SW Arkansas Times

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives approved ten bills from the House Committee on Natural Resources aimed at supporting critical mineral development, reauthorizing conservation programs, and recognizing significant American historical sites. Bruce Westerman, Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, expressed his support for these legislative measures.

“The bills we passed this week represent the wide variety of issues before the House Committee on Natural Resources," Westerman stated. He emphasized the bipartisan efforts to strengthen mineral supply chains essential for healthcare, support conservation initiatives, enhance state parks, honor American heritage, and streamline disaster relief for fisheries and local communities. "I’d like to thank my colleagues for their thoughtful work on these legislative solutions and look forward to working with them as we continue to serve the American people.”

Among the legislation passed is H.R. 390, introduced by Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York. This bill authorizes a study to potentially expand the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area to include Saratoga and Washington counties in New York.

H.R. 5103, known as the FISHES Act and introduced by Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, aims to ensure timely review of fishery disaster requests by mandating compliance with existing deadlines.

Rep. John Curtis from Utah introduced H.R. 6395, which amends previous energy legislation to involve health authorities in consultations about critical minerals vital for healthcare.

H.R. 6843 by Rep. Steve Scalise seeks to expand Louisiana's Atchafalaya National Heritage Area to include Lafourche Parish.

The Utah State Parks Adjustment Act (H.R. 7332), put forward by Rep. Celeste Maloy of Utah, proposes transferring federal land to Utah for state park use.

Rep. John Curtis also introduced H.R. 7872 to address funding imbalances in Colorado River Basin salinity control projects.

H.R. 8413 by Rep. Adrian Smith transfers federal recreational areas at Swanson Reservoir and Hugh Butler Reservoir in Nebraska to local counties.

The Lahaina National Heritage Act (H.R. 8219), sponsored by Rep. Jill Tokuda from Hawaii, calls for a study on designating Lahaina as a National Heritage Area.

Rep. Kweisi Mfume from Maryland proposed H.R. 6826, which renames a visitor center at Fort McHenry National Monument after Paul S. Sarbanes.

Finally, S. 3791 introduced by Sen. Thomas Carper reauthorizes conservation programs funded by federal agencies like the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service.