On April 30th, the Senate approved the nomination of Thomas L. Strickland to be Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks by a vote of 89-2.
Committee Activity
No hearings or other activities.
New Bills Introduced
The following bills of interest to the NPS were introduced:
H.R. 2167 (Cuellar, D-TX) - To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating certain lands as the Los Caminos del Rio Los Caminos del Rio National Heritage Corridor.
H.R. 2192 (Grijalva, D-AZ) - To establish an integrated Federal program to protect, restore, and conserve the Nation's natural resources in response to the threats of climate change and ocean acidification.
Upcoming Hearings
On May 5th, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on the nomination of Rhea S. Suh to be Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget at 9:45 a.m. in Room SD-366 Dirksen.
On May 5th, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands (Grijalva) will hold a hearing on H.R. 980 (Maloney), to designate certain National Forest System lands and public lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior in the States of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming as wilderness, wild and scenic rivers, wildland recovery areas, and biological connecting corridors, and for other purposes. The bill would designate approximately 23 million acres of wilderness, including previously recommended wilderness within Glacier, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone National Parks. The hearing is scheduled at 2:00 p.m. in Room 1334 Longworth. The Departmentâs witness will be Michael Nedd, Acting Deputy Director, Bureau of Land Management.
On May 11th, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources (Costa) will hold an oversight field hearing on "Solar Energy Development on Federal Lands: The Road to Consensus" at 9:00 a.m.; University of California at Riverside, Palm Desert Graduate Center, Palm Desert, CA. The DOI witness has yet to be determined.
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For additional information, please visit the Legislative and Congressional Affairs Office website at http://www.nps.gov/legal/