Issue Position: Natural Resources

Issue Position

As Vice-Chairman of the Natural Resources Water, Power and Oceans Subcommittee and Vice-Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, I am acutely familiar with the challenges facing the West. The Obama Administration has continued to overreach and implement misguided policies that are affecting our future economic prosperity. The president and his agency minions have stifled energy production on public lands, have locked-up massive amounts of our land through executive fiat, have attempted to seize our water, have issued an onslaught of new regulations that are killing energy jobs, and have had a backwards strategy for managing our nation's forests that has failed the West and placed our communities at risk.

Developing our nation's energy sources and increasing access to public lands will create jobs, stimulate our economy and reduce America's dependence on volatile foreign markets. I support an all-of-the-above energy approach that utilizes all domestic energy sources including copper, coal, oil and natural gas, as well as renewables. I strongly believe our nation must pursue alternative energy sources. To that end, I have introduced the bipartisan Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act, legislation that streamlines the permitting process for wind, solar and geothermal energy projects on public lands, does not require federal subsidies, and creates a revenue source to assist local governments in their efforts to deliver critical services.

Our country will be dependent on oil and coal for many years to come so we must ensure a safe but reliable domestic energy industry within our borders. Unfortunately, the Obama Administration has an unnatural fixation with destroying these industries, killing jobs and driving up energy prices for consumers. I have supported legislation aimed at lifting the crude oil export ban, reversing the administration's effective moratorium on new offshore drilling, and increasing American energy production. I support the Keystone Pipeline and have worked diligently to protect rural Arizona's four coal-fired power plants from the Obama Administration's regulatory overreach.

For those of us in the West, state water laws and the rights they protect are paramount to our economy, our environment and our way of life. Westerners suffer from drought on a constant basis, which is why we invested in water storage and delivery projects that supply water and hydropower in dry times. Attempted water grabs by federal agencies during the Obama Administration have been atrocious. Whether it is Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS), the Ground Water Service Directive, or the ski area water rights permitting conditions, the federal government has attempted an all-out assault to take control of precious water resources that have traditionally been managed by states or private ownership. To combat this, I have introduced and supported a number of legislative efforts aimed at protecting our vital water supplies.

Less than 17% of the land in Arizona is private land. This creates a significant burden for local governments in Arizona as they miss out on substantial tax revenues that typically fund essential services like roads and education. I support full-funding for programs like PILT and SCAAP until a period in time when our lands are returned to the states and private ownership.

During my relatively short tenure in Congress, one of my top priorities has been to encourage responsible increased production of our resources, fight the Obama Administration's job-killing energy policies, protect our water resources, and advocate for commonsense land management policies that empower local communities. Doing so will create millions of good-paying jobs, increase our nation's security, and lower energy prices for small businesses and hard-working American families.

I firmly believe Arizona's Fourth Congressional District can be a model for energy-driven economic recovery in this country. Rural Arizona is rich with natural resources and contains diverse climates that are conducive to all forms of energy generation, including traditional fossil fuels, hydro-electric and solar. Unfortunately, employment in Arizona's natural resources and mining sector has remained stagnant for years. The federal government needs to get out of the way, remove regulatory and bureaucratic barriers to development and generation, and let Arizona businesses put Arizonans back to work. If America wants to reduce its energy dependence, we must utilize our own resources right here in America.

The Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act

There are very few types of laws Congress can pass that facilitate the creation of wealth and energy security. I have championed one such initiative: the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act. After years of legislative hearings and executive branch hurdles, Senator McCain and I were finally able to get this bill over the finish line and signed into law in December of 2014. This bipartisan legislation facilitates a land exchange between the federal government and private industry so that it may mine copper, one of Arizona's most valuable and abundant resources. Even modest economic estimates project that the land exchange facilitated by this act will lead to 3,700 jobs and will have a total economic impact to the State of Arizona to the tune of $61.4 billion over the life of the mine. Once the operation is running, the mine will provide 25% of the United States' copper supply and will be the largest copper mine in North America.

Prohibiting Executive Overreach and National Monument Designations

Special interest groups have been pushing for the president to circumvent Congress and make a massive 1.7 million acre designation using the Antiquities Act for the Grand Canyon Watershed. The intentions of these self-interest groups are clear: they want this designation to prevent energy development, timber harvesting, grazing, mining and different types of recreation on this massive swath of land. A designation of this size would cause significant harm to our economy and kill thousands of local jobs. In February, I led an effort that was supported by 24 members of Congress to opposing this declaration. In July, the House of Representatives passed the Gosar-Hardy amendment to block this potential designation and prohibit public land management agencies from carrying out declarations under the Antiquities Act in counties throughout the nation where there is significant local opposition. In November, I introduced H.R. 3946, the Protecting Local Communities from Executive Overreach Act, legislation which updates the 1906 Antiquities Act in order to protect property rights, water rights and jobs from presidential abuse of the Antiquities Act. H.R. 3946 is supported by all five Arizona House Republicans and blocks two misguided monument efforts in the Grand Canyon Watershed and the Sedona Verde Valley, both of which have significant local opposition.

Preventing the BLM from Closing its Arizona Field Office

I led the charge in preventing the BLM from closing its Arizona field office and moving all those employees to New Mexico. On May 6, 2015, Congressman Pearce, several of our colleagues and I contacted BLM Director Neil Kornze strongly opposing the proposed merger. To read more about this effort click HERE. On May 18, 2015, senior members of the House Natural Resources Committee, the House Committee of Oversight and Government Reform and I led another effort strongly discouraging this merger and asking pointed questions. As a result of our efforts, we were able to get language into the House Interior and Environment Appropriations bill report directing BLM not to merge the Arizona and New Mexico field offices. Thankfully, the BLM heard our concerns and on September 11, 2015 they sent me a letter informing me that the agency had decided to ditch this misguided merger proposal.

Preserving the Rainbow Trout Stocking Program at the Willow Beach Fish Hatchery

In November 2013, the Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) arbitrarily changed the priorities for the five different propagation program categories and announced their intent to close propagation programs and possibly hatcheries throughout the nation in fiscal year 2015. The USFWS also terminated the rainbow trout stocking program at the Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery in Arizona threatening 1,700 jobs and $75 million in associated economic output. Rather than producing trout that help drive Arizona's economy, the Fish and Wildlife Service wanted to focus on producing humpback chubs and razorback suckers that nobody wants. I had to hammer a few bureaucrats, pass a bill through Committee and have several Arizona witnesses testify at a hearing in order to resume this important program.

Blocking the EPA's Harmful WOTUS Regulation

The EPA's new Waters of the U.S. regulation (WOTUS) was slated to go into effect August 28th. Fortunately, the Sixth Circuit has issued a nationwide stay and temporarily blocked implementation of this new rule. This job-killing, overreaching water grab being imposed by Washington bureaucrats is a dream killer for future generations that will result in significant job losses and in considerable harm to our economy. WOTUS contradicts prior Supreme Court decisions by expanding agency control over 60% of our country's streams and millions of acres of wetlands that were previously non-jurisdictional. I have been fighting this overreach since the beginning. In May 2014, I sent a letter calling for WOTUS to be withdrawn. I held a hearing in Phoenix in June 2014 where we heard testimony from 9 Arizona witnesses. I have introduced legislation, inserted funding riders into appropriations bills, blocked a democrat amendment that tried to strip one of my WOTUS riders and voted at least five different times for legislation that has passed the House to block WOTUS. In July 2015, I berated EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and submitted revelatory evidence into the Congressional Record from senior Army Corps of Engineer employees which expressed serious legal and scientific deficiencies with the final draft of the WOTUS rule. In January 2016, the House and Senate passed legislation blocking WOTUS utilizing the Congressional Review Act and put a bill on President Obama's desk.

Fighting back against Obama's War on Coal

The EPA recently unveiled its new "Clean Power Plan" rule which seeks to dramatically reduce carbon emissions from power plants. American families are projected to lose almost $600 billion in disposable income as a result of EPA's new proposed regulation. An economic analysis also found that this overreaching Washington mandate will kill 226,000 jobs annually and cost our economy $50 billion each year. All of this economic harm and destruction for our economies will only result in a 1.8% reduction of global carbon-dioxide emissions by the year 2030. I have cosponsored legislation and twice voted for bills that passed the House to block this overreach. I also requested a funding rider that was inserted into a House appropriations bill and offered an amendment to formally withdraw this new mandate. In December, the House successfully passed S.J.Res.23 and S.J.Res.24 with my support and triggered the Congressional Review Act to effectively block the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) arbitrary regulations for new and existing power plants. Unfortunately, President Obama used a pocket veto days before Christmas in order to veto these critical pieces of legislation.

In January 2016, the House passed legislation of which I am a cosponsor, H.R. 1644, the Supporting Transparent Regulatory and Environmental Actions in Mining Act (STREAM Act). A 2012 Economic Impact Study found that the Obama Administration's announced Stream Protection Rule could potentially sterilize between 30% and 43% of recoverable reserves. Such actions will have devastating effects on both surface and underground coal mines. The study also found that the associated decline in annual coal production as a result of this rule will have a direct impact on our economy and employment, potentially killing between 133,441 and 273,227 mining-related jobs, and having an associated negative economic impact of $18 to $25 billion annually. Obama's continued efforts to implement his ideologically-driven coal regulations will kill hundreds of thousands of jobs and take billions of dollars out of the pockets of hard-working Americans. This important legislation will save mining jobs throughout the country and put an end to the Obama Administration's secret science justification for the president's war on coal.

Blocking the EPA's Unrealistic New Ozone Standards

I recently introduced legislation that will block the EPA's new ozone regulation published in the Federal Register October 26, 2015. H.J.Res.74 utilizes the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to reject this overreach and already has more than 75 cosponsors. Most states are just beginning to adopt the 2008 ozone standards as the EPA didn't announce implementation guidance and a final rule until March 6, 2015. Rather than allowing time for those standards to be implemented, the EPA moved the goal posts and is unilaterally seeking to dramatically lower the ozone standard to 70 parts per billion. The EPA has reported that 358 counties throughout the country will be immediately noncompliant, and Senator Inhofe has reported that an additional 1,500 counties likely will not meet this new mandate. Nearly 700 stakeholders throughout the country have called on Congress to stop the overreaching new ozone rule that many believe is "the most expensive regulation in history." On June 12, a witness from the EPA contradicted the need for this new mandate when she testified June 12 before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and stated, "Nationally, since 1980, average ozone levels have fallen by a third."

Arizona's Generation and Transmission Cooperatives strongly supports this legislation stating, "The revised ozone standards, if fully implemented, would be the most expensive mandate in our nation's history. The impact on many rural communities would be particularly profound… Rural communities served by AEPCO, where in some areas up to a third of the population we serve live at or below the federal poverty level, already face economic hardship. Job losses in every sector of the local economy have been staggering, and most communities where people receive our power have yet to recover. The cost of this proposal to the rural Arizona worker is real and immediate, while the benefits are unverified and uncertain. We thank you for your leadership in blocking the implementation of the new ozone standard, which threatens the livelihood of rural communities throughout the U.S. and Arizona."
Impeaching EPA Administrator McCarthy

Under Administrator McCarthy's direction, the EPA continues to enact job-killing regulations that increase food prices and energy costs for hard-working American families. Hundreds of thousands of jobs will be lost as a result of these new mandates, which disproportionately impact the poor. This should be concerning enough, but to make matters worse, these regulations are not based on science and are being imposed through lies to Congress and the American people. On numerous occasions, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy broke the law by making false statements to Congress in order to force misguided and overreaching regulations down our throats. We must hold D.C. bureaucrats accountable when they commit perjury and lie in order to implement President Obama's misguided agenda. Perjury an affront to the core principles of our Republic and that is why I introduced articles of impeachment to remove Administrator McCarthy from office.

National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act

I am an original cosponsor of the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act. This commonsense legislation will create hundreds of thousands of jobs by reducing U.S. dependence on foreign minerals from countries like China. The bill streamlines the regulatory review process and eliminates unnecessary red tape that is blocking job creation.

Lowering Gasoline Prices to Fuel an America That Works Act

In the 113th Congress, I voted for and the House passed H.R. 4899. The bipartisan Lowering Gasoline Prices to Fuel an America That Works Act would create an estimated 1.2 million jobs, lower gas prices for hard-working American families and generate more than a billion for our economy.

Travel and Resource Access Including Local Stakeholders (TRAILS) Act

In the 113th Congress, I introduced the Travel and Resource Access Including Local Stakeholders (TRAILS) Act to protect approximately 40,000 jobs and $4 billion for Arizona's economy that is associated with off highway vehicle (OHV) recreation. The BLM in Arizona has been in the process of developing a Travel management Plan for parts of Southwestern Arizona, named the La Posa Travel Management Plan. Previous media reports indicated the BLM was looking at closing as many as 51 percent of all trails with this management plan. My legislation requires the agency to work with local communities to ensure this important industry is protected and these jobs are preserved.
Navajo Generating Station

In Arizona, the EPA's "War on Coal" could force the Navajo Generating Station (NGS) to close its doors, which will mean the permanent loss of nearly 1,000 associated good-paying jobs. The Navajo Generating Station provides an affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy source to power critical water supplies to cities, industries, farms, and tribal communities encompassing nearly 80% of Arizona's population. As a result, closure of the plant will also cause water prices to spike significantly.

The Native American Energy Act

In October 2015, the House passed the Gosar-Young legislation empowering tribes to utilize energy production. The Obama Administration continues to stifle American energy production wherever it can. In April of 2014, the Bureau of Land Management released statistics for oil and gas production on public lands from 1988-2013. Some troubling information was contained in this report including the fact that, "since President Obama took office, total federal oil production has declined 7.8 percent and federal natural gas production has declined 21 percent. Natural gas and oil lease permits on federal lands are at the lowest levels in more than ten years. Western Energy Alliance has reported that average time to approve a drilling permit on federal lands is 228 days. At the state level, the same permit approval process only takes about 30 days. H.R. 538, the Native American Energy Act streamlines many of the duplicative federal regulatory hurdles that prevent tribes or individuals from profitably developing energy resources on their land.

Increasing Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Exports

In the 113th Congress, I cosponsored and voted for Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act. This commonsense legislation which passed the House streamlines the permitting process and would allow our country to export more liquefied natural gas. The American Petroleum Institute estimates that by 2035 "LNG exports could contribute as much as $10 to $31 billion per state to the economies of natural gas-producing states…Natural gas-producing states could see employment gains as high as 60,000 to 155,000 jobs…Non-natural-gas-producing states will also benefit…[and] see economic gains as high as $2.6 to $5.0 billion per state.

Protecting States' Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act

In the 113th Congress, I voted for and the House passed H.R. 2728, the Protecting States' Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act. This legislation would protect American jobs and energy production by preventing the Obama Administration's ability from imposing duplicative federal regulations for hydraulic fracturing. An economic analysis found that these overreaching new federal regulations would cost our economy approximately $350 million annually and would jeopardize nearly 1.7 million American jobs.
Improving Coal Combustion Residuals Regulation

I am a cosponsor and voted for passage of the Improving Coal Combustion Residuals Regulation Act. This commonsense legislation prevents duplicative regulations and allows states that have traditionally managed coal ash programs to continue to create and manage these operations. Allowing states to continue to manage coal combustion residuals programs will assist with sustaining an estimated 316,000 jobs.

Lifting the Oil Export Ban

I was a cosponsor of three pieces of legislation that seek to repeal the antiquated oil export ban. This outdated policy was enacted in the 1970s when oil scarcity was an issue. Repealing the oil export ban will create a million American jobs, will lower gas prices and will foster significant economic growth for our economy. The Energy Equipment and Infrastructure Alliance estimates that lifting the crude oil export ban will create nearly 8,500 new jobs in Arizona by 2018. A study by IHS energy found that "lifting the ban would create an estimated 1 million American jobs in nearly all 50 states within a matter of years, and it would add $170 billion annually to our GDP." The House passed H.R. 702 with my support in October 2015 and also passed an amendment with my support in December 2015 to life the crude oil export ban.

The Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement

The Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement Act was signed into law in December 2014. This bipartisan legislation facilitates the achievement of a fair and equitable settlement of certain claims within the Bill Williams River Watershed among the Hualapai Tribe, the U.S. Department of the Interior acting on behalf of itself and as trustee for the Tribe and, its members, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, and Freeport-McMoRan. The agreements codified by this act provide certainty for the Bagdad Mine, which has an annual economic impact of $339.1 million to the state of Arizona, and sustains nearly 4,000 direct and indirect jobs. Arizona and Mohave County further benefit from the bill as this legislation will result in an overall net water use reduction in the basin and County of nearly 30,000 acre-feet per year. Mohave County further benefits by keeping 175 mining jobs and $16 million in economic benefit. A legal review about this law was released on June 25, 2015, by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service confirmed what I have been saying all along about the Bill Williams Water Rights Settlement: this law is a win-win for Arizona and for Mohave County.
Increasing Water Storage and Supporting Western Drought Solutions

In May 2015, the House passed three Gosar amendments to protect Western water supplies and to increase water storage. The Gosar-Newhouse amendment prevented any appropriations from being used to remove any federally-owned and operated dams. Extremist environmental groups have been pushing for their removal in recent years. These dams are critically important to provide water storage and irrigation for agriculture. I also passed two other amendments transferring appropriations from DOE's slush fund to the Corps of Engineers Construction and Investigations budget so that they can complete infrastructure programs that will provide clean water and expand water storage. .

Blocking the Forest Service's Flawed Groundwater Directive

Last year, the Forest Service proposed a sweeping Groundwater Directive under the guise of eliminating future litigation. That directive only caused further confusion and potential litigation. It has been universally recognized since a 1935 Supreme Court Case that the sole authority over groundwater resources belongs to individual states. Alarmingly, the attempted water grab by the USFS and its misguided groundwater directive was proposed without input from state or local leaders and without any meaningful outreach to water users themselves. I fought the proposed groundwater directive from the beginning and in April, as a result of Congressional pressure from my colleagues and I, the Forest Service withdrew its overreaching proposed rule. While this is good news, states, localities and private entities still face regulatory uncertainty under the shadow of the federal government.

Western Water and American Food Security Act

American families, small businesses and farmers are hurting in the West and desperately need relief from crippling drought conditions. Unfortunately, the Obama Administration has exacerbated that pain throughout Western states by putting the demands of extremist special interest groups ahead of hard-working American families. This has had a dramatic impact: killing thousands of jobs, harming our food supply and leading to unemployment levels as high as 40% in some communities. I am proud to be a cosponsor of the Western Water and American Food Security Act. This bill increases water storage, modernizes the permitting process for water projects, assists with lowering food costs, and protects state water rights from federal water grabs. In July 2015, the House passed this legislation with my support.

The Bureau of Reclamation Transparency Act

I've introduced H.R 1107, the Bureau of Reclamation Transparency Act which requires a cost estimate and a detailed list of major repairs for BOR facilities. Such actions will allow for meaningful steps to be taken to address the maintenance backlog as well as ensure an abundant supply of clean water and power for future generations. This bipartisan legislation passed the House Natural Resources Committee in October 2015.

The Environmental Compliance Cost Transparency Act

I've also introduced H.R. 1869, the Environmental Compliance Cost Transparency Act. This commonsense bill requires federal agencies active in the wholesale power business to disclose the costs of environmental compliance to their customers. For far too long, the high cost of burdensome federal environmental policies has been hidden from the public. American energy consumers deserve to know how much environmental policies are costing them on their electrical bills. The bill is endorsed by the Colorado River Energy Distributors Association, the Grand Canyon State Electric Cooperative Association, the Arizona Westside Irrigation and Electrical Districts, and the Irrigation & Electrical Districts' Association of Arizona.
The Water Rights Protection Act

The Water Rights Protection Act prevents the federal government from taking privately held water rights without just compensation. This would protect a variety of water users including rural communities, businesses, recreation opportunities, farmers and ranchers as well as other individuals that rely on privately held water rights for their livelihood. It does so by prohibiting federal agencies from extorting water rights through the use of permits, leases, and other land management arrangements, for which it would otherwise have to pay just compensation under the 5th Amendment of the Constitution. I played an active role in assisting my good friend and Colleague Scott Tipton in passing this legislation through the House, Resources Committee and Water and Power Subcommittee in the 113th Congress and am a cosponsor again this Congress. This legislation is necessary as the Forest Service and BLM have been aggressively pursuing such takings for several years now.

Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act

In the 113th Congress, the Tipton-Gosar Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act (H.R.687) passed Congress and was signed into public law. This bill eliminated duplicative regulations that were stymieing development on irrigation canals. Specifically, it would allow Arizonans that operate existing irrigation canals and ditch systems--man-made canals and pipes-- to install hydropower generators. To be clear: we are not talking about free-flowing rivers or streams. These are man-made structures that have already gone through environmental review. These canals do not contain endangered fish or wildlife. This commonsense legislation will create jobs in rural Arizona, increase our country's renewable energy portfolio, and generate revenues for the federal treasury by cutting duplicative, bureaucratic red tape.

Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act

In February 2014, the majority of my Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act, H.R. 1345 was signed into law as part of the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act (H.R.2642). My bill authorized important stewardship contracting, good neighbor authority as well as important insect and disease infestation designations. This commonsense legislation will reduce government bureaucracy so that wildfire prevention projects can move forward quickly when the public is at risk.

PILT

The State of Arizona is comprised of approximately 114,000 square miles of total land. Unfortunately, nearly 50% of that land is now owned by the federal government and less than 17% of our state's land is private land. Shockingly, the federal government now owns 650 million acres and 90% of federally owned land is located in the Western half of the United States. Eastern policymakers and bureaucrats in Washington D.C. fail to grasp the true negative impact to the West and local communities of locking up hundreds of millions of acres of public land. Local property and sales taxes typically fund county governments allowing them to provide essential services like law enforcement, infrastructure and education needs. The inability for counties to collect local taxes on federal lands is particularly burdensome, especially when counties often provide critical services on these very lands. PILT funding helps offset the losses of these critical revenues and allows for the continuation of essential services. PILT payments are distributed to 49 different states and nearly 2,000 counties throughout the nation. The federal government owns too much acreage and should return land to the states and private ownership. Either give us our land or give us our PILT. I have led multiple efforts to ensure full PILT payments.

The Historic Routes Preservation Act

In January, I joined several of my colleagues in introducing the Historic Routes Preservation Act, legislation which allows local counties to resolve public lands right-of-way disputes without going to court. This bipartisan bill provides a useful tool for cleaning up maps in western states and allows confirmation of rights-of-way on public lands through an administrative process, as opposed to the current expensive judicial process. Counties throughout the West shouldn't have to spend precious resources on litigation in order to keep public roads open, especially when counties have been paying to maintain these roads for decades. This bill provides a commonsense solution that will maintain public access and prevent government bureaucrats from arbitrarily closing historic routes.

Opposing the EPA's Regional Haze Requirements

I also strongly opposed the Environmental Protection Agency's final rule for Regional Haze requirements that would negatively affect six facilities in Arizona. The Regional Haze Rule has nothing to do with public health and was established for the sole purpose of attempting to restore natural visibility in national parks and wilderness areas by 2064. This rule has not proven effective with even the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) concluding that there is no evidence that installing expensive new technology, most of which is not yet economically viable, would lead to any perceptible improvement in visibility at our parks or nearby wilderness areas. This unilateral decision will impose costly and burdensome regulations on American families and small businesses who are already struggling to make ends meet. Thousands of jobs will be lost and energy prices will skyrocket should we continue down this path.

Keystone XL

The House has voted 11 different times since I've been in Congress to approve the Keystone Pipeline. The State Department found back in January of 2014 for the second time that the pipeline would have NO significant impact on climate change. Conservative estimates from the State Department at that time also projected that the Keystone XL Pipeline would support more than 42,000 jobs. Moreover, it has bipartisan support - even labor unions support it. The ONLY thing holding this up is politics. Unfortunately, the president for no good reason vetoed this legislation.

Blocking the Chu Memo

In the 113th Congress, the House passed my amendment prohibiting the Department of Energy from implementing the "Chu Memorandum." Issued by former Secretary of Energy Steven Chu in 2012, the "Chu Memorandum" outlined four specific directives that would have increased energy costs dramatically.

The Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act

Renewable energy sources like wind and solar are an integral part of the United States' "all-of-the-above" energy strategy. Our nation's public lands can play a critical role in supporting that mission, but uncertainty in the permitting process impedes or delays our ability to harness their renewable energy potential. To address this problem, I introduced the Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act. This bipartisan legislation streamlines the permitting process for wind, solar and geothermal energy projects on public lands, does not require federal subsidies, and creates a revenue source to assist local governments in their efforts to deliver critical services. The bill establishes a revenue sharing mechanism that ensures a fair return for all and distributes rents and royalties by returning 25% to the state, 25% to the county of origin, 15% to the BLM for the purposes of more efficiently processing permit applications and 35% is deposited into a fund for sportsmen and conservation purposes, including increasing outdoor recreation such as hunting and fishing. Since federal lands are not taxable, state and local governments deserve a share of the revenues from the sales of energy production on lands within their borders.

Increasing Public Access

In the 113th Congress, I voted in favor of the Public Access and Lands Improvement Act a package of 10 bills aimed at increasing and preserving public access to federal lands, facilitating responsible economic development and encouraging transparent land management. The bill passed the House of Representatives by a bipartisan vote of 220-194. This legislation cuts red tape that prevents tourism and economic development on public lands as well as increases public access to important recreation and conservation areas. This important bill provides greater certainty to ranchers and farmers by increasing the length of new grazing permits on public lands and streamlines the actual grazing permitting process. The package is also good for our environment and good for small businesses as the expedited removal of salvageable timber will greatly benefit the forest products industry and also reduce the threats of dangerous wildfires. This legislation is a great start to long overdue public lands reform.

The Bipartisan Meers Point Boundary Clarification Act

In July 2015, I introduced H.R. 3027, the Meers Point Boundary Clarification Act. For years, property owners in Meers Point, Arizona have been dealing with a situation where the federal government technically owns part of their living rooms and properties. This long overdue and commonsense clarification will finally allow these land owners to have a clear title for their lots and will remove regulatory hurdles that are preventing real estate transactions.

The Grand Canyon Bison Management Act

The Grand Canyon is plagued by an invasive hybrid species, part buffalo and part cattle, known as 'beefalo.' These massive animals are trampling park land, defecating in water holes, destroying historically significant Native American landmarks and affecting public safety on roads and trails. Their numbers have grown out-of-control and government bureaucracy is preventing the herd from being properly culled. To deal with this problem, I introduced H.R. 1443, the Grand Canyon Bison Management Act. This legislation was passed by unanimous consent by the House Natural Resources Committee as an amendment to H.R. 2406, the Sportsmen's Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act. This bipartisan and bicameral legislation calls for a strategic management plan that allows volunteer hunters to keep the beefalo meat in exchange for their work helping protect the Park. Not only will this solution save taxpayer money, but this bill will generate new funds for habitat conservation and management. As your Congressman, I will continue to fight for commonsense measures that save taxpayers money and put Arizona sportsmen to work doing what they love.

American Indian Trust Responsibility Review Act

Nearly 40 years have passed since the last comprehensive review by Congress of the United States' trust relationship with American Indian tribes was conducted by the American Indian Policy Review Commission (AIPRC). AIPRC's final report issued in 1977 made a number of recommendations regarding how the trust relationship might be strengthened and implemented. While several of these recommendations have been incorporated in one form or another, many were never adopted. New challenges and opportunities have arisen in the intervening decades and there has been no continuing review of the trust relationship, particularly the extent to which it has been implemented by the United States. It is far past time for Congress to review federal policy on the trust responsibility and the gap between its ideals and its reality for Indian tribes. In July, I introduced H.R. 2760, the American Indian Trust Responsibility Review Act. This commonsense legislation will provide a comprehensive overview of the unique trust relationship between the United States and American Indian tribes in its current form.

The Endangered Species Act

Frivolous lawsuits from extremist environmental groups and federal agency endangered species actions continue to hammer western states and stifle local conservation efforts. To make matters worse, these listing decisions are usually based on secret science and pseudo-science, including studies that do not allow for peer-review of the underlying data. Even more troubling is the fact that attorneys have been making millions of dollars based on lawsuits associated with the Endangered Species Act and that the federal government doesn't even know how much money has been paid out. In April 2014, the House passed four bills of which I was a cosponsor that make commonsense changes to increase transparency, save taxpayer money, ensure local involvement in species conservation and the designation process, limit the hourly rate attorneys can charge the taxpayers for Endangered Species Act lawsuits, and require the federal government to make available to Congress and the public any data it uses to determine which species to list as endangered.

The Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act

In November 2015, the House passed the bipartisan Collins-Gosar bill requiring tracking and disclosure of attorney fees paid out from environmental lawsuits. Prior to 1995, EAJA payments were approximately $3 million dollars annually. Unfortunately, EAJA has operated in the dark for more than 20 years and payments have skyrocketed. The Government Accountability Office recently confirmed that we don't even know the totality of these costs as most federal agencies don't even bother trying to compile this information. H.R. 3279, the Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act, tracks how much money is paid out under EAJA, and more importantly, from which agencies.

Blocking the Sonoran Desert Tortoise Listing

In July 2015, the House passed the Gosar amendment to block the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from listing Sonoran Desert Tortoise (SDT) as an endangered or threatened species. This listing would have tied up 15 million acres with new regulations and red tape, harming agriculture and grazing. Specifically, a listing would be detrimental for 273 different grazing allotments and jeopardize nearly six million acres used for livestock grazing. Fortunately, in October 2015 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the Sonoran desert tortoise will be removed from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) candidate list.

The Bipartisan Mexican Wolf Transparency and Accountability Act

In June 2015, Congressman Pearce and I introduced H.R. 2910, the bipartisan Mexican Wolf Transparency and Accountability Act. This commonsense legislation seeks to ensure that the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's (the Service's) new rule issued on January 16, 2015--implementing new regulations for the nonessential experimental population of the Mexican wolf under Section 10(j) and listing the Mexican wolf as an endangered subspecies--has no force or effect. This bipartisan bill also prevents the January 16, 2015 decision to list the Mexican wolf as an endangered subspecies from having any force or effect. These actions are necessary to protect local communities and to rein in the Service for failing to comply with federal law before implementing this new directive. This bill is endorsed by: National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Public Lands Council, Americans for Limited Government, Arizona Cattleman's Association, Arizona Farm Bureau, Arizona Cattle Growers' Association, Arizona Cattle Feeders' Association, Arizona Association of Conservation Districts New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, Coconino County Farm Bureau and Cattle Growers Association, Yavapai Cattle Growers Association, Navajo/Apache Cattle Growers Association, Greenlee Cattle Growers Association, La Paz Stockmen's Association, Mohave Livestock Association, Gila County Cattle Growers Association, Maricopa County Cattle Growers Association, Cochise /Graham Cattle Growers Association, Southern Arizona Cattlemen's Protective Association.

Source