The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources or Natural Resources Committee (often referred to as simply Resources) is a

Congressional committee A congressional committee is a legislative sub-organization in the United States Congress that handles a specific duty (rather than the general duties of Congress). Committee membership enables members to develop specialized knowledge of the ...

of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

. Originally called the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs (1951), the name was changed to the Committee on Natural Resources in 1991. The name was shortened to the Committee on Resources in 1995 by the new chairman, Don Young (at the same time, the committee took over the duties of the now-defunct Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee). Following the Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives in 2006, the name of the committee was changed back to its title used between 1991 and 1995.

Jurisdiction

# Fisheries and

wildlife Wildlife refers to undomesticated animal species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous to game: those birds and mammals that were hunted ...

, including research, restoration, refuges, and conservation. # Forest reserves and national parks created from the public domain. # Forfeiture of land grants and alien ownership, including alien ownership of mineral lands. # Geological Survey. # International fishing agreements. #

Interstate compact The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

s relating to apportionment of waters for irrigation purposes. #

Irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...

and reclamation, including water supply for reclamation projects and easements of public lands for irrigation projects; and acquisition of private lands when necessary to complete irrigation projects. # Native Americans generally, including the care and allotment of Native American lands and general and special measures relating to claims that are paid out of Native American funds. #

Insular areas of the United States In the law of the United States, an insular area is a U.S.-associated jurisdiction that is not part of the List of states and territories of the United States#States, 50 states or the Washington, D.C., District of Columbia. This includes fourte ...

generally (except those affecting the revenue and appropriations). # Military parks and battlefields, national cemeteries administered by the Secretary of the Interior, parks within the

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and the erection of monuments to the memory of individuals. # Mineral land laws and claims and entries thereunder. # Mineral resources of public lands. # Mining interests generally. # Mining schools and experimental stations. # Marine affairs, including coastal zone management (except for measures relating to oil and other pollution of navigable waters). # Oceanography. #

Petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

conservation on public lands and conservation of the radium supply in the United States. # Preservation of prehistoric ruins and objects of interest on the public domain. #

Public land In all modern states, a portion of land is held by central or local governments. This is called public land, state land, or Crown land (Australia, and Canada). The system of tenure of public land, and the terminology used, varies between countrie ...

s generally, including entry,

easement An easement is a nonpossessory right to use and/or enter onto the real property of another without possessing it. It is "best typified in the right of way which one landowner, A, may enjoy over the land of another, B". An easement is a propert ...

s, and grazing thereon. # Relations of the United States with Native Americans and Native American tribes. # Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline (except ratemaking).

Members, 117th Congress

Resolutions electing members: (Chair), (Ranking Member), (D), (R), (D), (D), (D), (Removing Gosar), (R), (D)

Subcommittees

In the

111th Congress The 111th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011. It began during the last weeks of the George W. Bush administration, with th ...

, the number of subcommittees was reduced from 5 to 4. The Subcommittees on Insular Affairs and Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans were merged into the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife. In the 112th Congress, the number was again increased to 5, adding the Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs. During the committee's official reorganization for the

113th Congress The 113th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, from January 3, 2013, to January 3, 2015, during the fifth and sixth years of Barack Obama's presidency. It was composed of the ...

, the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands was renamed the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation When former Chairman

Doc Hastings Richard Norman Hastings (born February 7, 1941) is an American politician and member of the Republican Party who served as the U.S. representative for from 1995 until his retirement in 2015. The district includes much of central Washington inc ...

of Washington retired from Congress, Rob Bishop of Utah took over as the committee's new chairman at the beginning of the 114th Congress. Congressman Bishop began the process of hiring new staff and reorganized the committee's structure as his predecessors had done. The chairman eliminated the Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs subcommittee and split its duties between the renamed Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs and Water, Power and Oceans subcommittees. The chairman also created a new Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, keeping the total number of subcommittees at five The chairman also transferred jurisdiction over the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act from the former Public Lands and Environmental Regulation and established a renamed the Subcommittee on Federal Lands.

Current subcommittees

Chairs

Historical membership rosters

116th Congress

Sources: (Chair), (Ranking Member), (D), (R), (D), (D), (D), (R), (D) ;Subcommittees

115th Congress

Notes

References

External links

Committee on Natural Resources
U.S. House of Representatives
Archive

House Natural Resources Committee
Legislation activity and reports, Congress.gov. {{United States congressional committees

Natural Resources Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. ...