U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from all members of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate as well as the House and Senate leadership and House and Senate committees.
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Sens. Padilla, Feinstein to Interior: Don't Weaken Oversight of Oil, Gas Drilling in Santa Barbara County
WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 -- Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, issued the following news release on Oct. 26, 2021:
U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein (both D-Calif.) today called on the Department of the Interior to withdraw its draft General Conservation Plan for oil and gas drilling in Santa Barbara County and instead continue to utilize existing project-specific Habitat Conservation Plans.
Proceeding with the Interior Department's draft plan may lead to insufficient information about how proposed oil and gas projects may adversely affect health and the environment, including harm to
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WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 -- Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, issued the following news release on Oct. 26, 2021:
U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein (both D-Calif.) today called on the Department of the Interior to withdraw its draft General Conservation Plan for oil and gas drilling in Santa Barbara County and instead continue to utilize existing project-specific Habitat Conservation Plans.
Proceeding with the Interior Department's draft plan may lead to insufficient information about how proposed oil and gas projects may adversely affect health and the environment, including harm tothreatened or endangered species. With the recent draft rule by the California Geologic Energy Management Division related to buffer zones surrounding oil and gas wells, California is leading in the clean energy transition and the Interior Department should follow suit.
"We write to request that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service withdraw the draft General Conservation Plan (GCP) and associated draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for oil and gas activities in Santa Barbara County, California," the senators wrote in a letter to Interior Secretary Haaland. "Instead of proceeding with these drafts, we urge the Fish and Wildlife Service to continue to require new oil and gas proposals to be reviewed under project-specific Habitat Conservation Plans. We are especially concerned that, if implemented, the GCP could lead to insufficient information about how proposed oil or gas projects may adversely affect the community, air and water quality, and endangered species in the County."
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October 26, 2021
To: The Honorable Deb Haaland, U.S. Department of Interior, 1849 C Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20240
Dear Secretary Haaland:
We write to request that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service withdraw the draft General Conservation Plan (GCP) and associated draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for oil and gas activities in Santa Barbara County, California. Instead of proceeding with these drafts, we urge the Fish and Wildlife Service to continue to require new oil and gas proposals to be reviewed under project-specific Habitat Conservation Plans. We are especially concerned that, if implemented, the GCP could lead to insufficient information about how proposed oil or gas projects may adversely affect the community, air and water quality, and endangered species in the County.
We understand from local stakeholders that the Fish and Wildlife Service's March 2020 General Conservation Plan does not account for the basic requirements under the Endangered Species Act. Specifically, the Plan states that it would "streamline the application for an incidental take permit under section 10(a)(1)(B) by allowing the Fish and Wildlife Service to develop a single general conservation plan for a local area." This approach is concerning as it would cover a wide range of complex oil and gas activities and an overly-broad planning area consisting of more than 674,000 acres, from agricultural lands to urban developments and parts of the Santa Barbara coastline.
Further, we are concerned that streamlining the process for issuing incidental take permits for oil and gas projects would harm or kill three species protected or endangered under the Endangered Species Act--the California red legged frog, California tiger salamander, and Lompoc yerba santa--and would bypass the much more rigorous requirements of Habitat Conservation Plans.
Given the environmental concerns associated with oil and gas activities, as well as their potential to harm threatened or endangered species, we believe any applications for new oil and gas activities should be vetted to the most thorough extent possible. Thank you for your consideration of this request. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Dianne Feinstein, United States Senator
Alex Padilla, United States Senator
Sens. Murkowski, Sullivan Introduce Bill to Establish Offshore Revenue Sharing for Alaska
WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 -- Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, issued the following news release on Oct. 26, 2021:
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both R-AK, today introduced legislation to provide for equitable revenue sharing from energy production and development in Alaska's Outer Continental Shelf.
The bill, Alaska Offshore Parity Act, will facilitate the establishment of a revenue sharing program for Alaska to provide parity with onshore and offshore development in the outer Continental Shelf. This program will provide support for onshore infrastructure for coastal communities, mitigation
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WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 -- Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, issued the following news release on Oct. 26, 2021:
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both R-AK, today introduced legislation to provide for equitable revenue sharing from energy production and development in Alaska's Outer Continental Shelf.
The bill, Alaska Offshore Parity Act, will facilitate the establishment of a revenue sharing program for Alaska to provide parity with onshore and offshore development in the outer Continental Shelf. This program will provide support for onshore infrastructure for coastal communities, mitigationof damage to natural resources, resiliency, and programs at Alaskan higher education institutions.
"Alaskans hold ourselves to the highest standards when it comes to responsibly developing our natural resources with minimal impact on coastal communities," said Senator Lisa Murkowski. "Offshore revenue sharing is a matter of simple fairness. This legislation ensures that Alaskans receive a fair portion of the benefits that our resource-rich state provides. This legislation creates a framework to mitigate environmental impact, protect coastal communities, and support projects for various entities in Alaska while providing fairness and parity. Providing revenue sharing from the development of Arctic resources to surrounding coastal communities makes sense and is the right thing to do."
"Production of the vast energy reserves found in Alaska's Outer Continental Shelf offers us the opportunity to grow our economy, bolster our national security, create new jobs, and fill the Trans Alaska Pipeline," said Senator Dan Sullivan. "It is critical that we continue making strides toward responsibly developing these resources for the maximum benefit of Alaskans and all Americans, while protecting our marine ecosystem and coastal communities. Because these resources are off of our coasts, Alaskans deserve to benefit from their production in terms of revenues for our state and local governments. Our legislation makes sure Alaskans receive their fair share of these revenues, which are critical to supporting our communities."
The Alaska Outer Continental Shelf contains an estimated 27.3 billion barrels of oil and 131.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Under current law, however, Alaska does not receive any revenue from the development of those resources, outside of the nearshore areas designated under Section 8(g) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.
Sen. Tester Secures $32,500 for Lincoln County Libraries Foundation to Close Digital Divide
WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release:
As a part of his continued effort to connect rural Montana to high-speed internet, address technology needs, and improve digital literacy, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today announced $32,500 in American Rescue Plan funding to Lincoln County Libraries Foundation in Libby, Montana to advance digital inclusion in the rural communities of Libby, Eureka, and Troy and in more remote, unincorporated areas of Lincoln County.
Tester was the only member of Montana's Congressional delegation to support the American Rescue
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WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release:
As a part of his continued effort to connect rural Montana to high-speed internet, address technology needs, and improve digital literacy, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today announced $32,500 in American Rescue Plan funding to Lincoln County Libraries Foundation in Libby, Montana to advance digital inclusion in the rural communities of Libby, Eureka, and Troy and in more remote, unincorporated areas of Lincoln County.
Tester was the only member of Montana's Congressional delegation to support the American RescuePlan.
"Ensuring reliable access to digital resources is essential to growing Lincoln County's economy in the 21st century," said Tester. "The past eighteen months have exposed the digital divide in rural Montana, and it's critical that we get folks connected to high-speed internet so that we can support communities and small businesses in Northwest Montana. Montana's libraries are hubs in our frontier areas, and this funding will help them identify where Montanans are falling through the digital gaps and find solutions to make sure folks in Lincoln County can stay connected."
Tester secured this funding through the Institute of Museum and Library Services grant program, created by the American Rescue Plan to support museums and libraries in addressing community needs created or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The libraries will conduct a community digital access assessment to identify gaps and needs in equipment, staffing, and program development; a technology specialist will be hired to manage the community survey and data collection; community feedback will inform the development and implementation of a six-part digital literacy workshop series; and free, in-person workshops will take place at three library branches and will be recorded for future use by additional audiences.
Tester has prioritized closing the digital divide in rural Montana, and the Senate recently passed his bipartisan infrastructure package which will make urgently needed investments in expanding high-speed internet to every corner of Montana. He also recently secured more than $850,000 in American Rescue Plan funding to help students access high-speed internet through the Federal Communications Commission's Emergency Connectivity Fund Program.
Sen. Risch Joins Hagerty, Colleagues in Introducing Legislation to Protect U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem
WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 -- Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release on Oct. 26, 2021:
U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today joined U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and 33 Republican colleagues in introducing the Upholding the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Law Act of 2021, a bill to protect the full and faithful implementation of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 and block the Biden Administration's efforts to subvert the law.
"I am disappointed in the Biden Administration's
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WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 -- Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release on Oct. 26, 2021:
U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today joined U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and 33 Republican colleagues in introducing the Upholding the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Law Act of 2021, a bill to protect the full and faithful implementation of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 and block the Biden Administration's efforts to subvert the law.
"I am disappointed in the Biden Administration'sefforts to coerce our Israeli partners to approve reopening the U.S. consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem. The new Israeli government has openly opposed the reopening of the consulate, citing fears that it could destabilize Israel's governing coalition and would green light other countries to open similar consulates," said Risch. "We cannot place a misguided Palestinian policy over our relationship with our strongest ally in the Middle East. This legislation sends a clear signal that the administration should not reopen the Palestinian consulate over Israeli objections."
"President Biden continues to push forward his inflammatory plan to establish a second mission in Israel's capital city of Jerusalem - one for the Israelis and a second one for the Palestinians - despite the fact that this plan violates the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 and is completely opposed by the Government of Israel," said Hagerty. "It is regrettable that the Biden Administration insists on making moves that divide the United States and Israel when our two nations should be laser-focused on stopping Iran's terror-sponsoring regime from going nuclear, on countering growing threats from Hizballah, Hamas, and other Iran-backed terrorist groups, and on strengthening and expanding the historic Abraham Accords that truly have increased peace in the Middle East. The Trump Administration kept its promise to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, the eternal and indivisible capital of the Jewish State, and Congress must do everything in our power to strengthen our posture."
In addition to Risch and Hagerty, original cosponsors include: Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.).
Sen. Inhofe Questions Top Pentagon Policy Official About the Number of Americans Abandoned in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 -- Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release:
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today questioned Colin Kahl, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, about how many Americans remain in Afghanistan following the Biden Administration's disastrous non-combatant evacuation operation ending August 31:
Inhofe: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. One of the many confusing things about this whole thing is that we really don't know how many Americans were left in Afghanistan. The administration's number of U.S. citizens
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WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 -- Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release:
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today questioned Colin Kahl, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, about how many Americans remain in Afghanistan following the Biden Administration's disastrous non-combatant evacuation operation ending August 31:
Inhofe: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. One of the many confusing things about this whole thing is that we really don't know how many Americans were left in Afghanistan. The administration's number of U.S. citizensleft in Afghanistan keeps changing. We all understand that, and it's very confusing. The administration always said 100 to 200 U.S. citizens left in Afghanistan, but it has already withdrawn 234 and is in contact with 363 others, 176 of whom want to leave. Now, I'm speaking slowly because I'm trying to put this together at the same time. The administration by its own count left 600 Americans behind, over 100 of whom want to leave, not the 100 to 200 that has been referred to several times. There are still thousands of Americans unaccounted for based on Secretary Blinken's earlier claim there were 10 to 15,000. Mid-August, Secretary of State Blinken tells the senators -- we were all there -- that 10,000 to 15,000 Americans were in Afghanistan. On the 31st of August, the administration claims it withdrew 6,000. Do the math -- it's worth saying, it withdrew 6,000 Americans from Afghanistan -- this would mean somewhere between 4,000 and 9,000 Americans were left behind, but the administration says 100 to 200 are remaining. In October, the administration state that 234 Americans have been evacuated since the 31st of August. The State Department says it's in contact with 363 more Americans in Afghanistan, 176 of whom want to leave. Now, if you can figure this out, you're doing a lot better than I have done, and I've made a real effort to go down and document everything that is in there. So at the very least, it's confusing. During the August 18 interview on ABC, George Stephanopoulos asked President Biden whether U.S. troops were stay beyond August the 31st if there were still Americans to evacuate. President Biden responded, quote -- and this is a quote -- if there are American citizens left, we are going to stay toget them out. Of course, this didn't happened. Secretary Kahl, I'd ask you the question , when did you realize that the United States would not be able to get all the U.S. citizens out of Afghanistan by August the 31st, and did you present your leadership any options for extending that self-imposed deadline to ensure that our people were out of harm's way at that time?
Kahl: Well, as a first matter, nobody was abandoned. We continue to get people out of Afghanistan and including American citizens, and, Senator, if you'd like, I'm happy to go through the latest numbers on that but to your --
Inhofe: Yeah, I'd ask you to pause there. The latest numbers, I've already done the latest numbers, and maybe these are, there are later numbers than I just read earlier. Are there?
Kahl: I can give you some fidelity on the numbers.
Inhofe: I agree with that.
Kahl: OK, all right. So the validated numbers from the State Department during the NEO [non-combatant evacuation operation] were 6,000 Americans, We estimate we evacuated about 5,500. Since the end of the NEO, so since September 1, the State Department documented 240 American citizens who have departed Afghanistan since September 1st, and 157 green card holders. When you account for additional individuals who did not, were not arranged for travel outside Afghanistan by the U.S. government but came out through other private charters, DOD's numbers total out to 314 AmCits total and 266 LPR [lawful permanent residents] total since the end of the NEO. In terms of how many American citizens we estimate are currently Afghanistan, the Department of State is in contact with 196 American citizens who are ready to depart, and arrangements are being made for them to do so either via air or over ground, and another 243 American citizens have been contacted and are not ready to depart, either because they want to stay in Afghanistan or are not ready.
Inhofe: Now, the question that I asked, did you present your leadership any options for extending that self-imposed deadline to ensure that our people were out? Did you do it, and if it wasn't you, who would it be?
Kahl: It was the consensus of civilian and military leadership at the Department of Defense that we should stick to the August 31st deadline, that extending beyond that would cause risk to mission and force and would make it harder to get American citizens out beyond that date.
Inhofe: The same military leadership insisted that we leave troops down at the time that we evacuated?
Kahl: That is correct.
Inhofe: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Click here to watch Inhofe's opening remarks: https://www.inhofe.senate.gov/newsroom/videos/watch/inhofe-opening-statement-at-armed-services-committee-hearing-on-security-in-afghanistan
Reps. Costa, Plaskett Issue Statement After Joint Hearing on 21st Century Advancements & Applications in Agricultural Biotechnology
WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 -- Rep. Jim Costa, D-California, chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture, and Del. Stacey Plaskett, D-Virgin Islands, chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research, issued the following statement on Oct. 26, 2021, after a joint hearing entitled "Agricultural Biotechnology: 21st Century Advancements and Applications":
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"Today's hearing highlighted the important innovations in agriculture that can help address some of the largest threats that face our world," said Chair Costa. "Having a resilient food
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WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 -- Rep. Jim Costa, D-California, chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture, and Del. Stacey Plaskett, D-Virgin Islands, chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research, issued the following statement on Oct. 26, 2021, after a joint hearing entitled "Agricultural Biotechnology: 21st Century Advancements and Applications":
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"Today's hearing highlighted the important innovations in agriculture that can help address some of the largest threats that face our world," said Chair Costa. "Having a resilient foodsystem that can adapt to changing global dynamics is an important part of national security. Integrating new technologies into agriculture is one way that we can prepare for change. I commend our biotechnology researchers and advocates who are creating ways for farmers and ranchers to build more sustainable and productive agricultural systems."
"I'd like to thank our witnesses and Subcommittee Chair Costa for helping make today's hearing such a success. It is vital that we continue to find ways for our food and agriculture systems to be more resilient," said Chair Plaskett.
"As Chair of the Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research, I'm committed to ensuring that this Committee will work with researchers and farmers as we look to the ongoing impacts of climate change and how we can develop crops and practices that both mitigate and adapt to climate change. The security and resiliency of our food system is paramount, and continued investments in research and biotechnology will go a long way in maintaining our spot as the world leader in food production," Chair Plaskett added.
Del. Plaskett Issues Opening Statement at Hearing 21st Century Advancements & Applications in Agricultural Biotechnology
WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 -- Rep. Stacey Plaskett, D-Virgin ISlands, chairwoman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research, issued the following opening statement at an Oct. 26, 2021, joint hearing with Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture entitled "Agricultural Biotechnology: 21st Century Advancements and Applications":
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Hello, and welcome to what is sure to be an informative hearing today as we discuss the advancements and applications of agricultural biotechnology.
Thank you, Mr. Costa, Chair of the Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture
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WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 -- Rep. Stacey Plaskett, D-Virgin ISlands, chairwoman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research, issued the following opening statement at an Oct. 26, 2021, joint hearing with Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture entitled "Agricultural Biotechnology: 21st Century Advancements and Applications":
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Hello, and welcome to what is sure to be an informative hearing today as we discuss the advancements and applications of agricultural biotechnology.
Thank you, Mr. Costa, Chair of the Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign AgricultureSubcommittee, for your partnership in convening this hearing and sharing your expertise. This sort of collaboration will help us all view our work on the Agriculture Committee through a broader lens and facilitate more holistic conversations as we look ahead to the next Farm Bill.
Today's hearing will be an opportunity for Members to learn and evaluate the regulatory framework of agricultural biotechnology and engage with experts in plant and animal agricultural innovation.
I look forward to hearing updates on innovations coming down the pipeline, as well as what we on the Agriculture Committee can be doing to ensure these innovations are getting into the right hands to produce a more resilient food supply and generate opportunities in our agricultural communities.
I would also like to highlight the exciting research that is going on in my District -the University of the Virgin Islands Agriculture Experiment Station is working on vital biotechnology research into traditional Caribbean crops such as papaya, passion fruit, pineapple, cassava, sweet potato varieties, and more. This important research is working to develop varieties of crops that are disease resistant, better adapted to local soil types, and provide a multitude of other benefits.
Again, I look forward to having an informative and productive dialogue today, and to working with the Chair and both Ranking Members here today as we continue this discussion. And with that Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
