Committee Advances Legislation to Shrink the Federal Estate, Honor American History, Amplify Native Voices and More

Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources held a full committee markup and favorably reported 23 bills. Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement in response:

"Even as we approach the end of the year, the House Committee on Natural Resources is advancing a robust and diverse slate of bills to benefit all Americans, like returning land management to local communities, honoring our nation's heroes, increasing our energy and mineral security, promoting active forest management and outdoor recreation opportunities and amplifying the voices of Alaska Natives. I'd like to thank all members on and off our committee who contributed to the legislation we advanced today."

Background

H.R. 390, the Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area Enhancement Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), expands the boundaries of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area (NHA) to include all of Saratoga and Washington counties in New York.

H.R. 1395, the Delaware River Basin Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2023, introduced by U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), would reauthorize the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program through Fiscal Year 2030. This program helps advance restoration activities across the Delaware River Basin states.

H.R. 1584, the Plum Island National Monument Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), would authorize a special resource study examining the possibility of designating Plum Island as a unit managed by the Department of the Interior.

H.R. 2685, the Technology Grants to Strengthen Domestic Mining Education Act of 2023, introduced by U.S. Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah), would help build out mining educational programs and support student recruitment to reverse the decline in the domestic mining workforce. A competitive grant program established through the Department of Energy will support educational programs related to mineral extraction, mine reclamation, refining and processing technologies, geological engineering, supply chain analysis and other relevant fields.

H.R. 3047, the Apache County and Navajo County Conveyance Act of 2023, introduced by U.S. Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), would convey small parcels of land within the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests to Apache and Navajo Counties for the purpose of expanding existing cemeteries.

H.R. 3173, the Northern Nevada Development and Conservation Act of 2023, introduced by U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), combines various land management proposals affecting public lands in several northern Nevada counties.

H.R. 3971, the Flatside Wilderness Additions Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), adds several parcels of Ouachita National Forest land to the existing Flatside Wilderness.

H.R 4338, the Route 66 National Historic Trail Designation Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), designates Route 66 as a National Historic Trail. This designation will better conserve historic resources, encourage public access and facilitate local partnerships and restoration.

H.R. 5401, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-N.Y.), provides a one-time grant from the Department of Homeland Security to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum to defray its significant security costs.

H.R. 6127, the Modernizing Access to Our Public (MAP) Waters Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah), would help enhance access to the nation's outdoor recreational opportunities by digitizing and standardizing mapping information, such as access points and permissible uses, of federal waters.

H.R. 6994, the Restoring our Unopened Trails for Enjoyment and Safety (ROUTES) Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.), would streamline forest management activities to reopen popular recreation sites that local communities and businesses depend on to drive the outdoor recreation economy.

H.R. 7516, the Purchased and Referred Care Improvement Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), would amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to ensure that the Indian Health Service is liable for payments related to purchased and referred care services. Moreover, the bill seeks to establish procedures for reimbursing patients who have paid out-of-pocket for authorized purchased and referred care services, thus alleviating the financial strain on tribal members.

H.R. 7938, the Klamath Basin Water Agreement Support Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.), will shield farmers from the adverse effects of removing the four non-federal dams on the Klamath River.

H.R. 8012, the Jackie Robinson Commemorative Site Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), designates the Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Fla., where Jackie Robinson first broke the color barrier in professional baseball, as the "Jackie Robinson Ballpark National Commemorative Site."

H.R. 8665, the Supercritical Geothermal Research and Development Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), would direct the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of the Interior to coordinate on supercritical geothermal research and would force DOI to map supercritical geothermal reservoirs. Supercritical geothermal is an experimental technology that has the potential to produce renewable energy at significantly higher capacities than conventional geothermal systems.

H.R. 8931, introduced by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), will redesignate the Saratoga National Historic Park as Saratoga National Battlefield Park to emphasize its place in the heroic struggle for American independence.

H.R. 9516, the Military Families National Parks Access Enhancement Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), will expand access to free, lifetime America the Beautiful Passes to Gold Star Next of Kin family members and families of veterans who pass away due to a service-related illness.

H.R. 2687, introduced by U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), would exclude distributions or benefits from settlement trusts for aged, blind, or disabled Alaska Natives when assessing eligibility for federal means-tested benefits, according to the current definitions of the Social Security Act.

H.R. 4748, the Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), ), would amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) to allow the Alaska Native communities of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell to form Alaska Native urban and allow each urban corporation to select one township of land within and near their historical, aboriginal lands in the Tongass National Forest to be owned in fee by the urban corporations.

H.R. 6210, introduced by U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Md.), designates the George C. Marshall House as an affiliated area of the National Park System.

H.R. 6489, the Alaska Native Village Municipal Lands Restoration Act of 2023, introduced by U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), returns lands currently held in trust by the state of Alaska back to Alaska Native village corporations.

H.R. 8308, the Nutria Eradication and Control Reauthorization Act of 2024, introduced by U.S. Rep. Josh Harder (D-Calif.), reauthorizes a program to eradicate nutria, an invasive rodent species, in the Chesapeake Bay, Louisiana, California and other places where nutria have inflicted significant damages to ecosystems.

H.R. 8946, the Reversionary Interest Conveyance Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), would remove a reversionary interest on a parcel of land in Sacramento, Calif. to allow the land to be developed without complications from the federal government.

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