Deb Haaland

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is scheduled to visit Oregon this weekend.  Senator Jeff Merkley said he’s asked the Secretary for some time to come to the state and talk about important investments in tourism.   “To discuss public recreation on public lands, which, we have these extraordinary lands that are in our collective ownership.  And we want to make sure...

Last week a group of western lawmakers asked the Department of Agriculture and Interior Department for additional wildfire fighting resources.  Oregon’s Peter DeFazio joined 24 other lawmakers, primarily from California, asking the federal government to assist in continuing to fight fires aggressively, communicate clearly and take administrative steps now to prepare additional personnel for when t

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and USDA Forest Service chief Randy Moore met with fire fighters and fire management officials recently to get a briefing on the upcoming, or ongoing, fire season. But also, "to highlight our collective efforts to protect our communities from the threat of wildfires ...

Some members of the Congressional Western Caucus are not happy with the Administration's proposal to withdraw ten million acres of federal lands via the Endangered Species Act. In a recent letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the lawmakers claim the Administration is using its decision to update the greater sage-grouse land management plans as an excuse to ban development in areas across Ida

Last month, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced a reversal of a Trump Administration decision to relocate leadership of the Bureau of Land Management to Grand Junction, CO. Haaland said at the time, “the bureau must have the appropriate structure and resources to serve the American public.” Bu ...

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland says the leadership of the Bureau of Land Management will be moving back to Washington, D.C., from Grand Junction, CO. The Trump Administration had moved the office out west. “The bureau must have the appropriate structure and resources to serve the American public,” Haaland said. The Na ...

Washington Representatives Dan Newhouse, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and Kim Schrier are reaching out to federal officials in an attempt to bring attention to the level of destruction caused by massive wildfires in the state. “The three of us sent an invitation to the Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, as well as the Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland," Newhouse said. "We ... Read M

On Monday, the Interior Department announced the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has opened new or expanded hunting and sport fishing opportunities across 2.1 million acres. The increased recreational access includes 88 National Wildlife Refuges and one National Fish Hatchery ...

Because of the rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 cases across the state, specifically from the Delta Variant, the head of the Washington Department of Natural Resources is calling for all wildland firefighters to be vaccinated. On Monday, Commissioner Hilary Franz called on the federal Departments of Agriculture and the Interior to take additional steps to secure our nation’s wildfire resp

The American Farm Bureau Federation recently joined all 50 state Farm Bureaus and Puerto Rico Farm Bureau in sending a letter urging the Biden administration to address the surge of undocumented immigrants entering the United States. The letter went to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland as well as Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas ...