Washington, D.C. - House Committee on Agriculture Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) and Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee Chairman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (PA-5) released the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers final “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule. This rule further obscures the original intent of the Clean Wat... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, the House Agriculture Committee approved H.R. 2394, the National Forest Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2015, by voice vote. Introduced by Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee Chairman Glenn Thompson (PA-5), this bipartisan bill will reauthorize the National Forest Foundation Act so the Foundation is able to have the resources to continue its work to ensure U.S. natio... Read more »
Remarks as prepared: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The National Forest Foundation has a simple mission – bring people together to restore and enhance our national forests and grasslands. Through the Foundation, we are able to leverage private and federal dollars to support our nation’s great forests in a variety of ways. These include planting trees, preserving wildlife habitat, surveying streams, rest... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representative Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee, held a public hearing to review the National Forest System and active forest management. The U. S. Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, manages the country’s 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which cover ... Read more »
Remarks as prepared: Good afternoon. I want to welcome everyone to this hearing of the Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee. The health of our national forests is an issue of vital importance for rural America. Not only are national forests a source of immense natural beauty, but they provide us with natural resources, healthy watersheds, recreational opportunities, and wildlife habitat. But, pe... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (R-TX), House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), and House Science, Space, and Technology Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy asking for documents to confirm whether or not the agency weighed the impact of the proposed “w... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee, held a public hearing to review the definition of “waters of the United States” proposed rule and its impact on rural America. Enacted in 1972, the Clean Water Act (CWA) established a federal-state government partnership to better regulate and manage the nation’... Read more »
Remarks as prepared: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to the witnesses testifying today. Our farmers, ranchers and foresters have a great champion in Chairman Thompson. In the 114th Congress, he is once again chairman of the subcommittee that both highlights the important work they are doing and oversees conservation and forestry programs and regulations. The men and women who farm, ranch an... Read more »
Remarks as prepared: Good morning and welcome to today’s hearing to review the definition of the “waters of the United States” proposed rule and its impact on rural America. The Clean Water Act created a historic partnership between the federal government and the states to protect our nation’s navigable waterways. However, since the law’s inception, the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers have on ... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. K. Michael Conaway, Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, held a hearing to review the state of the rural economy. The hearing comes just days after the one-year anniversary of the enactment of the 2014 Farm Bill. Implementation of the law was the main topic of discussion as members of the committee asked Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, about progres... Read more »
