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Tribute to the Flag

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

The following tribute to the Flag of the United States of American was delivered this week by Congressman (Dr.) Brad Wenstrup. Congressman Bishop wanted to share it in recognition of Flag Day.

TRIBUTE TO THE FLAG

Dr. Brad Wenstrup

There are things that we do in our lives

Each and every day that become so routine.

There are things that become extremely rote

As we go about them,

And often that includes our Pledge of Allegiance.

Today, as we pledge our loyalty to this flag,

Think about what she has stood for,

Think about where she has been.

From the home of Betsy Ross,

To the streets of Concord,

To the fields of Gettysburg.

From the rocks of Iwo Jima,

To the jungles of Hanoi,

To the deserts of the Middle East.

She has stood in your front yards,

And she has stood on the moon.

She has been sadly placed over coffins,

And proudly raised at the Olympics.

She is posted on the sides of humanitarian aid packages.

She flies through the air.

She sails across the seas.

She marches over the land.

She has stood for freedom in places around the world,

Until freedom could stand,

On its own two feet.

Evildoers have feared her,

Those in need have prayed for her arrival.

She has stood for exceptionalism,

And for that we do not apologize.

With your hand over your heart,

Please join me as, I Pledge Allegiance...

House Passes National Defense Authorization Act for FY2014

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON–Congressman Rob Bishop (UT-01) joined with his colleagues today in the U.S. House of Representatives in passing the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2013 [H.R. 1960].

“Congress is required by the Constitution to provide for the common defense of the country. The National Defense Authorization Act is an essential component of our ability to fulfill this constitutional obligation,” said Bishop.

The National Defense Authorization Act is reviewed and voted on annually by Congress to provide funding for the U.S. Department of Defense’s budget. Included in the FY2014 legislation are provisions that specifically facilitate defense related programs in Utah. These include:

“Ensuring that Hill Air Force Base and other Utah military installations have the resources necessary to support our global defense systems is a key priority. I am glad that this legislation takes into consideration their important role in our national defense capabilities and that key provisions relating to Utah’s installations were included in the final legislation,” Bishop added.

Camp Williams Land Transfer: Section 2843 directs the U.S. Department of the Interior (BLM) to transfer ownership of approximately 420 acres at Camp Williams to the State of Utah for use by the Utah National Guard for current and future military uses. This provision will complete the two-step process of conveying federal land in the Camp Williams growth corridor to the Utah National Guard. Congress previously authorized the transfer of U.S. Army land to the Utah National Guard.

Francis Peak Radar Site Transfer: Included in section 2845, is a provision that provides for the transfer of the Francis Peak Radar Site owned by the Utah Air National Guard, to the State of Utah. The transfer will help provide for seamless and continued emergency communications (including 911 service to Davis county).

Prevention of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC): As the Vice-Chairman of the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee, Congressman Bishop strongly supported and advocated for language that would currently prohibit a new BRAC process. The language also prohibits the U.S. Department of Defense from using taxpayer funds to pre-study BRAC.

Military Construction: Included in the bill is a new, high priority, fire station and hangar modification project at Hill Air Force Base, which will support the F-35 fighter.

F-35 Fighter: The FY2014 legislation fully funds the Pentagon's request for the F-35 program, keeping it on track for Base-Ops 1 location at Hill AFB beginning in 2015.

Depot Maintenance Funding: Congressman Bishop worked with Chairman Howard “Buck” McKeon (CA-25) to maintain funding for depot maintenance work in Fy14, which is essential to our nation’s military readiness capabilities.

Military Training Ranges Nationwide: As both the Chairman of the National Parks and Environmental Regulation Subcommittee, and as the Vice-Chairman of the Readiness Subcommittee, Congressman Bishop ensured the inclusion of provisions that will help ensure that the U.S. Military can continue to train on certain areas of public lands in the Western United States. Should these lands be withdrawn from use, the military would be forced to curtail certain training operations. These individual land provisions include:

> Limestone Hills Training Area, Montana

>White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico

>Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California

>Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, California

>Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California

Bishop Lauds Interior’s Extension of Public Comment Period for Oil Shale Development

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON— The U.S. Department of Interior today announced that they will extend the public comment period for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) proposed changes to the commercial oil shale regulations by an additional 30 days. Congressman Rob Bishop (UT-01), Chairman of the House Natural Resources Public Lands and Environmental Regulation Subcommittee, submitted a letter to the Department of Interior on May 22, 2013 requesting that they extend the comment period to 120 days versus the 60 that the Department of Interior initially offered.

The letter, led by Congressman Rob Bishop, noted that “Proper analysis and thoughtful input from interested stakeholders are absolutely critical in establishing a proper rate of structure and determining whether these regulations reduce the economic benefit of oil shale production.”

“I am pleased that the Department of Interior has reopened the comment period giving the public additional time to respond to the proposed new regulations. Extending it to the full 120 days would have been preferable, but this is certainly better than nothing,” said Bishop. A diverse energy portfolio is important to our country’s energy future. The western Unites States has more oil shale than any other country in the world and our nation must prioritize development in the same way they do in other countries.”

Bishop Welcomes PILT Payments to Utah Counties

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON— Congressman Rob Bishop (UT-01) today announced that the U.S. Department of Interior will distribute approximately $35 million to the State of Utah through the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program to compensate for the lack of tax revenue that cannot be generated on federal lands.

Infrastructure and vital community services such as, public schools, roads, and first responders are primarily funded through property tax revenue generated on private property. Counties that contain federal land lack this significant tax revenue and therefore the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program helps provide some compensation.

“Less than one third of Utah is private land. This makes funding education and maintaining infrastructure and other community services difficult for many counties in the state. While PILT doesn’t provide full compensation for the lack of tax revenue, it does provide some help for now. We need a long-term solution so that communities in Utah, and others throughout the West, have a dependable source of funding. Ideally, the land would be utilized in a way that provides greater support to the state. I’m actively exploring potential alternatives that would enable many communities in Utah to have more reliable revenue that more adequately funds their needs,” said Congressman Bishop.

Committee Approves Legislation Addressing Concerns with the Troubled Eisenhower Memorial

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON– Today, the House Natural Resources Committee approved H.R. 1126, the Dwight. D. Eisenhower Memorial Completion Act, by voice vote. This legislation, sponsored by Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation Chairman Rob Bishop (UT-01), seeks to build consensus around a new Eisenhower Memorial by implementing a new design competition and providing a three year extension of the memorial site designation, which is set to expire this year.

“In examining the process undertaken by the current Commission to develop the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial we have discovered some very significant flaws,” said Subcommittee Chairman Bishop. “This includes the selection process for the architect and the possible mismanagement of millions of federal dollars. If we don’t make some changes and ensure an open, public process, millions of dollars will continue to be wasted without any significant progress being made. A new commission and a new design competition is the right way forward as we work toward developing a fitting tribute to the legacy of one of our nation’s greatest leaders.”

The current design and competition process has been the subject of repeated scrutiny, including by members of the Eisenhower family who are opposed to the current design. At a Subcommittee hearing last March, Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of President Eisenhower, expressed concern that the cost, scale, and design of the planned Memorial are not in keeping with President Eisenhower’s values and do not enjoy a consensus of support.

Since 1999, Congress has appropriated $63 million in taxpayer funds for the design of the Memorial and operations of the Commission, and the Commission has requested an additional $51 million in Fiscal Year 2014 to begin construction.

Legislation to Help Fruit Heights Establish a Cemetery Passes the House

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON–Today the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Fruit Heights Land Conveyance Act [H.R. 993], which would transfer 100 acres of U.S. Forest Service (USFS) land to the city of Fruit Heights in Davis County, Utah. The land will be used to establish a cemetery for the city, which currently relies on neighboring Kaysville, Utah for burials. Due to growth in Kaysville’s population, Fruit Heights has been notified that its residents will no longer be able to be interred in the Kaysville cemetery. The legislation must now be passed by the U.S. Senate before it becomes law.

“I am pleased that Fruit Heights is one step closer to having a local cemetery. Having over 65% of the land in Utah owned by the federal government poses some unique challenges for cities like Fruit Heights that must expand in order to meet growing needs. I am glad the House did the right thing for Fruit Heights and I hope the Senate will recognize the importance of passing this legislation,” said Bishop.

Bishop Lauds Delisting of Gray Wolf as an Endangered Species

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON– The U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife announced today that the Gray Wolf would finally be removed from the list of endangered species. They also announced that the Mexican Wolf would remain on the list of endangered species and the proposal notes that recovery efforts for this subspecies will be expanded, though expansion will not occur within the state of Utah. Congressman Rob Bishop (UT-01), Chairman of the House Natural Resources Public Lands and Environmental Regulation Subcommittee, has championed efforts to have the Grey Wolf delisted as an endangered species and is pleased with today’s announcement.

“The delisting of the Gray Wolf is long overdue and states are more than ready to manage the wolf populations,” said Bishop. “For quite some time, the Gray Wolf has been ‘recovered’ and the issues with their being listed as an endangered species has limited states from employing responsible management practices, thus allowing the wolves to terrorize public land users and other animal species. I am pleased that states will now be able to actively manage the Gray Wolf population in a way that is beneficial to the wolf population as well as public land users, the sportsmen’s community, and all those whose livelihoods have been impacted by the current listing,” said Bishop.

Further information about the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife’s decision to delist the Gray Wolf can be found here.

Bishop Pleased With Interior’s Extension of Public Comment Period for New Hydraulic Fracturing Regs.

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON— The U.S. Department of Interior today announced that they will extend the public comment period for the proposed new hydraulic fracturing regulations on public lands an additional 60 days. Congressman Rob Bishop (UT-01), Chairman of the House Natural Resources Public Lands and Environmental Regulation Subcommittee, submitted a letter to Secretary Sally Jewell on May 23, 2013 requesting that the Department of Interior extend the comment period to 120 days versus the 30 that the Department of Interior initially offered.

Similarly, Bishop has requested that Secretary Jewell extend the comment period on the proposed oil shale regulations from 60 days to a full 120 days. [letter here]

“I am pleased that Secretary Jewell heeded our request for an extension. Thirty days was far too brief and while we had hoped for 120 days total, 90 is better than no extension at all. Input from the American people is not something that should be exempt from the policies created by Washington bureaucrats. The mere notion that a federal bureaucrat is better suited to determine what is best for this country rather than the hardworking people on the ground is ridiculous. I hope that the Department of Interior heavily considers the input they are receiving. One of this Administration’s biggest downfalls is that they operate in a vacuum far too often. I hope Secretary Jewell manages her agency differently than that,” said Congressman Bishop.

IN THE NEWS: Questions swirl around spending cuts to national parks, lax controls in travel spending

Fri, 24 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

by Amy Joi O'Donoghue, Deseret News
read online version here

SALT LAKE CITY — An independent audit of the U.S. Department of Interior shows the agency spends $250 million a year on travel in a "lax" system that lets employees frequently approve their own trips or have it done after the fact.

The final audit released Thursday by the Office of Inspector General said it found "significant" issues, particularly related to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, including inflated travel expenses, an instance where both a taxi and a rental car were used, and a hotel voucher that included expenses for deodorant and alcohol.

"Supervisors are not adequately reviewing the travel documents and are allowing far too many authorizations and vouchers to be processed with errors, including improper charges that should have never been allowed," the report said.

The report was released the same day a Democratic-fueled analysis laments the impacts of cuts playing out at national parks across the country, including Utah's Bryce Canyon National Park. The National Park Service is an agency within the U.S. Department of Interior, which directed regional park supervisors to curb spending due to the federal budget cuts known as sequestration.

“National parks are known as America’s best idea,” said Edward Markey, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee who released the budget analysis. “But America’s best idea is now under attack by one of America’s worst ideas — the sequester."

Democrats who serve on that committee directed their staff to do interviews and compile information from top officials at 23 parks in the national park system.

At Bryce Canyon, the report notes that delayed openings are anticipated for some campgrounds, fewer educational programs will be offered to student visitors, and more than a half-dozen seasonal positions will not be filled, including a fee ranger.

The report said there could be possibly longer lines and reduced capacity for the park to respond to law enforcement-related incidents, of which there were 1,100 last year.

In that same year, there were 1.4 million visitors to the park, which will have to cut its $3.3 million budget by $163,000, according to the Democrats' report.

Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, who serves on the same committee, was unmoved by the circumstances at national parks portrayed by his Democratic colleagues.

"It’s ironic that the Department of Interior can’t find money to keep normal operations at our parks, yet they always seem to have money to buy more land," he said, referencing the expenditure of $440,000 to buy land in Garfield County to protect it from development. The parcels were located along a state highway within the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

"The half million spent on buying land in Garfield County could have covered the Bryce Canyon budget reduction three times over. If you have little to no money in the bank, you don’t go out and buy more property. Instead, the responsible course of action would be to liquidate unnecessary or unused assets and cut certain expenditures," Bishop said.

He's also been a loud critic of the Department of Interior's travel expenditures, getting legislation passed last year that now limits the travel of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees.

The audit covered travel during 2009 and 2010 in the GovTrip travel system that is being phased out this year.

Still, Bishop said concerns raised in the audit — such as hotel receipts that were 200 percent of standard per diem rates — goes to the broader issue of visitors' experiences to Interior-managed areas being sacrificed in favor of reckless spending in other areas.

"It flies in the face of fiscal responsibility," his office said.

Utah Governor Herbert Emphasizes Success of Western States in Land Management

Tue, 21 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON – Today, the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation held an oversight hearing featuring testimony by Utah Governor Gary Herbert, Chairman of the Western Governors’ Association. The hearing highlighted the challenges of western states regarding federal and state land management.

At the hearing, Members and Governor Herbert discussed how states are able to find their own solutions to land management, tailored to their unique circumstances. In contrast, the federal government is bound by a statutory and regulatory framework that keeps them from effective land management. Utah and other states are successfully managing their lands in ways that protect natural resources and promote a healthy economy, and protect public access.

“Governor Herbert illustrated during today’s hearing that states are effectively and efficiently managing the lands and resources located within their borders and can handle this in the future,” said Subcommittee Chairman Rob Bishop (UT-01). “As we heard today, the federal government isn’t always the better option and as federal budgets get appropriately tighter, we ought to begin examining redundancies between state and federal land management programs. Frankly, the federal government is so often more of a hindrance than a help. If we want to get serious about responsible development of our resources, better land management practices, and real recovery of wildlife species, we ought to be looking more to the states for solutions and not to federal bureaucrats in Washington. I appreciate Governor Herbert’s insight and it is encouraging to see that states are truly leading the way. It is my hope that Washington will finally wake up and see that states are better suited to deal with many of the issues which Washington has managed poorly over the years.”

“Sadly, we have strayed far from this vision of states as independent and robust policy innovators,” said Gov. Gary Herbert, UT. “No one understands state challenges and demographics better than the people who reside and govern there. No one is more committed to the most effective use of limited resources for the best possible outcome, for both our lands and our citizens, than those who will directly live with the consequences of those decisions.”

Governor Herbert also highlighted how poor federal government management has impacted the health of our national forests and public lands.

“National Parks have an estimated $11 billion maintenance backlog. The U.S. Forest Service has its own multi-billion dollar backlog,” said Gov. Gary Herbert. “Meanwhile, millions of acres of national forests have fallen victim to bark beetles and other insect and disease plights and are at risk to catastrophic wildfire. At the same time, a good portion of our federal grazing lands throughout the West are in poor condition. All of these conditions have resulted in an increase in the number and complexity of wildfires, leading further to exponentially higher suppression costs. Unfortunately, federal land management agencies operate within a statutory and regulatory framework that keeps them from effectively addressing rapid declines in range and forest health. Similarly, federal land management decisions today are paralyzed by litigation. Often, special interest groups use the judicial process to simply delay in an attempt to either wear out or bankrupt the opposition. This leads to further gridlock and the infamous ‘analysis paralysis’.”

Bishop Connects Energy and the Economy

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Budget Debate provides chance for Energy Discussion

Rob Warns Against Increased Federal Ownership of Lands

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Rob speaks against the huge public lands omnibus bill

Congressman Bishop Argues Against Rule for Land Bill

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Rob points out the 2nd Amendment holes in the new legislation

Rob Defends 2nd Amendment Rights on Public Lands

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Congressman Bishop speaks on the House floor during morning hour about the need for clear and consistent protection of 2nd Amendment Rights on public lands

Rob speaks against lands omnibus bill

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Congressman Rob Bishop helped lead the charge against S22, the Public Lands Omnibus bill

Rob compares monkey bite bill and massive spending bill

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Rob compares monkey bite bill and massive spending bill

Rob Discusses Problems with Lands Omnibus Bill

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Rob Discusses Problems with Lands Omnibus Bill

Rob Floor Discussion on Stimulus and Energy

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Rob Floor Discussion on Stimulus and Energy

Bishop Speaks on Energy Impacts in VA/Military Construction Bill

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Bishop Speaks on Energy Impacts in Veterans Bill