WASHINGTON, D.C., March 5, 2015 - House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (UT-01) submitted his opening for today’s oversight hearing for the U.S. Department of the Interior’s fiscal year 2016 budget proposal.
“With our national debt currently exceeding $18 trillion, the Administration’s overall federal budget, including the Interior Department’s $13 billion budget proposal, continues a disappointing trend of runaway federal spending, while failing to put forward creative solutions to ongoing problems with our federal land, water, oceans, and energy resources," Chairman Bishop began.
“Despite the President’s professed commitment to further reducing our dependence on foreign oil, his Administration has ramped up regulations and other actions that are adversely impacting this shared goal. While oil and natural gas production has surged on non-federal lands, President Obama has managed astonishing production declines on federal lands.
“Today, not enough time is spent scrutinizing policies and bureaucracies that are failing to address today’s needs. Unfortunately, this budget keeps us on the same old path and relies on the same stale paradigms. I believe our nation’s leaders can do better than the budget request we are here to review. I hope the Administration is willing to work with us on a better plan. I look forward to hearing Secretary Jewell’s testimony as we begin this process," he concluded.
Read the full testimony here.
