OCL 2006 Hearings/Testimony

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DATE

HEARING SUBJECT

WITNESS(ES)

Thurs., 11/16

Lands and Forests Bills

 

Hearing on S. 3636 (Bennett), a bill to establish wilderness areas, promote conservation, improve public land, and provide for high quality economic development in Washington County, Utah, and for other purposes

 

Senate Energy and Natural Resources S/C on Public Lands and Forests (Craig)

Chad Calvert, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management

Tues., 10/10

Colorado River Conservation Program

 

Oversight field hearing on H.R. 5180 (Hayworth), to authorize appropriations for the Bureau of Reclamation to carry out the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program in the States of Arizona, California, and Nevada, and for other purposes

 

House Resources S/C on Water and Power (Radanovich)

Lorri Gray, Program Manager for Colorado River Multi Species Conservation Program, Bureau of Reclamation

Wed., 10/4

Lewis and Clark Expedition

 

Oversight field hearing on the Bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the potential extension of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail

 

House Resources S/C on National Parks (Pearce)

Alan Hutchings, Associate Regional Director Planning, Communications, and Legislation, for the Midwest Regional Office, National Park Service

Wed., 10/4

Egg-Bearing Male Bass

 

Oversight hearing on “Ova-Pollutions in the Potomac: Egg-Bearing Male Bass and Implications for Human and Ecological Health” to investigate recently reported abnormalities in fish in the Potomac watershed and what steps federal, state, and local governments are taking to ensure effective protections of human and ecological health

 

House Government Reform Committee (Davis, III)

Mark Myers, Director, United States Geological Survey;
accompanied by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Thus., 9/28

Parks Bills

 

Hearing on H.R. 4529 (Case), To provide for the establishment of a memorial within Kalaupapa National Historical Park located on the island of Molokai, in the State of Hawaii, to honor and perpetuate the memory of those individuals who were forcibly relocated to the Kalaupapa Peninsula from 1866 to 1969, and for other purposes; H.R. 5195 (Wolf), To establish the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area, and for other purposes; H.R. 5466 (Davis), To amend the National Trails System Act to designate the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail; H.R. 5665 (Simpson), To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land and improvements of the Gooding Division of the Minidoka Project, Idaho; and H.R. 5817 (Inslee), To adjust the boundary of the Minidoka Internment National Monument to include the Nidoto Nai Yoni Memorial in Bainbridge Island, Washington, and for other purposes

 

House Resources S/C on National Parks (Pearce)

Daniel N. Wenk, Acting Associate Director for Park Planning, Facilities and Lands, National Park Service

Wed., 9/27

Lands Bills

 

Hearing on S. 3000 (Stevens), A bill to grant rights-of-way for electric transmission lines over certain Native allotments in the State of Alaska; S. 3599 (Bingaman), A bill to establish the Prehistoric Trackways National Monument in the State of New Mexico; S. 3794 (Crapo), A bill to provide for the implementation of the Owyhee Initiative Agreement, and for other purposes; and H.R. 3603 (Simpson), To promote the economic development and recreational use of National Forest System lands and other public lands in central Idaho, to designate the Boulder-White Cloud Management Area to ensure the continued management of certain National Forest System lands and Bureau of Land Management lands for recreational and grazing use and conservation and resource protection, to add certain National Forest System lands and Bureau of Land Management lands in central Idaho to the National Wilderness Preservation System, and for other purposes

 

Senate Energy and Natural Resources S/C on Public Lands and Forests (Craig)

Chad Calvert, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management

Tues., 9/26

International Polar Year

 

Joint oversight hearing on the International Polar Year

 

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (Stevens) and

the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (Lugar)

Dr. Thomas R. Armstrong, Program Coordinator, Earth Surface Dynamics, U.S. Geological Survey

Tues., 9/26

Water and Power Bills

 

Hearing on H.R. 5110 (Udall), to facilitate the use for irrigation and other purposes of water produced in connection with development of energy resources; H.R. 5786 (Calvert), to authorize the Secretary, in cooperation with the City of San Juan Capistrano, California, to participate in the design, planning, and construction of, and advanced water treatment plant facility and recycled water system, and for other purposes; and H.R. 5987 (Cole), to provide for a feasibility study of alternatives to augment the water supplies of the Central Oklahoma Master Conservancy District and cities served by the District

 

House Resources S/C on Water and Power (Radanovich)

William Rinne, Acting Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation

 

Robert M. Hirsch, Associate Director, United States Geological Survey (H.R. 5110)

Thurs., 9/21

Water Project Bills

 

Hearing on S. 1106 (Allard), A bill to authorize the construction of the Arkansas Valley Conduit in the State of Colorado, and for other purposes; S. 1811 (Hatch), A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the feasibility of enlarging the Arthur V. Watkins Dam Weber Basin Project, Utah, to provide additional water for the Weber Basin Project to fulfill the purposes for which that project was authorized; S. 3832 (Domenici), A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish criteria to transfer title to reclamation facilities, and for other purposes; S. 3798 (Feinstein), A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to exclude and defer from the pooled reimbursable costs of the Central Valley Project the reimbursable capital costs of the unused capacity of the Folsom South Canal, Auburn-Folsom South Unit, Central Valley Project, and for other purposes; H.R. 2563 (Otter), To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct feasibility studies to address certain water shortages within the Snake, Boise, and Payette River systems in Idaho, and for other purposes; and H.R. 3897 (Radanovich), To authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Madera Irrigation District for purposes of supporting the Madera Water Supply and Groundwater Enhancement Project

 

Senate Energy and Natural Resources S/C on Water and Power (Murkowski)

William Rinne, Acting Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation

Thurs., 9/21

Fisheries Bill

 

Hearing on H.R. 4315 (Kennedy), To amend the Acts popularly known as the Duck Stamp Act and the Wetland Loan Act to reauthorize appropriations to promote the conservation of migratory waterfowl and to offset or prevent the serious loss of important wetlands and other waterfowl habitat essential to the preservation of such waterfowl, and for other purposes

 

House Resources S/C on Fisheries on Oceans (Gilchrest)

David M. Verhey, Acting Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks

Thurs., 9/21

San Joaquin Restoration Act

 

Oversight hearing on “The San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act”

 

House Resources S/C on Water and Power (Radanovich)

Jason Peltier, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science

Thurs., 9/21

National Park Service Nomination

 

Hearing on the nomination of Mary Amelia Bomar, of Pennsylvania, to be Director of the National Park Service, vice Frances P. Mainella, resigned

 

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (Domenici)

Mary Amelia Bomar, Nominee

Wed., 9/20

Tribal Self-Governance

 

Oversight hearing on Tribal Self-Governance

 

Senate Indian Affairs Committee (McCain)

George T. Skibine, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs

Wed., 9/20

Historic Preservation and Community Development

 

Oversight hearing on “Historic Preservation and Community Development: Why Cities and Towns Should Look to the Past as a Key to Their Future”

 

House Government Reform S/C on Federalism and the Census (Turner)

Janet Snyder Matthews, Associate Director for Culture Resources, National Park Service

Thurs., 9/14

Interior Department management and accountability

 

Oversight hearing on management and accountability at the Department of the Interior

 

House Government Reform Committee (Davis, III)

P. Lynn Scarlett, Deputy Secretary;
Johnnie Burton
, Director, Minerals Management Service  

Thurs., 9/14

Indian Affairs Nominations

 

Hearing on the nomination of Carl Artman to be Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior

 

Senate Indian Affairs Committee (McCain)

Carl Artman, Nominee

Thurs., 9/14

Interior Nominations

 

Hearing to consider the nomination of C. Stephen Allred, of Idaho, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Interior, vice Rebecca W. Watson, resigned; and Robert W. Johnson, of Nevada, to be Commissioner of Reclamation, Vice John W. Keys, III, resigned

 

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (Domenici)

C. Stephen Allred, Nominee

Thurs., 9/14

Forest Bills

 

Hearing on H.R. 5769 (Matheson), to establish wilderness areas, promote conservation, improve public land, and provide for high quality economic development in Washington County, Utah, and for other purposes

 

House Resources S/C on Forests and Forest Health (Walden)

Chad Calvert, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management

Thurs., 9/14

Fish and Oceans Bills

 

Hearing on H.R. 4953 and S. 2430 (Kildee), to amend the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act of 1990 to provide for implementation of recommendations of the United Sates Fish and Wildlife Service contained in the Great Lakes Fishery Resources Restoration Study; and H.R. 4345 and S. 2041 (Berkley), to provide for the conveyance of a United States Fish and Wildlife Service administrative site to the city of Las Vegas, Nevada

 

House Resources S/C on Fisheries and Oceans (Gilchrest)

Charles Wooley, Deputy Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

 

Thurs., 9/14

Federal agencies and conference spending

 

Oversight hearing on Federal agencies and conference spending

 

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs S/C on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, and International Security

Nina Rose Hatfield, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Policy, Management and Budget

Wed., 9/13

Visitation Trends

 

Oversight hearing on “Visitation trends in the National Park System – Part II”

 

House Resources S/C on National Parks (Pearce)

Christopher Jarvi, Associate Director for Partnership, Interpretation and Education, Volunteers, and Outdoor Recreation, National Park Service

 

Wed., 9/13

Great Lakes Regional Collaboration

 

Oversight hearing on “The Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy – Can it be implemented to restore and protect the Great Lakes?”

 

House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (Young)

Charles Wooley, Deputy Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Wed., 9/13

Lands Bills

 

Hearing on H.R. 5617 (Young), To amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide an equitable distribution of land to the 13th Alaska Native Regional Corporation; and H.R. 5781 (Young), to grant rights-of-way for electric transmission lines over certain Native allotments in the State of Alaska

 

House Resources Committee (Pombo)

Jim Hughes, Deputy Director, Bureau of Land Management

Thurs., 9/7

Water and Power Bills

 

Hearing H.R. 6014 (Pombo), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to improve California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and water supply

 

House Resources S/C on Water and Power (Radanovich)

William E. Rinne, Acting Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation

Thurs., 9/7

Parks Bills

 

Hearing on H.R. 3532 (Camp), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of maritime sites in the State of Michigan; H.R. 5452 (Reynolds), to make the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass available at a discount to certain veterans; H.R. 5485 (Baird), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of establishing the Columbia-Pacific National Heritage Area in the States of Washington and Oregon, and for other purposes; and H.R. 5978 (Blunt), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of including the battlefields and related sites of the First and Second Battles of Newtonia, Missouri, during the Civil War as part of Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield or designating the battlefields as related sites as a separate unit of the National Park System and for other purposes

 

House Resources S/C on National Parks (Pearce)

John Wessels, Acting Assistant Director, Business Services, National Park Service

Fri., 9/1

Resources Bill

 

Hearing on S. 3563 (Burns), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct studies to determine the feasibility and environmental impact of rehabilitating the St. Mary Diversion and Conveyance Works and the Milk River Project, to authorize the rehabilitation and improvement of the St. Mary Diversion and Conveyance Works, to develop an emergency response plan for use in the case of catastrophic failure of the St. Mary Diversion and Conveyance Works, and for other purposes

 

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (Domenici)

Mike Ryan, Regional Director, Bureau of Reclamation

Mon., 8/14

National Parks of Alaska

 

Oversight hearing on the “National Parks of Alaska”

 

House Government Reform S/C on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources (Souder)

Marsha Blaszak, Alaska Regional Director, National Park Service

Sat., 8/5

Border security on Federal lands

 

Oversight hearing on “Border security on Federal lands: What can be done to mitigate impacts along the southwestern border.”

 

House Resources Committee (Pombo)

Steve Borchard, California Desert District Manager, Bureau of Land Management

Wed., 8/2

Forest Emergency Recovery Act

 

Hearing on H.R. 4200 (Walden), To improve the ability of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to promptly implement recovery treatments in response to catastrophic events affecting Federal lands under their jurisdiction, including the removal of dead and damaged trees and the implementation of reforestation treatments, to support the recovery of non-Federal lands damaged by catastrophic events, to revitalize Forest Service experimental forests, and for other purposes

 

Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry S/C on Forestry, Conservation and Rural Revitalization (Crapo)

Lynn Scarlett, Deputy Secretary

Thurs., 7/27

Forest, Wilderness and Land Bills

 

Hearing on H.R. 4784 (DeFazio), to direct the Secretary of Interior to convey certain Bureau of Land Management Land to the City of Eugene, Oregon; H.R. 4235 (Hefley), to designate certain National Forest System lands in the Pike and San Isabel National Forests and certain lands in the Royal Gorge Resource Area of the Bureau of Land Management in the State of Colorado as wilderness, and for other purposes; H.R. 2718 (Otter), to authorize the exchange of certain Federal land within the State of Idaho, and for other purposes; and H.R. 2039 (Young), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to undertake a program to reduce the risks from and mitigate the effects of avalanches on recreational users of public land

 

House Resources S/C on Forest and Forest Health (Walden)

Larry Benna, Deputy Director, Bureau of Land Management

Thurs., 7/27

Water and Power Bills

 

Hearing on S. 895 (Domenici), A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a rural water supply program in the Reclamation States to provide a clean, safe affordable, and reliable water supply to rural residents; H.R. 630 (Grijalva), To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain Federal lands to the City of Yuma, Arizona, in exchange for certain lands owned by the City of Yuma, Arizona, and for other purposes; H.R. 5666 (Simpson), To authorize early repayment of obligations to the Bureau of Reclamation within the A & B Irrigation District in the State of Idaho; and H.R. 5796 (Lungren), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to exclude and defer from the pooled reimbursable costs of the Central Valley Project the reimbursable capital costs of the unused capacity of the Folsom South Canal, Auburn-Folsom South Unit, Central Valley Project, and for other purposes

 

House Resources S/C on Water and Power (Radanovich)

William E. Rinne, Acting Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation

Thurs., 7/27

Water and Power Bills

 

Hearing on S. 3638 (Walsh), A bill to encourage the Secretary of the Interior to participate in projects to plan, design, and construct water supply projects and to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to encourage the design, planning, and construction of projects to treat impaired surface water, reclaim and reuse impaired groundwater, and provide brine disposal in the State of California; S. 3639 (Murkowski), A bill to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to provide standards and procedures for the review of water reclamation and reuse projects; H.R. 177 (Miller), To amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Prado Basin Natural Treatment System Project, to authorize the Secretary to carry out a program to assist agencies in projects to construct regional brine lines in California, to authorize the Secretary to participate in the Lower Chino Dairy Area desalination demonstration and reclamation project, and for other purposes; H.R. 2341 (Doggett), To amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the design, planning, and construction of a project to reclaim and reuse wastewater within and outside of the service area of the City of Austin Water and Wastewater Utility, Texas; and H.R. 3418 (Edwards), To amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Central Texas Water Recycling and Reuse Project, and for other purposes

 

Senate Energy and Natural Resources S/C on Water and Power (Murkowski)

Larry Todd, Deputy Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation

Tues., 7/25

Management Policies

 

Oversight hearing on “The Recently Released Final Draft of the National Park Service Management Policies”

 

House Resources S/C on National Parks (Pearce)

Fran Mainella, Director, National Park Service

Fri., 7/21

Policing Capital Sites

 

Oversight hearing on Policing Capital Sites: Improving Coordination, Training and Equipment

 

House Government Reform Committee (Davis,III)

Michael D. Fogarty, Assistant Chief, United States Park Police, Training and Equipment

Thurs., 7/20

Interior Nominations

 

Nomination hearings for John Ray Correll, of Indiana, to be Director of the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement and Mark Myers, of Alaska, to be Director of the United States Geological Survey

 

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (Domenici)

Ray Correll, Nominee

Mark D. Myers, Nominee

Thurs., 7/20

National Wildlife Refuge System

 

Oversight hearing on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s growing operations crisis within the National Wildlife Refuge System

 

House Resources S/C on Fisheries and Oceans (Gilchrest)

H. Dale Hall, Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Wed., 7/19

Healthy Forests Restoration Act Oversight

 

Oversight hearing on the implementation of Public Law 108-148 (The Healthy Forests Restoration Act)

 

Senate Energy and Natural Resources S/C on Public Lands and Forests (Craig)

Nina Rose Hatfield, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Policy, Management and Budget

Thurs., 7/13

Working Ranches, Healthy Range and Maintaining Open Space

 

Oversight hearing on “Working Ranches, Healthy Range and Maintaining Open Space”

 

House Resources S/C on Forests and Forest Health (Walden)

Ed Shepard, Assistant Director, Renewable Resources and Planning, Bureau of Land Management

Thurs., 7/13

Parks Bills

 

Hearing on H.R. 383 (Hastings), to designate the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail, and for other purposes; H.R. 4581 (Akin), to amend the National Trails System Act relating to the statute of limitations that applies to certain claims; and H.R. 5132 (Dingell), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of including in the National Park System certain sites in Monroe County, Michigan, relating to the Battles of the River Raisin during the War of 1812

 

House Resources S/C on National Parks (Pearce)

Christopher K. Jarvi, Associate Director Partnerships, Interpretation and Education, Volunteers, and Outdoor Recreation, National Park Service

Wed., 7/12

Water and Power Bills

 

Hearing on H.R. 5715 (Bilbray), to make amendments to the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992; H.R. 5282 (Lewis), to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Southern California Desert Region Integrated Water and Economic Sustainability Plan; H.R. 5299 (Hayworth), to revise a provision relating to a repayment obligation of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation under the Fort McDowell Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Act of 1990, and for other purposes

 

House Resources S/C on Water and Power (Radanovich)

William Rinne, Acting Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation

Wed., 7/12

Lumbee Recognition Act

 

Hearing on S. 660 (Dole), a bill to provide for the acknowledgement of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, and for other purposes

 

Senate Indian Affairs Committee (McCain)

R. Lee Fleming, Director, Office of Federal Acknowledgement

Tues., 7/11

Geothermal Energy

 

Oversight hearing on the implementation of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 on geothermal energy and other renewable energy production on Federal lands in the Western states

 

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (Domenici)

Lynn Scarlett, Deputy Secretary

Thurs., 6/29

Wetlands Conservation Act

 

Hearing on H.R. 5539 (Pombo), to reauthorize the North American Wetlands Conservation Reauthorization Act

 

House Resources S/C on Fisheries and Oceans (Gilchrest)

Matt Hogan, Acting Assistant Secretary, Fish Wildlife and Parks

Thurs., 6/29

Healthy Forests Targets and Accomplishments

 

Oversight hearing on “Healthy Forests Targets and Accomplishments”

 

House Resources S/C on Forests and Forest Health (Walden)

P. Lynn Scarlett, Deputy Secretary