Latest news with #NaturalResourcesCommittee
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House Reconciliation Bill Locks in Trump's Energy Dominance Agenda
Americans voted for lower energy costs. President Donald Trump's administration followed through on the promise in record time with gas prices reaching their lowest levels in years. Now Congressional Republicans are codifying his energy policy agenda as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill. The administration is expanding drilling on federal lands, expediting approvals for natural gas exports, and streamlining bureaucratic red tape that too often strangles energy exploration and extraction. Taken together, these actions will begin unleashing the private sector to bring about American energy dominance. Already, oil prices have reached a four-year low, and prices at the pump are down about 50 cents per gallon over the past year. That's major progress, but there is only so much an administration can do solo. Thankfully, congressional Republicans have passed plan to give President Trump an expanded arsenal of tools to achieve his energy policy agenda. Their energy plan is a core part of the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' that will also extend the expiring Tax Cuts and Jobs Act from Trump's first term. The entire package will deliver pro-growth tax relief, save trillions of taxpayer dollars, and avoid a massive $4.5 trillion tax increase in 2026. While there are a lot of taxpayer-friendly provisions in the reconciliation package, part of the bill's mission is to fix America's broken energy policy. It repeals billions of dollars in wasteful Green New Deal-style funding and drives certainty for energy companies to invest over the long-term. The House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee should each be commended for crafting some of the most important provisions of this tax and budget savings package. The core focus of the Natural Resources Committee's plan is to promote energy production. It does so by finally establishing a predictable schedule for the consideration of public lands and waters that can be tapped for resource extraction. The private sector will have long-term certainty thanks to quarterly onshore oil and gas lease sales, and biannual offshore lease sales. President Biden infamously halted these sales and issued the fewest leases since the 1960s. Opening a competitive and responsible bid process for federal acreage will ensure a steady pipeline of future energy projects. Their proposal also focuses on bringing down production costs by repealing the Inflation Reduction Act's misguided fee increase on oil and gas produced on federal lands. It delivers a 25% cut to that fee, making production less expensive and more attractive for drillers to extract fossil fuels—likely yielding downstream consumer benefits. Higher taxes and fees ultimately disincentivize activities, and the inverse is also true. The Energy and Commerce Committee's portion of the bill will expedite the construction of energy infrastructure by cutting government red tape and allowing the private sector to bring energy from the ground to market more quickly. It accelerates permitting with a one-year timeline for carbon dioxide, oil, and hydrogen pipeline projects and for liquefied natural gas export facilities. It would also exempt most of these projects from frivolous, activist litigation to avoid 'delay-to-die' schemes. And while the Biden Administration emptied the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for political purposes, the Republican bill begins the process of responsibly refilling it. The Reserve currently sits at historically low levels, a scary reality in today's uncertain world. Its purpose is to safeguard against real emergencies, like natural disasters or major supply disruptions, not political worries. It's refreshing to see Congress engage on sensible energy policy after the boondoggles of the Biden years. Urgency on this issue is crucial since energy is a building block of our modern society and is woven into every facet of our lives. We need oil and natural gas to help grow crops, transport goods, power our factories, energize our homes, and much more. Without it, our entire way of life would be threatened. More energy, lower costs, and a reliable electricity supply: that's the vision Republicans and President Trump are hoping to accomplish with their reconciliation bill. The right course of action, and the necessary one, is for policymakers to keep these provisions in the final proposal that reaches the Oval Office. Praise be to Republicans for advancing a strong America-first energy policy. Thomas Aiello is Senior Director of Government Affairs at National Taxpayers Union
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sales tax, tobacco tax push doom Nebraska's ‘One Big Beautiful Bill' for property tax relief
State Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth, at podium, with Gov. Jim Pillen and State Sen. Barry DeKay of Niobrara, from left. Brandt serves as chair of the Legislature's Natural Resources Committee. DeKay chairs the Agriculture Committee. May 7, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — Nebraska's version of 'One Big Beautiful Bill' for property tax relief went up in smoke Monday despite an effort to narrow new revenues to increased taxes on cigarettes and vapes. It becomes the third property tax package in the past year to propose and fail to garner traction to use new sales tax revenues to lower property taxes. It also deals a significant blow to Gov. Jim Pillen's pledge to keep property taxes flat this year as he eyes reelection. Legislative Bill 170, led by State Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth, failed 30-15. It needed 33 votes to overcome a filibuster from opponents across the political spectrum who opposed the tax 'shift. The proposal originally sought to add sales taxes to 20 currently exempt goods or services, including pop, dating services, chartered jets, swimming pool cleaning and maintenance services and pet grooming. It also sought to hike the taxes on cigarettes (up to $1.36) and vapes (up to 40%). The original package anticipated $110 million in new revenue, with $100 million directed to property tax credits to offset property taxes paid to local K-12 school districts. 'Property taxes remain one of the most painful burdens our residents face, impacting everyone from family farmers to first-time homeowners,' Brandt said. 'This legislation is a responsible, targeted effort to address the burden by broadening Nebraska's tax base.' However, as happened at the end of both the 2024 regular session and an 18-day special session Pillen called last summer, lawmakers ultimately rejected expanded sales taxes on several goods and services, which could have raised about $53 million, Brandt's estimates indicated. 'It's just rebranded or repackaged from the prior two failed attempts that this Legislature has not moved forward for a variety of different reasons, with strong support across a politically diverse coalition,' said State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln. Brandt sought to narrow LB 170 to a lower revenue target of $80 million for new property tax relief each year by striking any broadening of the sales tax base. Instead, he proposed to increase cigarette taxes to $1.64 per 20-pack, which he said would raise nearly $60 million each year, and to increase vape taxes to 40% wholesale, which he said would raise about $15 million. Both versions of LB 170 also included a proposal from Fremont State Sen. Dave Wordekemper to capture a 20% tax on cigars, cheroots and stogies purchased online, which senators estimated would raise $100,000 in revenue. That left roughly $5 million that would have needed to be made up later, such as by adding back a handful of expanded sales taxes to the package. State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward, who has fought for increased taxes on vapes, said property tax relief is necessary for the grandmas or grandpas across Nebraska, as well as retirees and veterans, who are being priced out of their homes because of property taxes. Hughes, State Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte and a handful of other conservatives in the officially nonpartisan Legislature defended the shift to new sales tax revenue as targeting 'optional' goods or services. 'We are so dang lazy we can't even go to the McDonald's drive-through by ourselves to go pick up our food. We hire someone to pick it up, and that's a service, and we're not even talking about taxing that service,' Hughes said. A vote against LB 170, supporters said, was a vote against property tax relief. 'Don't tell me you're representing your constituents when you say you don't want to lower property taxes, because you aren't representing your constituents,' said State Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte. 'You're representing some ideology.' Much of the pushback to LB 170 was bipartisan, including from Republican State Sens. Brad von Gillern of the Elkhorn area, chair of the Legislature's Revenue Committee, and Stan Clouse of Kearney, who said the bill was not 'sustainable' relief. Clouse, a former longtime Kearney mayor, said the relief was 'not real' and was 'simply increasing revenue streams.' He suggested eliminating unfunded mandates was a better focus. Added von Gillern: 'This is putting dollars into the top of a bucket that has a hole in the bottom of it.' State Sen. Beau Ballard of Lincoln, a Pillen appointee, criticized LB 170 and its narrower components as a 'tax increase with no end in sight' that wasn't the right path forward, even as he identified property tax relief as a top priority for his district. Von Gillern and State Sen. Tanya Storer of Whitman said the increased revenue also wouldn't keep up with property tax growth, which was nearly $300 million in two of the past three years. The exception in annual increases that high was last fall, after the state took on the tab for property taxes previously levied by community colleges. The state budget passed last week included about $57 million in expanded property tax credits for next year, and about $11 million more for homestead exemptions. Even combined with the $80 million in Brandt's bill, property taxes would likely increase statewide next year. That stands in direct contrast to Pillen's pledge to hold property taxes flat. He has said that, without 'a shadow of a doubt,' he and allies would find additional property tax relief this year. Storer, a rancher in north-central Nebraska, said she was concerned that the continued reliance on property tax credits was 'feeding the demon' and taking away accountability from local taxing authorities. 'We still haven't pulled the right triggers,' Storer, a freshman lawmaker, said. Another path forward for property tax relief includes buying down property tax levies directly, an approach led by Hughes in a Pillen-backed LB 303, which also sought long-term changes to how the state funds K-12 schools. However, the provision to lower property taxes directly has since been stripped out of LB 303 to give time for senators to further study the approach before returning next January. On the Democratic side, State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln, who has consistently opposed expanding the sales tax to exempted items without lowering the 5.5-cent statewide sales tax rate, said the latest package would pick 'winners and losers.' Dungan criticized repeated efforts for a 'grand slam swing' at tax policy when expansive adjustments need more time to be effective. State Sens. Ashlei Spivey and Terrell McKinney, both of Omaha, noted LB 170 wouldn't have helped renters. Conrad and State Sen. Dunixi Guereca of Omaha cautioned that an increased tax on nicotine products also wouldn't be paid by 'Big Tobacco' executives, but everyday Nebraskans. Dungan and State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha added that increasing taxes on cigarettes and vapes would hopefully decrease tobacco usage, which could lead to less tax revenue. 'If we continue to just try to put a piece of tape over the hole in the boat,' Dungan said, 'it's not going to fix the actual problem.' After the vote, Brandt said he was disappointed and that he had made his 'run' for more relief. 'If the Legislature doesn't want to give property tax relief, I don't know what else I can do,' Brandt told the Nebraska Examiner. Voting to move forward on LB 170: Democratic State Sens. Wendy DeBoer of Omaha, Jason Prokop of Lincoln, Dan Quick of Grand Island, Jane Raybould of Lincoln and Victor Rountree of Bellevue. Voting against LB 170: Republican State Sens. Bob Andersen of Sarpy County, Beau Ballard of Lincoln, Stan Clouse of Kearney, Glen Meyer of Pender, Tanya Storer of Whitman, Jared Storm of David City and Paul Strommen of Sidney. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
IMBA Addresses Public Lands Sell-Off Proposal
The International Mountain Bicycling Association has issued a statement concerning a House Committee on Natural Resources amendment to the reconciliation bill that would sell off nearly 500,000 acres of public land in Utah and Nevada. 'IMBA is concerned that proposed public land disposal sales have not allowed for proper public review to assess the value of recreation against the intended goal of the sale. IMBA discourages large-scale public land sales. Public lands are essential for trails, outdoor recreation, and healthy communities. Any proposed sale should carefully consider impacts to recreation and overall landscape health, and should include the opportunity for public review and public comment.'- Todd Keller, Director of Government Affairs, International Mountain Bicycling Association On May 7 the House Natural Resources Committee passed a reconciliation bill that, if it progresses and passes into law, would in part sell off nearly half a million acres of land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service. That public land includes 300 acres adjacent to Zion National Monument in Utah and land surrounding Las Vegas, Nevada. The public land sell provision of the full reconciliation bill was added after midnight on the morning of the vote and had not been included in the initial draft, avoiding public scrutiny and debate. The land sell amendment is part of the reconciliation package that the Trump Administration's "Big, Beautiful Bill" that Republicans say could add $18.5 billion in revenue and savings to help fund tax cuts in the bill. See a map of the proposed public land to be sold here. Supporters of the proposed bill argue that federal land should be monetized to support local communities and the country, and that the land sold off would be a small percentage of federally owned land. Detractors say that allowing this bill to pass would pave the way for more federal land to be sold, thereby denying the public use of it to recreated and hunt, destroy critical habitat for wildlife, and profit only private citizens wealthy enough to purchase the land. The land sale provision was introduced by representatives Mark Amodei (R-NV) and Celeste Maloy (R-UT). Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-CO) was the only Republican on the House Natural Resources Committee to not vote for the sell off. Rep. Adam Gray (D-CA) joined Republicans in voting to advance the full reconciliation bill. The vote was 26 to 17 in favor of the bill. Under the proposal, the land would be sold to local governments which could then sell the land to private owners for everything from mining to vacation homes. In Utah, popular outdoor recreation areas in the St. George area that could be impacted by the proposal include Bear Claw Poppy Trail System, Coral Canyon Ridge Climbing Area, the Plateau Passage Bikepacking Route, and the Hurricane Cliffs Trail System. In Nevada, acreage in Clark County that includes Las Vegas, and Pershing, Lyon and Washoe counties could be impacted. 'The sales from these small parcels of land will generate significant federal revenue, and have broad local support. It's a tailored, parochial budgetary measure,' said House Natural Resources Committee spokesperson John Seibels. 'In the dead of night, Representative Mark Amodei pushed House Republicans to move forward with an insane plan that cuts funding from water conservation and public schools across Nevada,' Sen. Cortez Masto (D-NV) said. 'This is a land grab to fund Republicans 'billionaire giveaway tax bill, and I'll fight it with everything I have.' Former Dept. of Interior Secretary Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) has joined with Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) to lead a bipartisan Public Lands Caucus who's intention is to protect and expand public lands. "As Co-Chairs, Vasquez and Zinke bring a shared passion for public lands from two very different parts of the country—Vasquez as a first-generation conservationist from the borderlands of New Mexico, and Zinke as a Navy SEAL and former Secretary of the Interior from Big Sky Country. Alongside Vice-Chairs Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06) and Chairman Mike Simpson (R-ID-02), the Caucus bridges rural and urban, East and West, conservationists and sportsmen alike," a statement on Rep. Zinke's web page says. IMBA joins several outdoor recreation, environmental, hunting and conservation groups that have voiced concern over the proposal, including Trout Unlimited and Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. The full reconciliation bill is expected to be voted on by the full House before Memorial Day, May 26. It would then go to the full Senate for a vote. If passed it would go to the President for signing into law. Groups opposed to the public land amendment are asking constituents to contact their representatives to voice their opposition. Representatives' contact information can be found here.
E&E News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- E&E News
House approves slate of Natural Resources Committee bills
The House on Tuesday passed a list of Natural Resources Committee bills, including one to reclaim abandoned coal mines and another to expedite certain Interior Department appeals. The House cleared H.R. 167 the 'Community Reclamation Partnerships Act,' by voice vote. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) reintroduced the bill to protect third-party groups from liability for helping clean up abandoned mine sites and water. LaHood's bill would amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to encourage states and groups to work together to address sites abandoned before the law passed. The Senate didn't take up a similar proposal last Congress. Advertisement The House also approved Wyoming Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman's H.R. 677, the 'Expedited Appeals Review Act,' by voice vote. The bill would allow entities with cases before Interior's Board of Land Appeals to demand an expedited review if their case isn't resolved within 18 months.
USA Today
12-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Controversial Michigan program to lethally gas local Canada geese put on pause
Controversial Michigan program to lethally gas local Canada geese put on pause A program aimed at controlling the local goose population via the capture and lethal gassing of the birds has been paused by Michigan's Department of Natural Resources. M. Scott Bowen, director of the state agency, announced the decision in a response letter sent to Democratic lawmakers on May 9. An earlier letter sent by Sen. Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia) and 11 cosigners in April had previously urged the DNR to reconsider the "capture and euthanasia" program, saying it was a "disproportionate, inhumane" response to nuisance complaints "mainly about goose droppings." The legislation would allow residents with the correct permits to capture "nuisance Canada geese" for euthanasia during the species' flightless period of June 1 through July 1. Landowners seeking the permit to do so were required to have tried other non-lethal control methods first. Addressed to the Natural Resources Committee, the appeal decried the intended solution that would "annually round up potentially 10,000 or more Canada geese and their goslings in their natural habitat during their summer molt (June and July) when they are flightless," according to the writers. Program would allow 'lethally gassing' geese in 'portable gas chambers,' opponents say Referred to as the "Canada Goose Program" on the Michigan DNR website, the initiative was passed on Oct. 10, 2024, and was set to begin in 2025. According to the program's FAQ page, it was designed to "give private landowners (including businesses and other commercial entities) options to address goose-human conflicts on their sites," saying Canada geese are "typically responsible for most conflicts" and that concerned have increase amid the spread of disease like the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (or bird flu). The program would allow residents to receive permits to destroy "nuisance" goose nests and eggs and would eliminate the relocation of geese after roundup, instead of requiring that any captured geese be killed. The program's "end goal" was to allow participants to pay to have meat from the geese processed, tested and donated, but in the meantime, the corpses would go to landfills. This "roundup of Canada geese and their goslings and lethally gassing them inside portable gas chambers," as described by the lawmakers opposed to the program, was officially put on hold a week before the May 16 deadline for landowners to apply for the proper permits to participate. It had previously been contested by local groups such as In Defense of Animals, which said on its website, encouraging residents to write to their representatives, "Michiganders have the power to stand up for geese and demand ethical, non-lethal management solutions in their own communities." State still prioritizes non-lethal animal control, says director The letter announcing the pause said the agency had been "working with the public to resolve human-goose conflicts for over 40 years" and that the pilot program was another effort toward that goal. "After further consideration and consultation with our Wildlife staff, we have decided to pause the program for this year and will not be issuing any permits or conducting this work on any sites," said Bowen's letter. "We will continue to research alternative options for managing human-goose conflicts and health and human safety concerns forareas with overabundant Canada Goose populations." The agency continues to prioritize non-lethal techniques, including habitat modification, elimination of feeding, scare tactics, repellents and nest/egg destruction, said the letter. "It is important for the health and safety of our citizens and the management of our natural resources that we continue to use the goose management tools at our disposal," it continued. The DNR shared a copy of the May 9 letter but did not provide further comment to USA TODAY.
