway Trust Fund, and for 
other purposes. Passed House by a vote of 387-35, 1 Present. 
(Public Law 114-21)
    06/01/2015--H.R. 404, To authorize early repayment of 
obligations to the Bureau of Reclamation within the Northport 
Irrigation District in the State of Nebraska. Passed House by 
voice vote.
    06/01/2015--H.R. 533, To revoke the charter of 
incorporation of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma at the request of 
that tribe, and for other purposes. Passed House by voice vote. 
(Public Law 114-28)
    06/01/2015--H.R. 979, To designate a mountain in the John 
Muir Wilderness of the Sierra National Forest as ``Sky Point''. 
Passed House by voice vote.
    06/01/2015--H.R. 1168, To amend the Indian Child Protection 
and Family Violence Prevention Act to require background checks 
before foster care placements are ordered in tribal court 
proceedings, and for other purposes. Passed House by voice 
vote.
    06/01/2015--H.R. 1335, To amend the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act to provide flexibility 
for fishery managers and stability for fishermen, and for other 
purposes. Passed House, as amended, by a vote of 225-152.
    07/09/2015--H.R. 2647*, To expedite under the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and improve forest management 
activities on National Forest System lands, on public lands 
under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, and on 
tribal lands to return resilience to overgrown, fire-prone 
forested lands, and for other purposes. Passed House, as 
amended, by a vote of 262-167.
    07/13/2015--H.R. 387, To provide for certain land to be 
taken into trust for the benefit of Morongo Band of Mission 
Indians, and for other purposes. Passed House by voice vote.
    07/15/2015--H.R. 3038*, To provide an extension of Federal-
aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and 
other programs funded out of the Highway Trust Fund, and for 
other purposes. Passed House by a vote of 312-119.
    07/16/2015--H.R. 2898, To provide drought relief in the 
State of California, and for other purposes. Passed House, as 
amended, by a vote of 245-176.
    07/27/2015--H.R. 774, To strengthen enforcement mechanisms 
to stop illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, to amend 
the Tuna Conventions Act of 1950 to implement the Antigua 
Convention, and for other purposes. Passed House, as amended, 
by voice vote. (Public Law 114-81)
    07/27/2015--H.R. 1138, To establish certain wilderness 
areas in central Idaho and to authorize various land 
conveyances involving National Forest System land and Bureau of 
Land Management land in central Idaho, and for other purposes. 
Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 114-46)
    07/29/2015--H.R. 3236*, To provide an extension of Federal-
aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and 
other programs funded out of the Highway Trust Fund, to provide 
resource flexibility to the Department of Veterans Affairs for 
health care services, and for other purposes. Passed House by a 
vote of 385-34, 1 Present. (Public Law 114-41)
    09/16/2015--H.R. 487, To allow the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma 
to lease or transfer certain lands. Passed House by voice vote. 
(Public Law 114-127)
    09/16/2015--H.R. 959, To authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to conduct a special resource study of the Medgar 
Evers House, located in Jackson, Mississippi, and for other 
purposes. Passed House, as amended, by voice vote.
    09/16/2015--H.R. 1214, To amend the Small Tracts Act to 
expand the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture to sell or 
exchange small parcels of National Forest System land to 
enhance the management of the National Forest System, to 
resolve minor encroachments, and for other purposes. Passed 
House, as amended, by a vote of 403-0.
    09/16/2015--H.R. 1289, To authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to acquire approximately 44 acres of land in Martinez, 
California, and for other purposes. Passed House, as amended, 
by voice vote.
    09/16/2015--H.R. 1554, To require a land conveyance 
involving the Elkhorn Ranch and the White River National Forest 
in the State of Colorado, and for other purposes. Passed House 
by voice vote.
    09/16/2015--H.R. 1949, To provide for the consideration and 
submission of site and design proposals for the National 
Liberty Memorial approved for establishment in the District of 
Columbia. Passed House by a vote of 402-0.
    09/16/2015--H.R. 2223, To authorize, direct, expedite, and 
facilitate a land exchange in El Paso and Teller Counties, 
Colorado, and for other purposes. Passed House by voice vote.
    09/16/2015--H.R. 2791, To require that certain Federal 
lands be held in trust by the United States for the benefit of 
certain Indian tribes in Oregon, and for other purposes. Passed 
House by voice vote.
    09/16/2015--S. 501*, A bill to make technical corrections 
to the Navajo water rights settlement in the State of New 
Mexico, and for other purposes. Passed House by voice vote. 
(Public Law 114-57)
    09/18/2015--S. 764*, A bill to reauthorize and amend the 
National Sea Grant College Program Act, and for other purposes. 
Passed House with an amendment pursuant to H.Res. 421.
    09/25/2015--H.R. 348*, To provide for improved coordination 
of agency actions in the preparation and adoption of 
environmental documents for permitting determinations, and for 
other purposes. Passed House by a vote of 233-170.
    10/06/2015--H.R. 2168, To make the current Dungeness crab 
fishery management regime permanent and for other purposes. 
Passed House, as amended, by voice vote.
    10/08/2015--H.R. 538, To facilitate the development of 
energy on Indian lands by reducing Federal regulations that 
impede tribal development of Indian lands, and for other 
purposes. Passed House, as amended, by a vote of 254-173.
    10/22/2015--H.R. 1937, To require the Secretary of the 
Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to more efficiently 
develop domestic sources of the minerals and mineral materials 
of strategic and critical importance to United States economic 
and national security and manufacturing competitiveness. Passed 
House, as amended, by a vote of 254-177.
    10/27/2015--H.R. 3819*, To provide an extension of Federal-
aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and 
other programs funded out of the Highway Trust Fund, and for 
other purposes. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 114-73)
    11/02/2015--H.R. 2494*, To support global anti-poaching 
efforts, strengthen the capacity of partner countries to 
counter wildlife trafficking, designate major wildlife 
trafficking countries, and for other purposes. Passed House, as 
amended, by voice vote. (Public Law 114-231)
    11/16/2015--H.R. 3996*, To provide an extension of Federal-
aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and 
other programs funded out of the Highway Trust Fund, and for 
other purposes. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 114-87)
    11/30/2015--H.R. 1541, To amend title 54, United States 
Code, to make Hispanic-serving institutions eligible for 
technical and financial assistance for the establishment of 
preservation training and degree programs. Passed House, as 
amended, by voice vote.
    11/30/2015--H.R. 2212, To take certain Federal lands 
located in Lassen County, California, into trust for the 
benefit of the Susanville Indian Rancheria, and for other 
purposes. Passed House, as amended, by voice vote. (Public Law 
114-181)
    11/30/2015--H.R. 2270, To redesignate the Nisqually 
National Wildlife Refuge, located in the State of Washington, 
as the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, to 
establish the Medicine Creek Treaty National Memorial within 
the wildlife refuge, and for other purposes. Passed House, as 
amended, by a vote of 413-2. (Public Law 114-101)
    11/30/2015--H.R. 2288, To remove the use restrictions on 
certain land transferred to Rockingham County, Virginia, and 
for other purposes. Passed House, as amended, by a vote of 407-
0.
    12/09/2015--H.R. 2130, To provide legal certainty to 
property owners along the Red River in Texas, and for other 
purposes. Passed House by a vote of 253-177.
    01/12/2016--H.R. 1644, To amend the Surface Mining Control 
and Reclamation Act of 1977 to ensure transparency in the 
development of environmental regulations, and for other 
purposes. Passed House, as amended, by a vote of 235-188.
    02/09/2016--H.R. 890, To revise the boundaries of certain 
John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System units in 
Florida. Passed House, as amended, by voice vote. (Public Law 
114-128)
    02/09/2016--H.R. 3036, To designate the National September 
11 Memorial located at the World Trade Center site in New York 
City, New York, as a national memorial, and for other purposes. 
Passed House, as amended, by a vote of 387-12.
    02/24/2016--H.R. 812, To provide for Indian trust asset 
management reform, and for other purposes. Passed House, as 
amended, by voice vote. (Public Law 114-178)
    02/24/2016--H.R. 1475, To authorize a Wall of Remembrance 
as part of the Korean War Veterans Memorial and to allow 
certain private contributions to fund that Wall of Remembrance. 
Passed House, as amended, by voice vote. (Public Law 114-230)
    02/24/2016--H.R. 2880, To redesignate the Martin Luther 
King, Junior, National Historic Site in the State of Georgia, 
and for other purposes. Passed House, as amended, by voice 
vote.
    02/24/2016--H.R. 3004, To amend the Gullah/Geechee Cultural 
Heritage Act to extend the authorization for the Gullah/Geechee 
Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission. Passed House by voice 
vote. (Public Law 114-233)
    02/24/2016--H.R. 3371, To adjust the boundary of the 
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park to include the 
Wallis House and Harriston Hill, and for other purposes. Passed 
House by voice vote.
    02/24/2016--H.R. 3620, To amend the Delaware Water Gap 
National Recreation Area Improvement Act to provide access to 
certain vehicles serving residents of municipalities adjacent 
to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and for 
other purposes. Passed House by voice vote.
    02/26/2016--H.R. 2406, To protect and enhance opportunities 
for recreational hunting, fishing, and shooting, and for other 
purposes. Passed House, as amended, by a vote of 242-161.
    03/22/2016--H.R. 482, To redesignate Ocmulgee National 
Monument in the State of Georgia and revise its boundary, and 
for other purposes. Passed House, as amended, by voice vote.
    03/22/2016--H.R. 2857, To facilitate the addition of park 
administration at the Coltsville National Historical Park, and 
for other purposes. Passed House, as amended, by voice vote.
    03/22/2016--H.R. 4119, To authorize the exchange of certain 
land located in Gulf Islands National Seashore, Jackson County, 
Mississippi, between the National Park Service and the Veterans 
of Foreign Wars, and for other purposes. Passed House, as 
amended, by voice vote.
    05/23/2016--H.R. 496, To establish the Alabama Hills 
National Scenic Area in the State of California, and for other 
purposes. Passed House, as amended, by voice vote.
    06/07/2016--H.R. 87, To modify the boundary of the Shiloh 
National Military Park located in Tennessee and Mississippi, to 
establish Parker's Crossroads Battlefield as an affiliated area 
of the National Park System, and for other purposes. Passed 
House, as amended, by voice vote.
    06/07/2016--H.R. 1815, To facilitate certain pinyon-juniper 
related projects in Lincoln County, Nevada, to modify the 
boundaries of certain wilderness areas in the State of Nevada, 
and to provide for the implementation of a conservation plan 
for the Virgin River, Nevada. Passed House, as amended, by a 
vote of 360-7.
    06/07/2016--H.R. 2009, To provide for the conveyance of 
certain land inholdings owned by the United States to the 
Tucson Unified School District and to the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of 
Arizona. Passed House, as amended, by voice vote.
    06/07/2016--H.R. 2733, To require the Secretary of the 
Interior to take land into trust for certain Indian tribes, and 
for other purposes. Passed House, as amended, by voice vote. 
(Public Law 114-232)
    06/07/2016--H.R. 3070, To authorize the Secretary of 
Commerce to permit striped bass fishing in the Exclusive 
Economic Zone transit zone between Montauk, New York, and Point 
Judith, Rhode Island, and for other purposes. Passed House, as 
amended, by voice vote.
    06/08/2016--H.R. 3826, To amend the Omnibus Public Land 
Management Act of 2009 to modify provisions relating to certain 
land exchanges in the Mt. Hood Wilderness in the State of 
Oregon. Passed House, as amended, by a vote of 401-2.
    06/09/2016--H.R. 5278, To establish an Oversight Board to 
assist the Government of Puerto Rico, including 
instrumentalities, in managing its public finances, and for 
other purposes. Passed House, as amended, by a vote of 291-127. 
(See S. 2328, Public Law 114-187)
    06/09/2016--S. 2328, A bill to reauthorize and amend the 
National Sea Grant College Program Act, and for other purposes. 
Passed House, as amended, pursuant to H. Res. 770 (Providing 
for consideration of the bill H.R. 5278, to establish an 
Oversight Board to assist the Government of Puerto Rico, 
including instrumentalities, in managing its public finances, 
and for other purposes). Note: H.R. 5278 became S. 2328 
pursuant to H. Con. Res. 135 (Directing the Secretary of the 
Senate to make technical corrections in the enrollment of S. 
2328), which passed the Senate on June 29, 2016 by a vote of 
68-20. (Public Law 114-187)
    07/05/2016--H.R. 1838, To establish the Clear Creek 
National Recreation Area in San Benito and Fresno Counties, 
California, to designate the Joaquin Rocks Wilderness in such 
counties, and for other purposes. Passed House, as amended, by 
voice vote.
    07/05/2016--H.R. 2273, To authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to amend the Definite Plan Report for the Seedskadee 
Project to enable the use of the active capacity of the 
Fontenelle Reservoir. Passed House, as amended, by voice vote.
    07/05/2016--H.R. 3079, To take certain Federal land located 
in Tuolumne County, California, into trust for the benefit of 
the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians, and for other purposes. 
Passed House, as amended, by voice vote.
    07/05/2016--H.R. 3844, To establish the Bureau of Land 
Management Foundation to encourage, obtain, and use gifts, 
devises, and bequests for projects for the benefit of, or in 
connection with, activities and services of the Bureau of Land 
Management, and for other purposes. Passed House, as amended, 
by voice vote.
    07/05/2016--H.R. 4582, To exclude striped bass from the 
anadromous fish doubling requirement in section 3406(b)(1) of 
the Central Valley Project Improvement Act, and for other 
purposes. Passed House, as amended, by voice vote.
    07/05/2016--H.R. 4685, To take certain Federal lands 
located in Tulare County, California, into trust for the 
benefit of the Tule River Indian Tribe, and for other purposes. 
Passed House by voice vote.
    07/05/2016--H.R. 5244, To provide for the establishment of 
a national memorial and national monument to commemorate those 
killed by the collapse of the Saint Francis Dam on March 12, 
1928, and for other purposes. Passed House, as amended, by 
voice vote.
    09/06/2016--H.R. 3480, To expand the boundary of Fort 
Frederica National Monument in the State of Georgia, and for 
other purposes. Passed House, as amended, by voice vote.
    09/06/2016--H.R. 3839, To transfer administrative 
jurisdiction over certain Bureau of Land Management land from 
the Secretary of the Interior to the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs for inclusion in the Black Hills National Cemetery, and 
for other purposes. Passed House, as amended, by voice vote.
    09/06/2016--H.R. 3881, To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to 
repeal provisions relating only to the Allegheny National 
Forest. Passed House, as amended, by a vote of 395-3.
    09/06/2016--H.R. 4202, To authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to conduct a special resource study of Fort Ontario in 
the State of New York. Passed House, as amended, by voice vote.
    09/06/2016--H.R. 4245, To exempt importation and 
exportation of sea urchins and sea cucumbers from licensing 
requirements under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Passed 
House, as amended, by voice vote.
    09/06/2016--H.R. 4510, To insure adequate use and access to 
the existing Bolts Ditch headgate and ditch segment within the 
Holy Cross Wilderness in Eagle County, Colorado, and for other 
purposes. Passed House, as amended, by voice vote.
    09/06/2016--H.R. 4789, To authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to establish a structure for visitor services on the 
Arlington Ridge tract, in the area of the U.S. Marine Corps War 
Memorial, and for other purposes. Passed House by voice vote.
    09/06/2016--H.R. 5577, To amend the Outer Continental Shelf 
Lands Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct 
offshore oil and gas lease sales through Internet-based live 
lease sales, and for other purposes. Passed House, as amended, 
by voice vote.
    09/12/2016--H.R. 295, To reauthorize the Historically Black 
Colleges and Universities Historic Preservation program. Passed 
House, as amended, by voice vote.
    09/12/2016--H.R. 4576, To implement the Convention on the 
Conservation and Management of High Seas Fisheries Resources in 
the North Pacific Ocean, to implement the Convention on the 
Conservation and Management of High Seas Fishery Resources in 
the South Pacific Ocean, and for other purposes. Passed House, 
as amended, by voice vote.
    09/12/2016--S. 246*, A bill to establish the Alyce Spotted 
Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children, and for 
other purposes. Passed House, as amended, by voice vote. 
(Public Law 114-244)
    09/12/2016--S. 1579*, A bill to enhance and integrate 
Native American tourism, empower Native American communities, 
increase coordination and collaboration between Federal tourism 
assets, and expand heritage and cultural tourism opportunities 
in the United States. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 
114-221)
    09/21/2016--H. Con. Res. 122*, Supporting efforts to stop 
the theft, illegal possession or sale, transfer, and export of 
tribal cultural items of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and 
Native Hawaiians in the United States and internationally. 
House agreed to the resolution, as amended, by voice vote.
    09/22/2016--H.R. 1296, To amend the San Luis Rey Indian 
Water Rights Settlement Act to clarify certain settlement 
terms, and for other purposes. Passed House, as amended, by 
voice vote.
    09/22/2016--H.R. 4564, To redesignate the small triangular 
property located in Washington, DC, and designated by the 
National Park Service as reservation 302 as ``Robert Emmet 
Park'', and for other purposes. Passed House by voice vote.
    09/26/2016--H.R. 845*, To direct the Secretary of 
Agriculture to publish in the Federal Register a strategy to 
significantly increase the role of volunteers and partners in 
National Forest System trail maintenance, and for other 
purposes. Passed House, as amended, by voice vote. (Public Law 
114-245)
    09/28/2016--H.R. 5303*, To provide for improvements to the 
rivers and harbors of the United States, to provide for the 
conservation and development of water and related resources, 
and for other purposes. Passed House, as amended, by a vote of 
399-25.
    12/05/2016--S. 3395*, A bill to require limitations on 
prescribed burns. (Public Law 114-275)
    12/06/2016--H.R. 4680, To prepare the National Park Service 
for its Centennial in 2016 and for a second century of 
promoting and protecting the natural, historic, and cultural 
resources of our National Parks for the enjoyment of present 
and future generations, and for other purposes. Passed House, 
as amended, by voice vote. (Public Law 114-289)
    12/06/2016--H.R. 6401, To amend Public Law 94-241 with 
respect to the Northern Mariana Islands. Passed House voice 
vote.
    12/07/2016--H.R. 329, To amend the Indian Employment, 
Training and Related Services Demonstration Act of 1992 to 
facilitate the ability of Indian tribes to integrate the 
employment, training, and related services from diverse Federal 
sources, and for other purposes. Passed House, as amended, by 
voice vote.
    12/07/2016--H.R. 1219, To authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to convey certain land and appurtenances of the 
Arbuckle Project, Oklahoma, to the Arbuckle Master Conservancy 
District, and for other purposes. Passed House, as amended, by 
a vote of 412-1.
    12/07/2016--H.R. 3711, To authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to conduct a special resource study of Chicano Park, 
located in San Diego, California, and for other purposes. 
Passed House, as amended, by voice vote.
    12/07/2016--H.R. 6400, To revise the boundaries of certain 
John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System units in New 
Jersey. Passed House by voice vote. (Public Law 114-314)
    12/07/2016--S. 3028, A bill to redesignate the Olympic 
Wilderness as the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness. Passed House by a 
vote of 401-8, 2 Present. (Public Law 114-272)
    12/08/2016--H.R. 6452, To implement the Convention on the 
Conservation and Management of High Seas Fisheries Resources in 
the North Pacific Ocean, to implement the Convention on the 
Conservation and Management of High Seas Fishery Resources in 
the South Pacific Ocean, and for other purposes. Passed House 
by unanimous consent. (Public Law 114-xxx)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Public Law 114-xxx*: Designates a bill that was presented and 
signed by the President, but not assigned a Public Law number prior to 
filing the Activities Report.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                   BILL THAT FAILED TO PASS THE HOUSE

    11/16/2015--H.R. 308, To prohibit gaming activities on 
certain Indian lands in Arizona until the expiration of certain 
gaming compacts. Failed to pass House under suspension of the 
rules by vote of 263-146.

                              APPENDIX III

                          Public Laws Enacted

    [Asterisk (*) denotes bills that were not referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources, but contain provisions under 
the jurisdiction of the Committee]
    Public Law 114-10: H.R. 2, To amend title XVIII of the 
Social Security Act to repeal the Medicare sustainable growth 
rate and strengthen Medicare access by improving physician 
payments and making other improvements, to reauthorize the 
Children's Health Insurance Program, and for other purposes. 
(Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015)
    Public Law 114-21: H.R. 2353, To provide an extension of 
Federal-aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, 
transit, and other programs funded out of the Highway Trust 
Fund, and for other purposes. (Highway and Transportation 
Funding Act of 2015)
    Public Law 114-28: H.R. 533, To revoke the charter of 
incorporation of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma at the request of 
that tribe, and for other purposes.
    Public Law 114-41: H.R. 3236, To provide an extension of 
Federal-aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, 
transit, and other programs funded out of the Highway Trust 
Fund, to provide resource flexibility to the Department of 
Veterans Affairs for health care services, and for other 
purposes. (Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care 
Choice Improvement Act of 2015)
    Public Law 114-46: H.R. 1138, To establish certain 
wilderness areas in central Idaho and to authorize various land 
conveyances involving National Forest System land and Bureau of 
Land Management land in central Idaho, and for other purposes. 
(Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Jerry Peak Wilderness 
Additions Act)
    Public Law 114-56: S. 230* (H.R. 521), A bill to provide 
for the conveyance of certain property to the Yukon Kuskokwim 
Health Corporation located in Bethel, Alaska.
    Public Law 114-57: S. 501 (H.R. 1406), A bill to make 
technical corrections to the Navajo water rights settlement in 
the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes. (New Mexico 
Navajo Water Settlement Technical Corrections Act)
    Public Law 114-69: S. 986* (H.R. 1880), A bill to require 
the Secretary of the Interior to take into trust 4 parcels of 
Federal land for the benefit of certain Indian Pueblos in the 
State of New Mexico. (Albuquerque Indian School Land Transfer 
Act)
    Public Law 114-73: H.R. 3819, To provide an extension of 
Federal-aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, 
transit, and other programs funded out of the Highway Trust 
Fund, and for other purposes. (Surface Transportation Extension 
Act of 2015) and (Positive Train Control Enforcement and 
Implementation Act of 2015)
    Public Law 114-81: H.R. 774, To strengthen enforcement 
mechanisms to stop illegal, unreported, and unregulated 
fishing, to amend the Tuna Conventions Act of 1950 to implement 
the Antigua Convention, and for other purposes. (Illegal, 
Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Enforcement Act of 2015)
    Public Law 114-87: H.R. 3996, To provide an extension of 
Federal-aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, 
transit, and other programs funded out of the Highway Trust 
Fund, and for other purposes. (Surface Transportation Extension 
Act of 2015, Part II)
    Public Law 114-92: S. 1356* (H.R. 477), An act to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2016 for military activities of 
the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for 
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe 
military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes. (National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2016)
    Public Law 114-94: H.R. 22* (H.R. 3462), To amend title 46, 
United States Code, and the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish 
Restoration Act with respect to sport fish restoration and 
recreational boating safety, and for other purposes. (Sport 
Fish Restoration and Recreational Boating Safety Act of 2015)
    Public Law 114-101: H.R. 2270, To redesignate the Nisqually 
National Wildlife Refuge, located in the State of Washington, 
as the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, to 
establish the Medicine Creek Treaty National Memorial within 
the wildlife refuge, and for other purposes. (Billy Frank Jr. 
Tell Your Story Act)
    Public Law 114-113: H.R. 2029* (H.R. 2749), Making 
appropriations for military construction, the Department of 
Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year 
ending September 30, 2016, and for other purposes. 
(Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016)
    Public Law 114-120: H.R. 4188* (H.R. 325, H.R. 2284), To 
authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard for fiscal years 
2016 and 2017, and for other purposes. (Coast Guard 
Authorization Act of 2015)
    Public Law 114-127: H.R. 487, To allow the Miami Tribe of 
Oklahoma to lease or transfer certain lands.
    Public Law 114-128: H.R. 890, To revise the boundaries of 
certain John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System units 
in Florida. (To correct the boundaries of the John H. Chafee 
Coastal Barrier Resources System Unit P16)
    Public Law 114-165: S. 184* (H.R. 1168), A bill to amend 
the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act 
to require background checks before foster care placements are 
ordered in tribal court proceedings, and for other purposes. 
(Native American Children's Safety Act)
    Public Law 114-178: H.R. 812, To provide for Indian trust 
asset management reform, and for other purposes. (Indian Trust 
Asset Reform Act)
    Public Law 114-181: H.R. 2212, To take certain Federal 
lands located in Lassen County, California, into trust for the 
benefit of the Susanville Indian Rancheria, and for other 
purposes.
    Public Law 114-187: S. 2328 (H.R. 5278), A bill to 
reauthorize and amend the National Sea Grant College Program 
Act, and for other purposes. Note: The short title, as enacted, 
became Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic 
Stability Act (PROMESA)
    Public Law 114-221: S. 1579 (H.R. 3477), A bill to enhance 
and integrate Native American tourism, empower Native American 
communities, increase coordination and collaboration between 
Federal tourism assets, and expand heritage and cultural 
tourism opportunities in the United States. (Native American 
Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act)
    Public Law 114-230: H.R. 1475, To authorize a Wall of 
Remembrance as part of the Korean War Veterans Memorial and to 
allow certain private contributions to fund that Wall of 
Remembrance. (Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance 
Act)
    Public Law 114-231: H.R. 2494, To support global anti-
poaching efforts, strengthen the capacity of partner countries 
to counter wildlife trafficking, designate major wildlife 
trafficking countries, and for other purposes. (Eliminate, 
Neutralize, and Disrupt Wildlife Trafficking Act of 2016)
    Public Law 114-232: H.R. 2733, To require the Secretary of 
the Interior to take land into trust for certain Indian tribes, 
and for other purposes. (Nevada Native Nations Land Act)
    Public Law 114-233: H.R. 3004, To amend the Gullah/Geechee 
Cultural Heritage Act to extend the authorization for the 
Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission.
    Public Law 114-244: S. 246, A bill to establish the Alyce 
Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children, 
and for other purposes. (Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff 
Commission on Native Children Act)
    Public Law 114-245: H.R. 845, To direct the Secretary of 
Agriculture to publish in the Federal Register a strategy to 
significantly increase the role of volunteers and partners in 
National Forest System trail maintenance, and for other 
purposes. (National Forest System Trails Stewardship Act)
    Public Law 114-289: H.R. 4680 (H.R. 2817), To prepare the 
National Park Service for its Centennial in 2016 and for a 
second century of promoting and protecting the natural, 
historic, and cultural resources of our National Parks for the 
enjoyment of present and future generations, and for other 
purposes. (National Park Service Centennial Act)
    Public Law 114-314: H.R. 6400, To revise the boundaries of 
certain John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System units 
in New Jersey.
    Public Law 114-xxx: H.R. 6452 (H.R. 3269), To implement the 
Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas 
Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific Ocean, to implement 
the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas 
Fishery Resources in the South Pacific Ocean, and for other 
purposes. (Ensuring Access to Pacific Fisheries Act)
    Public Law 114-272: S. 3028 (H.R. 5397), A bill to 
redesignate the Olympic Wilderness as the Daniel J. Evans 
Wilderness. (Daniel J. Evans Olympic National Park Wilderness 
Act)
    Public Law 114-275: S. 3395 (H.R. 6029), A bill to require 
limitations on prescribed burns. (Prescribed Burn Approval Act 
of 2016)
    Public Law 114-322: S. 612* (H.R. 387, H.R. 1296, H.R. 
1772, H.R. 2086, H.R. 2898, H.R. 3079, H.R. 3382, H.R. 4131, 
H.R. 4685, H.R. 5468, H.R. 5633, H.R. 5765, H.R. 5984), A bill 
to designate the Federal building and United States courthouse 
located at 1300 Victoria Street in Laredo, Texas, as the 
``George P. Kazen Federal Building and United States 
Courthouse''. (Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation 
Act, or the WIIN Act)
    Public Law 114-262: S. 817* (H.R. 3211), A bill to provide 
for the addition of certain real property to the reservation of 
the Siletz Tribe in the State of Oregon.
    Public Law 114-263: S. 818* (H.R. 3212), A bill to amend 
the Grand Ronde Reservation Act to make technical corrections, 
and for other purposes.
    Public Law 114-xxx: S. 2943\*\ (H.R. 202, H.R. 1621, H.R. 
4579), An original bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal 
year 2017 for military activities of the Department of Defense, 
for military construction, and for defense activities of the 
Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths 
for such fiscal year, and for other purposes. (National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \*\Public Law 114-xxx: Designates a bill that was presented and 
signed by the President, but not assigned a Public Law number prior to 
filing the Activities Report.

                              APPENDIX IV

                            Committee Prints

                             FIRST SESSION

    114-A Rules for the Committee on Natural Resources, 114th 
Congress (Adopted: January 28, 2015)
    114-B The Unveiling and Presentation of the Official 
Portrait of the Honorable Richard W. Pombo, Former Chairman, 
Committee on Resources (Ceremony: July 28, 2015)

                             SECOND SESSION

    114-C Natural Resources Committee Activities Report, 114th 
Congress (First and Second Sessions, 2015-2016)
    114-D Natural Resources Committee Legislative Calendar, 
114th Congress (First and Second Sessions, 2015-2016)

                               APPENDIX V

                      Committee Bill Reports Filed

    House Report 114-75, Part 1, (H.R. 373), To direct the 
Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Agriculture to 
expedite access to certain Federal land under the 
administrative jurisdiction of each Secretary for good 
Samaritan search-and-recovery missions, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-76 (H.R. 404), To authorize early 
repayment of obligations to the Bureau of Reclamation within 
the Northport Irrigation District in the State of Nebraska.
    House Report 114-77 (H.R. 533), To revoke the charter of 
incorporation of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma at the request of 
that tribe, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-78 (H.R. 984), To amend the National 
Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
conduct a study on the feasibility of designating the Chief 
Standing Bear National Historic Trail, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-79 (H.R. 1168), To amend the Indian Child 
Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act to require 
background checks before foster care placements are ordered in 
tribal court proceedings, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-80 (H.R. 1324), To adjust the boundary of 
the Arapaho National Forest, Colorado, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-81 (H.R. 979), To designate a mountain in 
the John Muir Wilderness of the Sierra National Forest as ``Sky 
Point''.
    House Report 114-84 (H.R. 152), To direct the Secretary of 
the Interior to enter into an agreement to provide for 
management of the free-roaming wild horses in and around the 
Currituck National Wildlife Refuge.
    House Report 114-95 (H.R. 308), To prohibit gaming 
activities on certain Indian lands in Arizona until the 
expiration of certain gaming compacts.
    House Report 114-116 (H.R. 1335), To amend the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to provide 
flexibility for fishery managers and stability for fishermen, 
and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-140, Part 1, (H.R. 1214), To amend the 
Small Tracts Act to expand the authority of the Secretary of 
Agriculture to sell or exchange small parcels of National 
Forest System land to enhance the management of the National 
Forest System, to resolve minor encroachments, and for other 
purposes.
    House Report 114-151, Part 1, (H.R. 1991), To extend the 
authority of the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of 
Agriculture to carry out the Federal Lands Recreation 
Enhancement Act, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-173 (H.R. 387), To provide for certain 
land to be taken into trust for the benefit of Morongo Band of 
Mission Indians, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-185, Part 2, (H.R. 2647), To expedite 
under the National Environmental Policy Act and improve forest 
management activities in units of the National Forest System 
derived from the public domain, on public lands under the 
jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, and on tribal 
lands to return resilience to overgrown, fire-prone forested 
lands, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-197, Part 1, (H.R. 2898), To provide 
drought relief in the State of California, and for other 
purposes.
    House Report 114-197, Part 2, (H.R. 2898), To provide 
drought relief in the State of California, and for other 
purposes. (Supplemental Report)
    House Report 114-212, Part 1, (H.R. 774), To strengthen 
enforcement mechanisms to stop illegal, unreported, and 
unregulated fishing, to amend the Tuna Conventions Act of 1950 
to implement the Antigua Convention, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-213 (H.R. 1289), To authorize the 
Secretary of the Interior to acquire approximately 44 acres of 
land in Martinez, California, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-217, Part 1, (H.R. 521), To provide for 
the conveyance of certain property to the Yukon Kuskokwim 
Health Corporation located in Bethel, Alaska.
    House Report 114-229 (H.R. 1138), To establish certain 
wilderness areas in central Idaho and to authorize various land 
conveyances involving National Forest System land and Bureau of 
Land Management land in central Idaho, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-236 (H.R. 1992), To reduce temporarily the 
royalty required to be paid for sodium produced on Federal 
lands, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-250 (H.R. 487), To allow the Miami Tribe 
of Oklahoma to lease or transfer certain lands.
    House Report 114-251 (H.R. 959), To authorize the Secretary 
of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the 
Medgar Evers House, located in Jackson, Mississippi, and for 
other purposes.
    House Report 114-252 (H.R. 1949), To provide for the 
consideration and submission of site and design proposals for 
the National Liberty Memorial approved for establishment in the 
District of Columbia.
    House Report 114-253, Part 1, (H.R. 1937), To require the 
Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to 
more efficiently develop domestic sources of the minerals and 
mineral materials of strategic and critical importance to 
United States economic and national security and manufacturing 
competitiveness.
    House Report 114-254 (H.R. 2791), To require that certain 
Federal lands be held in trust by the United States for the 
benefit of certain Indian tribes in Oregon, and for other 
purposes.
    House Report 114-255 (S. 501), A bill to make technical 
corrections to the Navajo water rights settlement in the State 
of New Mexico, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-257 (H.R. 1554), To require a land 
conveyance involving the Elkhorn Ranch and the White River 
National Forest in the State of Colorado, and for other 
purposes.
    House Report 114-258 (H.R. 2223), To authorize, direct, 
expedite, and facilitate a land exchange in El Paso and Teller 
Counties, Colorado, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-271 (H.R. 1880), To require the Secretary 
of the Interior to take into trust 4 parcels of Federal land 
for the benefit of certain Indian Pueblos in the State of New 
Mexico.
    House Report 114-274 (H.R. 2168), To make the current 
Dungeness crab fishery management regime permanent and for 
other purposes.
    House Report 114-275 (H.R. 1541), To amend title 54, United 
States Code, to make Hispanic-serving institutions eligible for 
technical and financial assistance for the establishment of 
preservation training and degree programs.
    House Report 114-276 (H.R. 538), To facilitate the 
development of energy on Indian lands by reducing Federal 
regulations that impede tribal development of Indian lands, and 
for other purposes.
    House Report 114-277 (H.R. 1644), To amend the Surface 
Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to ensure 
transparency in the development of environmental regulations, 
and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-285 (H.R. 2295), To amend the Mineral 
Leasing Act to require the Secretary of the Interior to 
identify and designate National Energy Security Corridors for 
the construction of natural gas pipelines on Federal land, and 
for other purposes.
    House Report 114-286 (H.R. 2288), To remove the use 
restrictions on certain land transferred to Rockingham County, 
Virginia, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-287, Part 1, (H.R. 2358), To amend the 
Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to enhance the 
reliability of the electricity grid and reduce the threat of 
wildfires to and from electric transmission and distribution 
facilities on Federal lands by facilitating vegetation 
management on such lands.
    House Report 114-314 (H.R. 2212), To take certain Federal 
lands located in Lassen County, California, into trust for the 
benefit of the Susanville Indian Rancheria, and for other 
purposes.
    House Report 114-327 (H.R. 2130), To provide legal 
certainty to property owners along the Red River in Texas, and 
for other purposes.
    House Report 114-335 (H.R. 2270), To redesignate the 
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, located in the State of 
Washington, as the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife 
Refuge, to establish the Medicine Creek Treaty National 
Memorial within the wildlife refuge, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-366 (H.R. 1107), To require the Secretary 
of the Interior to submit to Congress a report on the efforts 
of the Bureau of Reclamation to manage its infrastructure 
assets.
    House Report 114-373 (H.R. 974), To direct the Secretary of 
the Interior to promulgate regulations to allow the use of 
hand-propelled vessels on certain rivers and streams that flow 
in and through certain Federal lands in Yellowstone National 
Park, Grand Teton National Park, the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 
Memorial Parkway, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-374 (H.R. 1452), To authorize Escambia 
County, Florida, to convey certain property that was formerly 
part of Santa Rosa Island National Monument and that was 
conveyed to Escambia County subject to restrictions on use and 
reconveyance.
    House Report 114-377, Part 1, (H.R. 2406), To protect and 
enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing, and 
shooting, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-404, Part 1, (H.R. 3382), To amend the 
Lake Tahoe Restoration Act to enhance recreational 
opportunities, environmental restoration activities, and forest 
management activities in the Lake Tahoe Basin, and for other 
purposes.
    House Report 114-416 (H.R. 3036), To designate the National 
September 11 Memorial located at the World Trade Center site in 
New York City, New York, as a national memorial, and for other 
purposes.
    House Report 114-417 (H.R. 890), To revise the boundaries 
of certain John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System 
units in Florida.
    House Report 114-430 (H.R. 3004), To amend the Gullah/
Geechee Cultural Heritage Act to extend the authorization for 
the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission.
    House Report 114-431 (H.R. 2880), To redesignate the Martin 
Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in the State of 
Georgia, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-432 (H.R. 812), To provide for Indian 
trust asset management reform, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-433 (H.R. 1475), To authorize a Wall of 
Remembrance as part of the Korean War Veterans Memorial and to 
allow certain private contributions to fund that Wall of 
Remembrance.
    House Report 114-434 (H.R. 3371), To adjust the boundary of 
the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park to include the 
Wallis House and Harriston Hill, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-435 (H.R. 3620), To amend the Delaware 
Water Gap National Recreation Area Improvement Act to provide 
access to certain vehicles serving residents of municipalities 
adjacent to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, 
and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-441 (H.R. 4119), To authorize the exchange 
of certain land located in Gulf Islands National Seashore, 
Jackson County, Mississippi, between the National Park Service 
and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-442 (H.R. 482), To redesignate Ocmulgee 
National Monument in the State of Georgia and revise its 
boundary, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-446 (H.R. 1820), To authorize the 
Secretary of the Interior to retire coal preference right lease 
applications for which the Secretary has made an affirmative 
commercial quantities determination, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-447 (H.R. 2857), To facilitate the 
addition of park administration at the Coltsville National 
Historical Park, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-448 (H.R. 3079), To take certain Federal 
land located in Tuolumne County, California, into trust for the 
benefit of the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians, and for other 
purposes.
    House Report 114-450 (H.R. 2273), To amend the Colorado 
River Storage Project Act to authorize the use of the active 
capacity of the Fontenelle Reservoir.
    House Report 114-479 (H.R. 1815), To facilitate certain 
pinyon-juniper related projects in Lincoln County, Nevada, to 
modify the boundaries of certain wilderness areas in the State 
of Nevada, and to provide for the implementation of a 
conservation plan for the Virgin River, Nevada.
    House Report 114-487 (H.R. 2733), To require the Secretary 
of the Interior to take land into trust for certain Indian 
tribes, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-514 (H.R. 3826), To amend the Omnibus 
Public Land Management Act of 2009 to modify provisions 
relating to certain land exchanges in the Mt. Hood Wilderness 
in the State of Oregon.
    House Report 114-515, Part 1, (H.R. 894), To extend the 
authorization of the Highlands Conservation Act.
    House Report 114-516 (H.R. 87), To modify the boundary of 
the Shiloh National Military Park located in Tennessee and 
Mississippi, to establish Parker's Crossroads Battlefield as an 
affiliated area of the National Park System, and for other 
purposes.
    House Report 114-517 (H.R. 3070), To clarify that for 
purposes of all Federal laws governing marine fisheries 
management, the landward boundary of the exclusive economic 
zone between areas south of Montauk, New York, and Point 
Judith, Rhode Island, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-549 (H.R. 295), To reauthorize the 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities Historic 
Preservation program.
    House Report 114-550 (H.R. 2009), To provide for the 
conveyance of certain land inholdings owned by the United 
States to the Tucson Unified School District and to the Pascua 
Yaqui Tribe of Arizona.
    House Report 114-562, Part 1, (H.R. 1621), To modify the 
boundary of Petersburg National Battlefield in the Commonwealth 
of Virginia, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-563 (H.R. 3211), To provide for the 
addition of certain real property to the reservation of the 
Siletz Tribe in the State of Oregon.
    House Report 114-575 (H.R. 496), To establish the Alabama 
Hills National Scenic Area in the State of California, and for 
other purposes.
    House Report 114-576, Part 1, (H.R. 4680), To prepare the 
National Park Service for its Centennial in 2016 and for a 
second century of promoting and protecting the natural, 
historic, and cultural resources of our National Parks for the 
enjoyment of present and future generations, and for other 
purposes.
    House Report 114-585 (H.R. 1838), To establish the Clear 
Creek National Recreation Area in San Benito and Fresno 
Counties, California, to designate the Joaquin Rocks Wilderness 
in such counties, to designate additional components of the 
National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-602, Part 1, (H.R. 5278), To establish an 
Oversight Board to assist the Government of Puerto Rico, 
including instrumentalities, in managing its public finances, 
and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-633 (H.R. 2538), To take lands in Sonoma 
County, California, into trust as part of the reservation of 
the Lytton Rancheria of California, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-647 (H.R. 4582), To exclude striped bass 
from the anadromous fish doubling requirement in section 
3406(b)(1) of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act, and 
for other purposes.
    House Report 114-649 (H.R. 4685), To take certain Federal 
lands located in Tulare County, California, into trust for the 
benefit of the Tule River Indian Tribe, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-650 (H.R. 5244), To provide for the 
establishment of a national memorial and national monument to 
commemorate those killed by the collapse of the Saint Francis 
Dam on March 12, 1928, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-651 (H.R. 3844), To establish the Bureau 
of Land Management Foundation to encourage, obtain, and use 
gifts, devises, and bequests for projects for the benefit of, 
or in connection with, activities and services of the Bureau of 
Land Management, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-658 (H.R. 3734), To amend the Surface 
Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to provide support 
to mining schools, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-688 (H.R. 4202), To authorize the 
Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study 
of Fort Ontario in the State of New York.
    House Report 114-689 (H.R. 4510), To insure adequate use 
and access to the existing Bolts Ditch headgate and ditch 
segment within the Holy Cross Wilderness in Eagle County, 
Colorado, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-690 (H.R. 4789), To authorize the 
Secretary of the Interior to establish a structure for visitor 
services on the Arlington Ridge tract, in the area of the U.S. 
Marine Corps War Memorial, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-700 (H.R. 3212), To amend the Grand Ronde 
Reservation Act to make technical corrections, and for other 
purposes.
    House Report 114-701 (H.R. 3480), To expand the boundary of 
Fort Frederica National Monument in the State of Georgia, and 
for other purposes.
    House Report 114-711 (H.R. 3881), To amend the Mineral 
Leasing Act to repeal provisions relating only to the Allegheny 
National Forest.
    House Report 114-712, Part 1, (H.R. 4245), To exempt 
importation and exportation of sea urchins and sea cucumbers 
from licensing requirements under the Endangered Species Act of 
1973.
    House Report 114-713 (H.R. 5577), To amend the Outer 
Continental Shelf Lands Act to authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to conduct offshore oil and gas lease sales through 
Internet-based live lease sales, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-714, Part 1, (H.R. 3839), To transfer 
administrative jurisdiction over certain Bureau of Land 
Management land from the Secretary of the Interior to the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs for inclusion in the Black Hills 
National Cemetery, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-715 (H.R. 1157), To authorize the 
Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for the 
benefit of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians, and 
for other purposes.
    House Report 114-716 (H.R. 3342), To provide for stability 
of title to certain lands in the State of Louisiana, and for 
other purposes.
    House Report 114-717, Part 1, (H.R. 3843), To authorize for 
a 7-year period the collection of claim location and 
maintenance fees, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-718 (H.R. 4576), To implement the 
Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas 
Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific Ocean, to implement 
the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas 
Fishery Resources in the South Pacific Ocean, and for other 
purposes.
    House Report 114-719 (H.R. 5468), To direct the Secretary 
of the Interior to allow for prepayment of repayment 
obligations under Repayment Contracts between the United States 
and the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District.
    House Report 114-720 (H. Res. 169), Acknowledging and 
honoring brave young men from Hawaii who enabled the United 
States to establish and maintain jurisdiction in remote 
equatorial islands as prolonged conflict in the Pacific led to 
World War II.
    House Report 114-721, Part 1, (S. 1579), A bill to enhance 
and integrate Native American tourism, empower Native American 
communities, increase coordination and collaboration between 
Federal tourism assets, and expand heritage and cultural 
tourism opportunities in the United States.
    House Report 114-722 (S. 246), A bill to establish the 
Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native 
Children, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-740 (H.R. 2817), To amend title 54, United 
States Code, to extend the authorization of appropriations for 
the Historic Preservation Fund.
    House Report 114-747 (H.R. 1296), To amend the San Luis Rey 
Indian Water Rights Settlement Act to clarify certain 
settlement terms, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-750 (H.R. 4564), To redesignate the small 
triangular property located in Washington, DC, and designated 
by the National Park Service as reservation 302 as ``Robert 
Emmet Park'', and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-820 (H.R. 2333), To authorize the 
Secretary of the Interior to acquire certain property related 
to the Fort Scott National Historic Site in Fort Scott, Kansas.
    House Report 114-821 (H.R. 5984), To authorize the Pechanga 
Band of Luiseno Mission Indians Water Rights Settlement, and 
for other purposes.
    House Report 114-822 (S. 3028), A bill to redesignate the 
Olympic Wilderness as the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness.
    House Report 114-828, Part 1, (H.R. 329), To amend the 
Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Demonstration 
Act of 1992 to facilitate the ability of Indian tribes to 
integrate the employment, training, and related services from 
diverse Federal sources, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-829 (H.R. 5032), To allow certain property 
in the town of Louisa, Virginia, to be used for purposes 
related to compliance with water quality standards, and for 
other purposes.
    House Report 114-830 (H.R. 564), To amend the Marine Mammal 
Protection Act of 1972 to reduce predation on endangered 
Columbia River salmon and other nonlisted species, and for 
other purposes.
    House Report 114-832 (H.R. 2387), To amend the Alaska 
Native Claims Settlement Act to provide for equitable allotment 
of land to Alaska Native veterans.
    House Report 114-833 (H.R. 5259), To direct the Secretary 
of the Interior to reestablish the Royalty Policy Committee in 
order to further a more consultative process with key Federal, 
State, tribal, environmental, and energy stakeholders, and for 
other purposes.
    House Report 114-834 (H.R. 1219), To authorize the 
Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land and 
appurtenances of the Arbuckle Project, Oklahoma, to the 
Arbuckle Master Conservancy District, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-845 (H.R. 3711), To authorize the 
Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study 
of Chicano Park, located in San Diego, California, and for 
other purposes.
    House Report 114-847 (H.R. 3764), To provide that an Indian 
group may receive Federal acknowledgment as an Indian tribe 
only by an Act of Congress, and for other purposes.
    House Report 114-851 (H.R. 3094), To amend the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to transfer to 
States the authority to manage red snapper fisheries in the 
Gulf of Mexico.
    House Report 114-856, Part 1, (H.R. 3062), To prohibit the 
use of eminent domain in carrying out certain projects.
    House Report 114-857, Part 1, (H.R. 4579), To withdraw 
certain Bureau of Land Management land in the State of Utah 
from all forms of public appropriation, to provide for the 
shared management of the withdrawn land by the Secretary of the 
Interior and the Secretary of the Air Force to facilitate 
enhanced weapons testing and pilot training, enhance public 
safety, and provide for continued public access to the 
withdrawn land, to provide for the exchange of certain Federal 
land and State land, and for other purposes.

                              APPENDIX VI

                              ----------                              


                           Supplemental Views

    As the result of the bipartisan effort of leadership in the 
House Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on 
Armed Services, H.R. 44, the Guam World War II Loyalty 
Recognition Act, was passed as a provision of the National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017. The provision 
would implement most recommendations of the Republican-led Guam 
War Claims Review Commission that was commissioned by action of 
this Committee during the 107th Congress. Prior versions of war 
claims legislation had been passed by the House five times, 
three times as a provision to the defense bill, and twice as 
standalone measures.
    I thank Chairman Rob Bishop and Ranking Member Raul 
Grijalva, as well as my fellow Members of the Committee, for 
their support of war claims legislation. I especially 
appreciate Chairman Rob Bishop's recognition of the importance 
of rectifying this injustice, and his commitment and 
willingness to work towards resolution during this Congress. In 
addition, I thank House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac 
Thornberry and Ranking Member Adam Smith for their help and 
support during the Conference Committee on the defense bill. I 
am also grateful for the support of my fellow Committee Members 
in past Congresses.
    Passage of war claims legislation was a historic day for 
Guam, as passage brings us a step closer to honoring Guam's 
greatest generation and rightfully recognizing the survivors of 
the occupation of Guam during World War II and those who died 
during the occupation. The passage of the bill also had special 
significance as this December marked the 75th anniversary of 
the bombing of Guam on December 8, 1941 and the start of what 
would be 32 months of enemy occupation by Imperial Japanese 
forces. Securing passage of this bill was a long and difficult 
process that spanned many Congresses. Yet, despite political 
and budgetary challenges that was faced along the way, our 
Committee continued to advance the legislative history of this 
issue, which was critical to securing its passage. Looking 
forward, over the coming year, processes will be established 
for the survivors and heirs of those who died during the 
occupation to receive their claims. I will continue to work to 
ensure that the claims process is appropriately carried out, 
and I hope that our Committee will continue to exercise our 
oversight throughout this process.
    Passage of war claims legislation by this Congress finally 
recognizes the suffering endured by the Chamorro people during 
the occupation of Guam and rectifies a disparity between the 
claims process they experienced following liberation with other 
claims programs administered by the Navy. The Review Commission 
highlighted that the people of Guam were not treated equitably 
with other populations and recommended that Congress reopen the 
claims process. This bill implements those recommendations and 
authorize claims for the living survivors of the occupation and 
the descendants of those who were killed as a result of the 
occupation.

                                             Madeleine Z. Bordallo.

                              APPENDIX VII

                              ----------                              


                            Dissenting Views

    The final Report of the 114th Congress documents the 
failure of the Republican Majority to address numerous 
environmental and natural resources challenges impacting the 
quality of life for millions of Americans. Committee 
Republicans pursued their agenda for political purposes, 
without regard to bipartisan or bicameral cooperation.
    Perhaps the most significant failure was the Committee 
Republican's deafening silence on climate change, except for 
the beginning of the 114th Congress when an amendment offered 
by Ranking Member Grijalva was unanimously adopted to ``conduct 
oversight of global climate change and impacts on federal lands 
and resources and the strategies for using federal lands, 
oceans and other resources to mitigate harmful effects.'' The 
Committee failed to dedicate a single oversight hearing to this 
critically pressing issue.
    Below, in detail, our Dissenting Views to the Activities 
Report highlight issue-by-issue failures of the Republican 
Majority and set a path forward toward successfully addressing 
the issues.

                            ABANDONED MINES

    There are approximately 500,000 abandoned hardrock mines in 
the United States, with an estimated cleanup cost as high as 
$54 billion. Hardrock mining companies, however, are not 
required to pay anything to address this legacy of their 
industry. Meaningful environmental and financial assurance 
requirements for hardrock mines were not established until 
1980, meaning over two hundred years of hardrock mining 
operations were conducted with no requirements for miners to 
clean up when they left. Taxpayers are currently on the hook to 
clean up these legacy abandoned mines. Available funding is so 
low that abandoned mines become ticking time bombs, eventually 
creating serious problems like the blowout at the Gold King 
Mine in Colorado last year.
    Rivers throughout the country, and particularly the West, 
are constantly inundated with millions of gallons of toxic acid 
mine drainage every year, making the water unusable and 
unsuitable for wildlife. The facts are that: (1) $2.6 billion 
in taxpayer money was spent cleaning up abandoned hardrock 
mines between 1998 and 2007; (2) 95% of people in Montana 
support requiring the mining industry to pay to clean up 
abandoned mines, according to Earthworks; and (3) $300 billion 
worth of minerals have been removed from public lands without a 
single cent in royalties being paid to the American people, 
according to Earthworks.
    Congress isn't doing much to address the issue, other than 
using taxpayer money to fund clean-up activities at inadequate 
levels. Instead of supporting tougher standards or establishing 
a mandatory cleanup fund, Republicans are asking for 
volunteers. This Congress they promoted bills that weaken 
environmental reviews for mining projects, even for common 
minerals like sand and gravel. However, in keeping with the 
principle of making polluters pay, Democrats believe that the 
mining industry should be required to contribute to a fund that 
would be used to clean up abandoned hardrock mines. Congress 
should pass legislation to significantly update the Mining Law 
of 1872 and require the hardrock mining industry to pay to 
clean up hardrock mines.

                           AMERICAN FISHERIES

    Thanks to reforms passed by Congress with overwhelming 
bipartisan support in 1996 and 2006, U.S. fisheries have become 
a model of sustainability and responsible, science-based 
management. While some fish stocks and the fishermen who 
historically target them continue to suffer from the impacts of 
chronic overfishing, the evidence shows that on the whole, 
fishing is becoming a more stable and profitable enterprise in 
America.
    The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management 
Act (MSA)--designed to kick foreign fishing fleets out of U.S. 
waters--expired in 2013. Although Congress continues to fund 
programs under the Act, it has not made important updates to 
improve fisheries science, conservation, and management. Under 
House GOP leadership, fisheries policy has shifted from a 
bipartisan issue with regional divisions to a hyper-partisan 
one tied to an extreme anti-conservation agenda.
    The MSA ensures that American fisheries will be sustainable 
in the long term, giving consumers a growing supply of domestic 
seafood to choose over foreign product that can be mislabeled, 
contaminated, unsustainable, or harvested using slave labor.
    By removing too many fish, ocean ecosystems can be thrown 
out of balance, damaging sensitive and productive habitats like 
coral reefs and harming the economy. Since 2011, there's been a 
15% (increase) in fisheries sector employment, and fisheries-
related sales are up 16% (to $4.214 billion), according to 
NOAA. Finally, 39 stocks have been rebuilt from an overfished 
condition under MSA since 1996, according to NOAA.
    Democrats have proposed legislation that would reauthorize 
MSA while keeping core conservation provisions intact, 
providing more opportunities to partner with fishermen on 
research, and taking advantage of new technologies for data 
collection and monitoring. The GOP bill, widely referred to as 
the Empty Oceans Act, would take us back to the dark ages of 
fisheries management, when overfishing and economic depression 
were the norm. House Republicans have turned MSA 
reauthorization into an effort to advance their anti-
conservation priorities by proposing language that takes the 
science out of fisheries management and guts conservation 
measures. A number of fishing and conservation groups, 
including Cape Cod Commercial Fisherman's Alliance, Gulf of 
Mexico Shareholders Alliance and Pew Charitable Trusts, oppose 
the GOP ``Empty Oceans Act.'' The House Republican proposal is 
harmful, and has died in the Senate two Congresses in a row.

                            ANTIQUITIES ACT

    The Antiquities Act authorizes the president to designate 
national monuments on existing federal land. Since its 
enactment in 1906, it has been used to protect some of our 
nation's most iconic historical landmarks and natural 
landscapes, from the Grand Canyon in Arizona to the Stonewall 
Inn in New York City. National monuments preserve and protect 
our most cherished natural and cultural resources. The 
Antiquities Act allows the president to protect places for 
future generations in a manner that honors our shared heritage 
and respects our commitment to sustainable land management. 
Despite this historic function, Republicans in Congress are 
eager to dismantle and restrict the Antiquities Act.
    President Obama has used the Antiquities Act numerous times 
throughout his term to help protect some of our nation's most 
sensitive landscapes and diversify the story enshrined in our 
public lands. Most recently, President Obama enlarged the 
Papaha-naumokua-kea Marine National Monument in the water of 
Hawaii, making it one of the largest protected marine reserves 
in the world, and designated the Katahdin Woods and Waters 
National Monument in Northern Maine. He has also designated 
monuments to honor and reflect the history of diverse 
communities, including the Cesar Chavez National Monument in 
California and the Stonewall National Monument in New York 
City.
    The facts are that 80% of respondents support the 
president's use of the Antiquities Act to designate national 
monuments on federal land, according to a Colorado College 
Poll. Sixteen out of nineteen presidents since 1906, both 
Democrats and Republicans, have used the Antiquities Act.
    House Republicans have ignored 20 out of 24 national 
monument and other conservation designation bills introduced 
this Congress, while at the same time crying foul each time the 
president designates a national monument. Republicans have even 
gone as far as introducing legislation to place geographic 
restrictions and other administrative hurdles on use of the 
Antiquities Act.
    Democrats fully support the Antiquities Act and are working 
with President Obama to make sure our most treasured resources 
receive the protection they deserve. Instead of trying to 
obstruct publicly supported conservation designations, Congress 
needs to do a better job of examining proposed national 
monuments and other conservation designations by, at the very 
least, holding hearings on introduced bills.

                              CARCIERI FIX

    Under the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act (IRA), the federal 
government and tribes can place additional land in trust in 
order to ``. . . conserve and develop Indian lands and 
resources,'' and to rehabilitate Indian economic life. Up until 
2009, the Department of the Interior consistently interpreted 
the IRA as authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to place 
land into trust for any tribe, so long as that tribe was 
federally recognized at the time of the trust application. 
However, in 2009, the Supreme Court ruled in the Carcieri 
decision that only federally recognized tribes at the time the 
IRA became law are able to take land into trust. Many tribes 
recognized after 1934 are now in danger of losing the ability 
to take land into trust, and some would even question the 
validity of their current land.
    The year 1934 was never intended to be a hard deadline for 
tribal recognition, and many tribes have been federally 
recognized since that time. The Carcieri decision has 
wrongfully called into question the status of tribal lands 
across the country, causing costly litigation and harmful 
delays in critical infrastructure development.
    The ambiguity the Carcieri decision created is jeopardizing 
the ability for tribes to rebuild their communities through 
economic development. Acquisition of trust land for the benefit 
of Indian tribes is vital to their self-determination and 
economic prosperity.
    It has been seven years since the Carcieri decision, yet 
the GOP majority has taken no action to address the issue. The 
GOP would rather use this issue as a political football in 
their quest to redefine tribal sovereignty, as well as to stall 
economic development on Indian lands. Democrats have 
consistently supported a simple ``clean'' fix to the Carcieri 
decision that would amend the language of the IRA to 
reestablish the Department of the Interior's authority to take 
land into trust for all tribes, simply reaffirming what the 
drafters of the IRA intended all along.
    The Carcieri decision unwound 75 years of agency practice, 
and in the process has created a two-tiered system for federal-
tribal relationships. Congress must pass a ``clean'' Carcieri 
fix, which would address the issue by reaffirming the ability 
of all tribes to take land into trust.

                         CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS

    Climate change driven by man-made greenhouse gas pollution 
is causing our air and oceans to warm, glaciers to melt, and 
sea levels to rise. We are already seeing the effects of 
climate change today: Coastal and island communities threatened 
with more frequent and severe flooding, and changes to habitats 
for fish and other species people rely on for their livelihood; 
More stress on already imperiled wildlife populations and the 
landscapes that support them; and weather patterns changing in 
ways that worsen storms and droughts.
    The longer we wait to address the realities of climate 
change, the worse the impacts will be. In fact, 2015 was the 
warmest year on record. The average global temperature in July 
and August of this year tied for the hottest month since record 
keeping started in 1880, according to NASA. This August was .29 
degrees Fahrenheit warmer than August 2014, previously the 
warmest August on record.
    Greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation, 
industrial activities, agriculture and deforestation, and the 
transportation sector have contributed to rapid warming of the 
Earth's atmosphere. A failure to curtail these emissions and 
adapt to the consequences have left our forests, fields, 
rivers, oceans, and coasts--as well as the people who live and 
work near them--vulnerable to significant ecological and 
economic damage. Congressional Republicans have fought tooth 
and nail against every Democratic effort to address the climate 
crisis, voting on numerous occasions to block the Clean Power 
Plan--the linchpin of U.S. global commitments to reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions--and rejecting legislation and 
amendments to fight climate change or even acknowledge that it 
is happening.
    As the Department of Defense has recognized, a changing 
climate impacts our national security and defense missions, and 
they are currently assessing how to best respond to the impacts 
to resources, operations, and infrastructure necessary for 
military readiness. In the Arctic Region, for example, where 
temperatures are rising two times faster than the rest of world 
on average, the ability to advance U.S. national security 
interests is directly related to our ability to understand and 
respond to the challenges of climate change (White House, 2015 
Report).
    Climate-altering emissions will have a lasting impact on 
the health of our communities and families. Those with asthma, 
heart disease and respiratory illness will be at greater risk 
of air pollution and prolonged seasonal allergies. Elderly and 
infant Americans are most vulnerable to recording-breaking 
heatwaves. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and 
the Health and Human Services Department rightly consider 
climate change to be a public health challenge. But while the 
health risks might not be as sudden or visible compared to 
Ebola and the Zika virus, an equal level of attention, concern, 
and action is necessary.
    More extreme weather, drought, fire, and coastal erosion 
threaten not only people and their communities, but the 
environment as well. Warmer air temperatures are already 
causing these events on land, and warmer ocean temperatures are 
causing coral bleaching and pressuring fish stocks worldwide.
    Climate change is disrupting many Americans' way of life, 
and the impacts will only increase if we do not take decisive 
action to reduce carbon pollution and adapt to the changes we 
know will happen. Using the best available science and 
conservation practices will help lessen the effects of 
continued emissions on our country's natural resources. Let's 
implement the most immediate and practical solutions now, 
rather than waiting and paying a higher price later.
    At the beginning of the 114th Congress, the Committee 
unanimously adopted an amendment sponsored by Ranking Member 
Grijalva to ``conduct oversight of global climate change and 
impacts on federal lands and resources and the strategies for 
using federal lands, oceans and other resources to mitigate 
harmful effects.'' Yet the Committee has failed to dedicate a 
single oversight hearing to this critically pressing issue. In 
fact, 100% of House Republicans voted against affirming climate 
change is real--two times, in 2015 and 2016.
    House Republicans have largely ignored the reality of 
climate change. They continue to press for expanded production 
and use of dirty fossil fuels--including coal--and oppose all 
efforts to control greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to 
climate-driven phenomena like extreme drought, wildfire and sea 
level rise. Democrats want to reduce carbon pollution and help 
communities and natural resources-dependent industries prepare 
for changes associated with a warmer world. By following the 
science we can make smart, proactive decisions that conserve 
natural resources on land and at sea, protect vulnerable 
coastal property and infrastructure, and lower the burden on 
taxpayers.
    While a few members have changed their tune, Republican 
leaders continue to deny climate change and refuse to address 
it. Republicans should join Democrats in finding ways to reduce 
carbon emissions and the impacts of global warming.

                            CLIMATE REFUGEES

    The Earth's climate is changing at a rate that has exceeded 
most scientific forecasts. Some families and communities living 
in low-lying areas have been forced to leave their homes in 
search of a new beginning.
    The science is indisputable--climate change is real, and it 
is affecting people around the world. Human activities are 
causing glaciers to melt and sea levels to rise, putting water 
and food resources at risk. Congress must deal with climate 
change issues in a comprehensive manner now.
    Over the last 10 years, the Isle de Jean Charles community 
in Louisiana has lost two-thirds of its residents to 
dislocation (LA Times). On Washington's Olympic Peninsula, the 
Quinault Indian Nation relies on a 2,000-foot-long sea wall for 
protection until it can complete its move uphill. In Alaska, 
climate change flooding and shoreline erosion already affect 
more than 180 villages, 31 of which are in ``imminent'' danger 
of becoming uninhabitable.
    Tens of millions of people will face hunger, disease, water 
shortages and dangerous journeys as they seek refuge if action 
is not taken to avert the humanitarian impacts of climate 
change. The poorest and most vulnerable--including women, 
children, the elderly and disabled--will be hit hardest. In 
2014, 19.3 million people worldwide were forced to flee floods, 
storms, and other severe weather events. The time for action is 
now.
    Following the second straight year that earned the 
troubling distinction of hottest year on record, Republicans 
continue to deny climate science, destroy solutions like clean 
energy, and abdicate responsibility to address climate 
refugees.
    A Democratic forum found that while it is essential to 
mitigate the sources of carbon, it will not help citizens on 
the front lines of climate change right now. In order to 
alleviate the most extreme consequences of a shifting climate, 
equal attention must be given to helping communities adapt to a 
rapidly changing homeland. This means creating a legal and 
financial structure that can adequately respond to communities 
in need. Democrats believe to truly make a lasting climate 
change legacy, among other things, the issue of climate 
relocation must be taken seriously.
    Congress needs to tackle climate change at its root cause: 
pollution from burning fossil fuels. But even as it pushes for 
pollution limits and a conversion to clean energy, there is an 
urgent need to help communities adapt to a changing climate. 
This includes water-saving strategies, flood controls, and 
other solutions to climate-related risks.

                           COAL SELF-BONDING

    Coal mining companies are required to post bonds to ensure 
mines will get cleaned up even if the company goes bankrupt or 
refuses to pay for it. The biggest coal companies can avoid the 
requirements to post bonds by convincing regulators they are 
too big to fail. Instead, they post ``self-bonds,'' which are 
effectively just promises to pay for the cleanup.
    Three of the biggest companies have already declared 
bankruptcy, including Peabody, the largest coal company of them 
all. Many of the proposed settlements between the states and 
the coal companies have covered less than 20% of their cleanup 
costs. More bankruptcies are imminent. As they attempt to shed 
debt through restructuring, many coal companies are still 
trying to use self-bonding despite a track record of not being 
able to cover cleanup costs. At each turn, the taxpayer is left 
with the bill. And if the taxpayer can't afford the bill, we 
pay with decades of drinking water contamination and threats to 
wildlife, including endangered species.
    Coal companies we thought were too big to fail are now 
failing for a number of reasons. The Great Recession in 2008 
was the first blow, followed by cheap natural gas that is out-
competing coal. Then many coal companies placed huge bets on 
China's need for a kind of coal that burns hot enough to work 
with steel--and lost those bets. When coal companies don't pay 
for their cleanup, taxpayers are left holding the bill. Coal 
mining sites that haven't been cleaned up can pollute drinking 
water and threaten wildlife for decades or more.
    Republicans support continued use of self-bonding and 
believe replacing the self-bonds with sureties or collateral 
requires the mines to tie up too much cash that could otherwise 
be used to do more mining.
    Dems want coal self-bonding to end. Coal companies should 
not be given a leg up just because they are enormous. Instead, 
they should have to buy surety bonds or collateral bonds to 
ensure that taxpayers are not left on the hook for cleaning up 
abandoned coal mines. Democrats introduced a bicameral bill--
the Coal Cleanup Taxpayer Protection Act--to end the practice 
of self-bonding, but the House GOP has not allowed the bill to 
be considered in committee. Courts are trying to pick up some 
of Congress' slack by forcing some coal companies to get rid of 
their self-bonds as a condition of the bankruptcy process.
    The Office of Surface Mining has announced changes and 
proposed regulatory improvements. These are the best ways to 
immediately slow the use of self-bonding and reduce the risk to 
taxpayers. Congress should also pass Democrats' bill, the Coal 
Cleanup Taxpayer Protection Act. This means creating a legal 
and financial structure that can adequately respond to 
communities in need.

                       DIVERSIFYING PUBLIC LANDS

    Our nation's diversity has been and will always be our 
greatest strength. Our system of parks and public lands should 
reflect the diversity of our nation's history, people, and 
cultures. Unfortunately, that system has not always been 
reflective of our country's demographics and ethnic diversity.
    The future of our public lands will depend upon public 
support from all Americans. Unfortunately, less than one-
quarter of the more than 450 National Park Service units have a 
primary focus on women, communities of color, or other 
traditionally underrepresented groups (Center for American 
Progress).
    To help ensure our national parks are around for 
generations to come, we have to make sure all Americans feel a 
connection to our parks and understand the value of protecting 
our public lands. We have to continue to engage with diverse 
communities or else we risk losing the historical, cultural, 
natural, economic and recreation resources that our public 
lands provide to communities across the nation.
    Congressional opponents of conservation and historic 
preservation have attempted to create roadblocks to increasing 
inclusivity at our public lands. For example, efforts by 
current congressional leaders to prevent President Obama from 
creating new national monuments undermine our goal of 
increasing diversity and inclusivity on our public lands.
    House Republicans have ignored repeated calls to hold 
hearings and examine the important topic of diversification 
across our public lands. They are also trying to block 
President Obama's use of the Antiquities Act to add diverse 
perspectives to our protected public places. Democrats are 
committed to finding ways to engage all segments of our 
population so that they become active users, managers, and 
supporters of public lands. Democrats have also supported 
President Obama's designation of monuments that celebrate our 
country's rich diverse culture and history. Federal land 
management agencies should engage with underrepresented 
communities in decisions about conservation and the expansion 
of outdoor recreation opportunities.

                       EXTREMISM ON PUBLIC LANDS

    U.S. public lands belong to all Americans, regardless of 
where they live or how much money they have. Unfortunately, 
some special interests--particularly in the West--believe that 
they should be able to dictate how U.S. public lands are used 
and it appears this movement now includes armed extremists.
    Despite the fact that the vast majority of Americans--
including hunters, anglers, hikers, paddlers, and wildlife 
watchers--value public lands, some states and their allies in 
industry and Congress are pushing to seize land from U.S. 
taxpayers. They argue that federally-protected land belongs to 
the states--an erroneous argument the Supreme Court rejected 
long ago. Now armed militia men appear to be acting out based 
on these false claims.
    Backlash against federal land ownership from a small and 
vocal minority is nothing new. However, a recent renewed push 
has seen people like Cliven Bundy and his sons resort to 
violence on public land and threats of violence against law 
enforcement and other government personnel, culminating in the 
occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon by 
armed militants earlier this year.
    The new ``Sagebrush Rebellion'' endangers the lives of 
people who conserve and restore public lands, as well as those 
who recreate there. This distracts from the important task of 
land stewardship. Additionally, this campaign to give away or 
sell off public lands threatens to limit access to the outdoors 
for millions of Americans. Yet, House Republicans refuse to 
address the issue of extremism on public lands.
    Republicans: The Republicans' anti-public lands actions and 
rhetoric have emboldened extremists and implied that open 
rebellion against federal land managers is acceptable. A bill 
introduced by House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman 
Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) strips the federal government of law 
enforcement authority on public lands, while a host of other 
bills aim to simply give away millions of acres of federal 
land.
    Republicans should publicly disavow violent extremism and 
acknowledge the importance of U.S. public lands to the 
economies and quality of life in their states. Unfortunately, 
the GOP continues to stoke the flames of dissension and prolong 
a volatile and dangerous situation in the West.
    Democrats introduced a resolution condemning the armed 
takeover of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and invited 
Republicans to cosponsor the measure--none did. House 
Republicans also ignored a request from Democrats to hold a 
hearing on the issue. In light of Republicans' refusal to take 
the issue seriously, Natural Resources Ranking Member Raul M. 
Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Homeland Security Ranking Member Bennie 
G. Thompson (D-Miss.) held a forum on the dangers of extremism 
on public lands.

                             INSULAR AREAS

    The Natural Resources Committee has jurisdiction over the 
U.S.-affiliated insular areas, which include the territories of 
Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; also the 
freely associated states of the Federated States of Micronesia, 
the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau 
under the Compacts of Free Association. Insular areas face 
serious economic challenges stemming from heavy dependence on 
only a few key industries, scarce natural resources, shortages 
of skilled labor, and reliance on federal grants to fund basic 
services, to name a few (GAO, 2006).
    Strategic Importance: Palau is particularly important, as 
one of our strongest allies in the Western Pacific. While the 
Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs held 
a hearing on Palau, the 2010 extension agreement of the Palau 
Compact has not been passed by Congress since it was submitted 
for approval by the Department of State in the beginning of 
2011. Other insular areas are of strategic military importance 
as well. Guam, for example, is a linchpin in the U.S. strategy 
to assert influence in the Pacific. It is the only island 
between Hawaii and Asia that has both a protected harbor and 
sufficient land for major airports. The U.S. military already 
occupies a quarter of the land on Guam with a Navy base, 
submarine docks, and an Air Force base. And there will only be 
more military buildup in the future; the Department of Defense 
is looking at Guam and the Marianas to create space for large-
scale operations involving every branch of the American 
military.
    Economic Challenges: All the territories, most notably 
Puerto Rico, face serious economic challenges and very high 
debt loads because Congress has failed to replace outdated 
incentives that were necessary for economic growth. Relatedly, 
because the islands are not always eligible for full funding 
under federal health care programs, their government resources 
are drained from the high cost of health care for their 
residents. If action isn't taken to address these concerns, we 
could face the potential for fiscal collapses similar to Puerto 
Rico in each of the other territories.
    House Republicans have paid insufficient attention to our 
insular areas. In the 114th, the only issues the House 
addressed, at the last minute, were Puerto Rico's debt crisis 
and the Marianas worker shortage issue. We hope that this 
Congress' inaction on insular areas issues is not indicative of 
a trend.
    House Democrats are committed to addressing issues that 
pertain to the territories as they arise, be it approval of the 
Palau Compact, shoring up the economic health of the insular 
areas, or protecting our military interests.
    Congress needs to remember that promises were made to 
ensure both the economic and social well-being of our insular 
areas. We need to place a priority on addressing the economic 
needs of these areas out of respect for their rights and 
contributions to our nation.

                    LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND

    The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is a critical 
conservation tool that protects open spaces and promotes 
recreation throughout the country. Since being established in 
1965, LWCF has conserved iconic landscapes in every state and 
is responsible for more than 40,000 state and local outdoor 
recreation projects such as playgrounds, urban parks, refuges, 
and baseball fields. Unlike many other programs, LWCF is 
already paid for. LWCF funds are derived from oil and gas 
receipts paid to the federal government by energy companies 
that extract publicly-owned resources from the Outer 
Continental Shelf (OCS).
    Congress has failed to realize LWCF's full potential. Each 
year $900 million from offshore royalties is deposited in the 
LWCF account in the federal treasury--yet more than $17 billion 
of those funds have then been diverted elsewhere. On top of 
Congress failing to fully fund the program each year, the 
current LWCF authorization expires in 2018.
    Hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, paddling and other 
outdoor recreation activities--all supported by LWCF--
contribute a total of $646 billion annually to the economy and 
support 6.1 million American jobs. In fact, a bipartisan poll 
found 88% of voters support continuing to set aside offshore 
oil and gas drilling fees into the LWCF and 85% of Americans 
want LWCF to be fully funded.
    The facts are that 98% of U.S. counties have used LWCF to 
protect land and establish new parks over the course of the 
program. And, importantly, $3 billion in LWCF grants to states 
has leveraged more than $7 billion in non-federal matching 
funds.
    On September 30, 2015, Congress allowed the authorization 
for LWCF to expire for the first time in 50 years. Fortunately, 
the program was eventually reauthorized. However, the current 
authorization expires again in 2018. Without further action by 
Congress, the nation's most successful conservation program 
could disappear.
    House Republicans, led by Natural Resources Committee 
Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah), want to weaken LWCF and take 
money away from conservation.
    Ranking Member Raul M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) introduced a bill 
with 209 bipartisan cosponsors that permanently reauthorizes 
LWCF. Also, 85 Senators voted in favor of a legislation that 
included permanent reauthorization of LWCF. After 50 years of 
success, LWCF deserves permanent authorization. Permanent 
authorization would provide much-needed certainty and prevent 
LWCF from becoming a victim of political paralysis.

                       MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL MINING

    Mountaintop removal (MTR) mining creates devastating 
environmental and health impacts throughout Appalachia, burying 
rivers and streams, impairing water quality and destroying 
wildlife habitat. The Obama Administration is currently 
developing a Stream Protection Rule to improve environmental 
protections from MTR mining. Environmental standards for MTR 
mining, such as a 100-foot buffer between mining operations and 
streams, have never been strongly enforced.
    The process causes immense environmental degradation, and 
an increasing number of studies show that living in the 
vicinity of MTR mines leads to an enhanced rate of cancer, 
heart disease, and other health problems. Opposition to MTR 
mining is at 57%, with 42% in strong opposition, compared to 
only 20% who support the practice, according to an Earthjustice 
poll of VA, WV, KY, and TN voters commissioned in 2011.
    When streams are destroyed or buried, fish and other 
wildlife are immediately killed and water downstream is 
negatively impacted by toxic chemicals. Mountains are 
permanently destroyed and acid mine drainage from mining 
operations can continue in perpetuity.
    The administration has issued a proposed Stream Protection 
Rule, which Republicans have voted to block six times. The 
White House is currently reviewing the final rule. Congress is 
debating blocking the Department of the Interior from issuing 
the Stream Protection Rule. Republicans believe that the 
administration should not be allowed to issue new regulations 
and have repeatedly attempted to block the Department of the 
Interior from issuing any. A large coalition of environmental 
groups strongly opposes MTR mining. Democrats believe that 
current regulations are outdated, and that strong new 
regulations are required to protect human health and the 
environment.

                   NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT

    The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is one of our 
bedrock conservation laws. It does not impose regulations on 
individuals or businesses. Instead, it requires federal 
agencies to take a ``look before you leap'' approach and 
consider the potential environmental consequences of major 
federal actions. The law passed Congress with overwhelming 
bipartisan support and was signed by President Richard Nixon in 
1970. The GOP has voted more than a dozen times this Congress 
to undermine NEPA. Republicans have waged a campaign to attack 
NEPA--misrepresenting the facts and inflating statistics on 
litigation and delays associated with the Act's requirements.
    NEPA has proven to be a remarkably effective tool for 
ensuring that people have a say in federal government decisions 
that could impact the places they live. Because of NEPA, the 
public has the ability to know in advance about major federal 
actions and the right to provide input and have their voices 
heard. Before NEPA, a disproportionate share of heavily 
polluting projects ended up being sited in poor and minority 
communities that lacked political connections. NEPA passed the 
House and Senate unanimously in 1969 and Congress has never 
passed legislation to repeal or significantly weaken it. No 
NEPA could mean more unintended consequences such as pollution 
or damage to fish and wildlife and their habitat from hastily 
conceived, poorly reasoned government projects or permits.
    Chipping away at NEPA--or gutting it, as House Republicans 
want to do--would make many American communities worse places 
to live and would run counter to Republican calls for more 
public demand for government transparency. The Committee has 
voted numerous times to pass legislation that undermines NEPA. 
The House GOP despises NEPA because it identifies harmful, 
wasteful, and unwise projects and exposes those weaknesses. 
They have attempted to waive or weaken NEPA requirements for 
natural resources extraction activities from commercial fishing 
to timber harvest to mineral leasing. They have even protested 
the Obama Administration's issuance of guidance to federal 
agencies on how to incorporate greenhouse gas emissions and 
climate change impacts into NEPA.
    Democrats believe NEPA is an important environmental 
justice tool that levels the playing field and saves taxpayer 
dollars. It helps people to maintain and improve their quality 
of life by ensuring that they have a voice in decisions that 
impact their communities.
    We must reaffirm the value of NEPA and fight back against 
Republican attempts to undermine it or misapply it to 
activities that have inherent environmental benefits (like 
National Monument designations under the Antiquities Act).

                           OFFSHORE DRILLING

    The Department of the Interior is currently planning for 
the next five years of offshore oil and gas lease sales. The 
Administration's latest proposal removed potential lease sales 
from the Atlantic Ocean, but left open the possibility of 
additional lease sales in the Arctic. Meanwhile, no new 
offshore oil and gas safety or environmental laws have been 
passed in over 35 years.
    The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill is considered the 
largest environmental disaster in U.S. history. The spill in 
the Gulf of Mexico highlighted the continuing safety and 
environmental risks from offshore drilling. The Administration 
implemented new safety standards, but the oil and gas industry 
continues to fight commonsense regulations and wants to act as 
though it's business as usual.
    Offshore drilling in the Arctic has the potential to 
destroy one of the last great unspoiled regions on Earth, as 
well as contribute to climate change and harm native villages 
that depend on subsistence hunting for their livelihoods. 
Residents of the Gulf Coast and CA face the risk of additional 
major oil spills, such as the Deepwater Horizon in 2010 or the 
Santa Barbara blowout in 1969.
    The risk of offshore drilling to fisheries and tourism is 
immediate, while the risk of oil spills is constant during 
exploration and throughout production. Seismic testing would 
also take place in newly opened areas, which has the potential 
to significantly harm wildlife.
    Congress has done nothing to update outdated safety 
provisions, leaving us at risk of another major offshore 
blowout like the Deepwater Horizon. Republicans have repeatedly 
tried to force additional offshore lease sales all over the 
country and to allocate proceeds from waters--which belong to 
all Americans--to individual states. Republicans made no effort 
to update the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) 
following the Deepwater Horizon disaster; instead, they have 
fought environmental regulations and stronger safety standards 
at every turn.
    Democrats believe that the quality of our environment and 
the sustainable economic benefits that come from other uses of 
our oceans, such as tourism and recreation, are more important 
than allowing the oil industry to drill along every mile of our 
coastline. Drilling should not be allowed in the Arctic or 
Atlantic oceans, and safety and environmental standards should 
be significantly strengthened.
    Congress should work on updating OCSLA to implement the 
recommendations of the Presidential Commission on the BP 
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling and improve 
environmental and safety standards in the law.

                      SUPPORTING HUNTERS & ANGLERS

    Hunters and anglers are some of our most important 
conservationists. They support programs that benefit fish and 
wildlife populations as well as their habitats. Unfortunately, 
the concerns expressed by sportsmen and sportswomen are not 
being addressed by Congress. Since taking control of the House 
in 2011, the GOP has failed to build consensus in Congress and 
the sporting community. Instead Republicans have made it their 
mission to give away public land and have worked to advance a 
divisive, ideological agenda that does not help hunters and 
anglers or the wildlife and fish they depend upon.
    Programs to conserve fish, wildlife, and habitat create 
more and better outdoor opportunities for hunters, anglers, 
hikers, paddlers, and other outdoor enthusiasts. This makes 
American communities better places to live and drives the 
outdoor recreation economy.
    The GOP's push to give away our federal lands and waters 
threatens to disrupt the ongoing landscape and ecosystem level 
conservation efforts and shrink opportunities for hunting and 
fishing on public lands.
    The facts are that 75% of U.S. public lands, including 
nearly all Forest Service and BLM lands, are open to hunting 
and fishing and, moreover, 30 million acres of habitat for 
waterfowl, fish, and wildlife important to hunters and anglers 
have been conserved by the North American Wetlands Conservation 
Act.
    House and Senate negotiators are trying to resolve 
differences between competing bills, but if this fails it will 
be the third consecutive time a GOP-led Congress doesn't send a 
sportsmen's package to the president's desk.
    The GOP is fighting against sportsmen's priorities, as well 
as important conservation measures to protect elephants, 
rhinos, and other wildlife. House Republicans have advanced 
legislation that would make wilderness areas and National 
Wildlife Refuges more vulnerable to environmental damage, give 
states veto power over conservation standards in National 
Parks, and block efforts to limit commercial trade in ivory.
    Democrats support permanent reauthorization of the Land and 
Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), along with renewal of the North 
American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) and other laws that 
benefit hunters and anglers. House Dems have offered 
legislation along these lines that has been ignored or rejected 
by the GOP.
    Republicans need to stop insisting on poison pill 
provisions that will certainly draw a presidential veto, and 
instead work with Democrats and stakeholders to find common 
ground. Unfortunately, it appears that House Republicans will 
continue to hold hunters and anglers hostage to advance their 
narrow, anti-conservation agenda.

                       THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT

    The ESA passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in 
Congress and was signed into law by President Nixon in 1973. 
Scientists have shown that we are on the cusp of the sixth 
great extinction in Earth's history, and the first one caused 
by humans. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is America's 
firewall against mass extinction--it ensures that land 
development and other activities are conducted in a way that 
protects imperiled species and the habitat they need to survive 
and recover.
    Despite its success and importance in conserving biological 
diversity, the ESA has been under attack from industry 
interests (big agriculture, ranching, oil and gas, home-
builders) and their allies in Congress for decades. These 
interests believe they should not have to modify their 
operations to protect American fish, wildlife, and plants. In 
fact, Republicans have led more than 80 legislative efforts 
this Congress--bills, amendments and riders-to delist 
individual species or otherwise undermine the ESA.
    Maintaining biological diversity is critical to sustaining 
human life on earth. The ecosystems that support other species 
support us as well, and utilizing these landscapes and 
associated resources sustainably is critical to the continued 
survival of our species.
    If successful, GOP efforts to gut the ESA or delist/block 
listing of individual species would drive American fish and 
wildlife to extinction. This would rob Americans of their 
natural heritage and reduce biodiversity--leading to higher 
potential for the spread of disease, destruction of ecosystems 
that help provide clean air, clean water, and recreational 
opportunities, and eliminating opportunities to discover 
lifesaving medicines and economically important compounds.
    Democrats want to see more species delisted, but understand 
that in order to delist species you must first recover them. 
Additional resources toward science and recovery efforts are 
necessary.
    While most Republicans say they want to ``reform'' the ESA 
so that more species can be removed from the list, the reality 
is that they want to gut the Act, delist species one at a time, 
or get rid of ESA altogether.
    The ESA has not been reauthorized in more than 25 years and 
budget cuts have delayed species recovery efforts. We should be 
working together to find ways to recover species more quickly 
and keep others off the list in the first place. Unfortunately 
GOP congressional majorities are continuing to push for 
weakening the ESA.

                          TRIBAL CONSULTATION

    The trust relationship between tribes and the federal 
government has many different forms. One of these relationships 
involves tribal consultation, which is the process by which 
federal agencies consult with tribal governments when federal 
activities have tribal impacts. The requirement for federal 
agencies to engage in tribal consultation is not a matter of 
law, but rather is mandated by an Executive Order that has been 
reaffirmed by successive presidents.
    House Republicans have repeatedly ignored Democratic 
requests to update federal policies and ensure tribes are 
consulted before activities on affected land begin. The 
proposed Dakota Access Pipeline project is a current example of 
an ineffectual tribal consultation policy. If constructed, the 
nearly 1,200-mile pipeline would go through sacred burial 
grounds located on ancestral treaty lands and could endanger 
the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's main water source.
    The differences among tribal consultation policies range 
from comprehensive to minimal, depending on the agency. This 
has caused vast discrepancies in how tribes are treated during 
consultation, which in turn has resulted in contentious 
situations and costly delays and litigation--much of which 
could have been avoided if real, meaningful consultation had 
occurred.
    In 2000, President Clinton set forth the first policy 
mandating executive agency consultation with tribes. President 
Bush reaffirmed the federal commitment to this policy in 2004, 
as did President Obama in 2009.
    H.R. 5379, the RESPECT Act, introduced by Ranking Member 
Raul M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), codifies the goals of the Clinton 
Executive Order by specifying standard consultation procedures 
for all agencies to follow and providing recourse for tribes 
when agencies violate their consultation obligation. The GOP 
has refused to move the bill, first introduced in 2011, out of 
Committee. The GOP continues to question the need for 
meaningful tribal consultation, and instead sides with private 
developers often at odds with tribes.
    Democrats support the enactment of H.R. 5379, the RESPECT 
Act. It defines consultation as the process of seeking, 
discussing, and considering the views of tribes on federal 
activities with tribal impacts, and seeking mutually agreed 
upon courses of action whenever possible.
    An Executive Order can easily be overturned by a succeeding 
president. Tribal consultation must be enacted into law. 
Passage of the RESPECT Act will guarantee that meaningful, 
effective tribal consultation occurs now and in the future.

                           TRIBAL RECOGNITION

    There are 567 federally recognized American Indian tribes 
and Alaska Native tribes in the U.S. Federally recognized 
tribes have a government-to-government relationship with the 
U.S. and are eligible to receive certain protections, services, 
and benefits by virtue of their unique status as Indian tribes. 
Formal recognition is extremely important and valuable to a 
tribe's economic and social condition since it entitles tribes 
to distinctive benefits, including eligibility to participate 
in many federal programs, receipt of services from federal 
agencies, and sovereign governmental status regarding local 
jurisdiction and taxation. Federal recognition also enables 
tribes to petition the Secretary of the Interior to take land 
into trust for their benefit.
    There are three distinct ways in which a tribe can receive 
federal recognition: judicially--a judge can declare a tribe 
federally recognized; administratively--through the federal 
acknowledgment process set forth by the Department of the 
Interior; or legislatively--a tribe can directly petition 
Congress and have a recognition bill or a restoration bill 
passed on its behalf.
    The historical mistreatment of tribal people and their 
lands at the hands of the Federal Government is well 
documented. We must right the wrongs of the past, and one of 
the most important ways to do this is to recognize the 
sovereignty of legitimate tribes. Many tribes have still not 
established or reaffirmed their relationship with the federal 
government. We should strive to ensure that all tribes are 
fairly given their due recognition, rather than putting up 
roadblocks to the process.
    Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) put forth H.R. 3764, the 
Tribal Recognition Act of 2015. This misguided legislation 
would take away the non-partisan, fact-based Administrative 
process for recognition, stipulating that only Congress has the 
authority to recognize Indian tribes. The GOP rhetoric and 
legislation casts unwarranted doubt on already established 
tribes, while simultaneously attempting to concentrate the 
power of tribal recognition into the hands of a select few 
Members of Congress.
    Democrats believe taking the Department of the Interior's 
process away, and leaving an Act of Congress as the only 
option, will result in further delays and difficulties for 
tribes. Worst of all, it will leave tribal recognition 
decisions victim to political whims and special interest 
influence.
    The Secretary of the Interior's authority to acknowledge 
the existence of Indian tribes is deeply rooted in the laws 
passed by Congress and the structure of the Constitution, and 
it must remain an available path for tribes seeking federal 
recognition. Congress should strive to ensure that all tribes 
are finally and fairly given the recognition they are due 
rather than putting up more roadblocks to the process.

                        WATER IN INDIAN COUNTRY

    Many Native communities across the U.S. still do not have 
access to reliable water sources, clean drinking water, or 
basic sanitation. This problem has historically been alleviated 
by Congress passing Indian water rights settlements, which 
provide Native communities water to which they are already 
entitled. However, no major Indian water rights settlements 
have passed the House since Republicans took control in 2011, 
despite the introduction of numerous settlement bills.
    Tribes often legally hold the most senior water rights in a 
given river basin. Under federal law, the federal government 
must protect these tribal water rights. However, for more than 
a century the federal government failed to fulfill this role, 
and in many cases has actively undermined tribal water rights 
to benefit non-Indian water users.
    Water rights settlements allow tribes, states, the federal 
government, and other water users to come together to resolve 
water claims and provide tribes with the water they are legally 
entitled to.
    Tribal families across the country are suffering. They need 
water to improve their health, schools need water to provide 
consistent education for students, and communities need water 
to promote economic development.
    The facts show that 50% of all homes on tribal land lack 
access to adequate drinking water or sewage facilities (Indian 
Health Service). Further, many of these 190,697 homes lack 
basic services like clean, running water; flush toilets; 
showers or baths; and kitchen sinks. By comparison, less than 
1% of homes lack some or all sanitation facilities in the U.S. 
as a whole (Indian Health Service).
    Since Republicans took control of the House of 
Representatives in 2011, Indian water rights settlements have 
stalled. Congress has not funded a single Indian water rights 
settlement in almost six years. In February 2015, Natural 
Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) created additional 
requirements and red tape for approving Indian water rights 
settlements through the House Natural Resources Committee. 
While some Congressional Republicans support Indian water 
rights settlements, Congress has not funded a single settlement 
since Democrats lost control of Congress.
    Democrats have long supported tribes seeking their water 
rights and have historically supported Indian water rights 
settlements. Over the past 39 years, more water settlements 
have been enacted when Democrats controlled both chambers of 
Congress, as compared to when Republicans held the Majority in 
both chambers. In October 2016, Democrats on the Committee 
released a report titled Water Delayed is Water Denied: How 
Congress Has Blocked Access to Water for Native Families.
    Congress should start funding Indian water rights 
settlements, including the pending settlements for the Pechanga 
Band of Luiseno Indians and the Blackfeet Tribe.

                            WESTERN DROUGHT

    The Western U.S. is experiencing an historic drought. 
California is facing its worst drought in 1,200 years and the 
Colorado River, which supplies water to millions of people 
across seven Western states and Mexico, is experiencing its 
sixteenth straight year of drought.
    While the Western U.S. is prone to periodic drought, 
according to scientists, the current drought has been made 
worse by climate change. Many communities and numerous 
industries have been harmed by the drought, including the 
Pacific Coast fishing industry, agriculture, tourism and the 
recreation industry. The environment and iconic West Coast fish 
runs have also been battered during the drought, with several 
runs on the verge of extinction.
    The current drought has cost the national economy billions. 
Drought coupled with crumbling and insufficient water 
infrastructure has an effect on all Americans since it has 
raised and will continue to raise food costs. What's worse, 
climate change is expected to make droughts more frequent and 
severe. If steps aren't taken now to invest in new water 
infrastructure and technology to increase the nation's water 
supply, the United States will not be prepared to weather 
ongoing and future drought.
    Congress has not done nearly enough to provide drought 
relief or grow the water supply. Republicans jammed through the 
House a divisive drought ``response'' bill (H.R. 2898) that 
would create no new water. Instead, the bill would pick drought 
winners and losers by taking scarce water away from some 
regions, tribes, and the environment and redirecting it to big 
agricultural water users. The GOP drought bill would have also 
preempted state law, jeopardized fishing industry jobs and 
weakened bedrock environmental laws.
    Several Democratic bills would provide immediate and long-
term drought relief by promoting innovative desalination 
technologies, water recycling and reuse, groundwater recharge, 
stormwater capture, reduced evaporation loss, and increased 
water conservation through improved reservoir operations. 
Despite repeated requests, Republicans have not permitted a 
single hearing on any of these bills.
    Republicans must be willing to work with Democrats to 
develop a plan that will fund our nation's deficient water 
infrastructure and abandon plans to benefit Big Ag at the 
expense of the environment.

                               WILDFIRES

    Wildfires can have a devastating impact on communities 
adjacent to or within wildfire activity.
    Amidst longer and more severe wildfire seasons, largely 
driven by climate change, Congress is grappling with how to 
fund wildfire suppression. Current budget guidelines set by 
Congress often force the U.S. Forest Service to transfer funds 
from fire prevention, fuels management, and non-fire related 
programs to pay for emergency operations and the suppression of 
fires. Proposals to prevent this practice, commonly known as 
``fire borrowing,'' and ensure the availability of adequate 
resources for both suppression and prevention have been hobbled 
by Republican indifference.
    Outdated budget rules often force the U.S. Forest Service 
to fight fires by diverting funds from other parts of its 
budget--including fire prevention programs. Approximately 30% 
of wildfire spending goes toward stopping the largest 1-2% of 
wildfires, but Congressional appropriations don't always cover 
the cost of these so-called ``megafires'' and outdated budget 
rules often force USDA and DOI to divert funds from other parts 
of their budgets--including fire prevention programs.
    In 2015, more than 68,000 wildfires burned approximately 
10.1 million acres, 7.4 million of which were federal lands. 
This figure was the largest acreage burned on record and is 
larger than the total acreage burned in the previous two years 
combined--4.3 million acres in 2013 and 3.6 million acres in 
2014 (NICC).
    Republicans have offered legislation to increase the pace 
of logging, without public input or environmental review, and 
ignored the real problem of Congress' method of funding fire 
suppression. House Republicans are trying to fast-track more 
logging projects with fewer environmental reviews and less 
public input in the name of fire prevention. This will 
undermine public trust in forest management.
    Democrats believe Congress needs to permanently end ``fire 
borrowing'' so that our federal land management agencies no 
longer have to steal funding from other programs.
    Congress needs to end the disruptive and unsustainable 
practice of ``fire borrowing.'' Congress should enact 
legislation that treats catastrophic wildfires the same way it 
treats other natural disasters. Such a measure would ensure the 
availability of adequate funding to address large, costly 
wildfires and restore funding for programs designed to prevent 
wildfire and promote forest health.

                                   Raul Grijalva,
                                           Ranking Member, Committee on 
                                               Natural Resources.
                                   Pedro Pierluisi.
                                   Niki Tsongas.
                                   Debbie Dingell.
                                   Gregorio Sablan.
                                   Jared Polis.
                                   Madeleine Bordallo.
                                   Grace Napolitano.
                                   Ruben Gallego.
                                   Alan Lowenthal.
                                   Norma Torres.
                                   William Lacy Clay.

                                  [all]