Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson is now the Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and the Environment. The subcommittee, of which Simpson has been Ranking Republican for the past two years, oversees funding for the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as smaller related agencies. 

“This is an extremely important subcommittee for Idaho,” said Simpson.  “The federal government owns nearly two-thirds of the land in our state, so Idahoans interact with agencies like the Forest Service and the BLM on a daily basis.  Land management agencies need to be good neighbors, and I will work to ensure that they are able to act effectively and efficiently on the public’s behalf.” 

As Chairman, Congressman Simpson will be tasked with reducing spending levels that have grown out of control in recent years under Democrat control.  In particular, he has his eyes set on the EPA, which has seen exponential growth in its budget since President Obama came into office. “The EPA is the scariest agency in the federal government, an agency run amok,” Simpson said. “Its bloated budget has allowed it to drastically expand its regulatory authority in a way that is hurting our economy and pushing an unwelcomed government further into the lives of Idahoans. As Chairman of this subcommittee, I look forward to bringing some common sense to the EPA and some certainty for our nation’s job creators.”

Simpson will once again serve on the Committee’s Energy and Water Development Subcommittee during the 112th Congress. The Energy and Water Development Subcommittee has jurisdiction over all activities of the Department of Energy, including the National Nuclear Security Administration, and the Office of Nuclear Energy. Its jurisdiction also includes the Bureau of Reclamation, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Bonneville Power Administration and numerous other independent agencies. The Subcommittee’s jurisdiction includes the overwhelming majority of work being conducted at the Idaho National Laboratory including nuclear research and environmental remediation.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed serving on the Energy and Water Subcommittee over the past eight years and am pleased to be able to continue my work on a Subcommittee so important to Idaho and the Pacific Northwest,” said Simpson. “Our nation is on the precipice of a nuclear renaissance and I hope to use my position on the Subcommittee to accelerate that renaissance and move us closer to energy independence. In the process, I hope to not only protect the interests of the Idaho National Laboratory, but to expand its capabilities and foster its growth in the coming years.”

Simpson will also serve on the Committee’s Labor, Health and Human Services and Education and Related Agencies that has jurisdiction over the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, all extremely important agencies to Idaho. The Subcommittee will be at the forefront of efforts to reduce the federal budget and streamline federal programs. It will also play a lead role in Republican efforts to block the implementation of the Democrat’s health care reform bill. “I look forward to playing a key role on this subcommittee in advancing the principles of limited and efficient government and in blocking attempts to expand the federal government’s reach in inappropriate ways,” said Simpson.