The House Committee on Natural Resources has advanced eight bills, including legislation to remove the Mexican wolf from the list of threatened and endangered species. The committee also moved forward with bipartisan measures addressing waterways, tribal lands, and national parks.
Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) commented on the committee's actions: “Today, the Committee advanced important bipartisan legislation meeting challenges from the Grand Canyon to the Chesapeake Bay. We addressed the need to de-list the Mexican wolf, a mismanaged experimental population that now threatens families and livestock in Arizona and New Mexico. We passed bills to simplify administrative processes and clarify legal frameworks impacting Indian Country. We advanced critical infrastructure projects at two national parks, including the Grand Canyon, which is recovering from devastating wildfires in 2025. And we approved innovative reforms to inform sailors and fishermen about water conditions and access, and to respond to invasive catfish in the Chesapeake Bay. Today’s was a productive and bipartisan markup, and I look forward to bringing these bills to the House floor soon.”
Among the bills reported out by the committee:
- H.R. 2130, known as the Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2025, would require that all business and residential mortgages on tribal trust land be processed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs within specific deadlines.
- H.R. 3073 aims to clarify jurisdiction over civil cases involving the Shivwits Band of Paiutes on their trust lands by assigning them to Utah state courts. It also allows long-term leasing of tribal trust land for up to 99 years.
- H.R. 3340 proposes creating an online resource with geographic information about recreational restrictions on federal waterways.
- H.R. 4255 seeks to delist the Mexican wolf under U.S. law and limits future recovery plans for this species to its status within United States borders.
- H.R. 5729 authorizes emergency efforts by the Secretary of Interior for rebuilding parts of Grand Canyon National Park affected by wildfires in 2025.
- H.R. 6365 requires issuing a right-of-way for constructing an emergency exit route for Wintergreen, Virginia.
- H.R. 4294 establishes a three-year pilot program supporting commercial removal of invasive blue catfish in Chesapeake Bay through a new initiative at the Department of Commerce.
- H.R. 5254 enables agreements between Gateway Arch National Park and its philanthropic partner for supporting park events.
These legislative efforts include provisions designed to streamline processes related to tribal lands, address environmental recovery after natural disasters such as wildfires at national parks, provide tools for managing invasive species like blue catfish in major waterways, and improve public access information regarding federal waters.
