The Weekly Preview - U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources

June 3 – 6, 2008

Can’t make it to our hearings or markups in person? Stay connected with our live video and audio webcasts, available at http://resourcescommittee.house.gov.

On the House Floor:

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives is expected to consider under suspension of the rules the following bill under the jurisdiction of the House Natural Resources Committee:
- H.R. 3058 (DeFazio): Public Land Communities Transition Act of 2007

· Later in the week, the House of Representatives is expected to consider under a rule the following bill under the jurisdiction of the House Natural Resources Committee:

- H.R. 5540 (Sarbanes): Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network Continuing Authorization Act

This Week’s Hearings:

On Wednesday, the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans will hold a legislative hearing to receive testimony on the following 4 bills:

- H.R. 2964 (E.B. Johnson): To amend the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to treat nonhuman primates as prohibited wildlife species under that Act, to make corrections in the provisions relating to captive wildlife offenses under that Act, and for other purposes. (Captive Primate Safety Act)

- H.R. 5350 (R. Scott): To authorize the Secretary of Commerce to sell or exchange certain National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration property located in Norfolk, Virginia, and for other purposes.

- H.R. 5451 (Bordallo): To reauthorize the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, and for other purposes. (Coastal Zone Reauthorization Act of 2008)

- H.R. 5741 (Bordallo): To amend the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to improve the conservation of sharks. (The Shark Conservation Act of 2008)

Visit the Committee’s Web site to access witness testimony following the conclusion of the hearing. (June 4, 2008, at 10:00 a.m., Room 1334 Longworth House Office Building)

On Thursday, the Committee on Natural Resources will hold a legislative hearing to receive testimony on the following 2 bills:
- H.R. 2306 (C. Peterson): Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Judgment Fund Distribution Act of 2007

- H.R. 3699 (Oberstar): To provide for the use and distribution of the funds awarded to the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe in Minnesota Chippewa Tribe v. United States, Docket Nos. 19 and 188, United States Court of Federal Claims.

Visit the Committee’s Web site to access witness testimony following the conclusion of the hearing. (June 5, 2008, at 10:00 a.m., Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building)

Later on Thursday, the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands will hold a legislative hearing to receive testimony on the following 6 bills:
- H.R. 573 (Visclosky): To amend the Act entitled “An Act to provide for the establishment of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and for other purposes” to clarify the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to accept donations of lands that are contiguous to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and for other purposes.(Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Corrections Act)

- H.R. 3702 (Rehberg): To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain land in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, Montana, to Jefferson County, Montana, for use as a cemetery.

- H.R. 3809 (Kanjorski): To amend the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Act of 1988 regarding the local coordinating entity of the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, and for other purposes.

- H.R. 4199 (Turner): To amend the Dayton Aviation Heritage Preservation Act of 1992 to add sites to the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, and for other purposes.

- H.R. 4828 (Ortiz): To amend the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site Act of 1991 to expand the boundaries of the historic site, and for other purposes.

- H.R. 5583 (Grijalva): To withdraw the Tusayan Ranger District and Federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management in the vicinity of Kanab Creek and in House Rock Valley from location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and for other purposes. (Grand Canyon Watersheds Protection Act of 2008)

Visit the Committee’s Web site to access witness testimony following the conclusion of the hearing. (June 5, 2008, at 2:00 p.m., Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building)

In Case You Missed It:

In May 2007, former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks Julie MacDonald resigned following the release of a scathing Inspector General report that revealed that her political tinkering had manipulated scientific decisions under the endangered species program. Chairman Rahall and Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Jay Inslee (D-WA) requested the Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigate the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) well-publicized review of the politically tainted endangered species decisions made by MacDonald. At a May 21, 2008 Committee on Natural Resources oversight hearing on the Interior Department’s mishandling of the endangered species program, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) revealed that four additional highly placed officials at the Interior Department had inappropriately influenced endangered species decision-making. Visit the Committee’s Web site to read the press release or view the GAO’s testimony for additional information.

On May 22, 2008, the Subcommittee on Water and Power approved the following 2 bills:
- H.R. 5511 (Lamborn): To direct the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to remedy problems caused by a collapsed drainage tunnel in Leadville, Colorado, and for other purposes (Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel Remediation Act of 2008)

- H.R. 5710 (T. Udall): To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide financial assistance to the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water Authority for the planning, design, and construction of the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System, and for other purposes (Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System Authorization Act)