Washington, D.C. - The House of Representatives passed the fiscal year 2019 Interior and Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations bill by a vote of 217-199. Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson authored several of the provisions in the bill that directly benefit Idaho. This legislation also continues many important provisions from the 2018 Omnibus, such as rolling back onerous rules and regulations, providing funding for the Payment in Lieu of Taxes Program (PILT), and fully funding wildfire su... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson released the following statement after U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army announced they will be sending a proposed ‘Step 2” rule that would define ‘waters of the United States (WOTUS) to the Office of Management and Budget for interagency review. “I applaud this Administration for permanently rescinding the hastily developed Obama Administration rule on ‘waters of the United States’,” said Simpson. “I look forward to working ... Read more

Simpson Includes Important Idaho Provisions in Committee Passed Bill Watch the Congressman discuss Sage Grouse and Science Transparency at the EPA during the House Interior Appropriations Markup Washington, D.C. – Today, the House Appropriations Committee passed the fiscal year 2019 Interior and Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations bill by a vote of 25-20. Included in the bill are critical provisions for Idaho that provide relief from burdensome regulations, funding to prevent and sup... Read more

On Thursday, Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson supported passage of full year fiscal year 2018 funding. While a continuing resolution funds the government until December 2017, full year appropriations must still be passed for the remainder of the fiscal year. The bill was passed by a vote of 211-198 and includes legislation previously passed by the House including Chairman Simpson’s Energy and Water bill which has critical funding for Idaho National Laboratory. “Today’s legislation is an important ... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson supported passage of the fiscal year 2018 House Interior and Environment Appropriations bill, which contains many important provisions to Idaho. Congressman Simpson has continually advocated for essential funding for Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) and wildfire suppression and prevention, which are included in this year’s bill. “The Interior Appropriations bill is arguably the most important piece of legislation for the western United States,” said Congressman Simp... Read more

Idaho Congressman Simpson praised the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers proposed rule to repeal the “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) definition that was submitted by the previous Administration. Today’s proposed rule withdraws WOTUS and allows for a rewrite of the definition, which will provide regulatory certainty for farmers, ranchers, local municipalities, and others who have voiced concerns with WOTUS. “I applaud the Administration for taking this importa... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today applauded the House passage of H.R. 244, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017, which included many important provisions for Idaho and Western States. “This is a comprehensive and responsible package that contains many significant wins for Idaho and Western States, and will avoid a government shut down,” said Simpson. “It is the product of this past year’s worth of thoughtful deliberation and line-by-line analysis of every program in the federal budget. F... Read more

U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Jon Tester (D-MT) and U.S. Representatives Mike Simpson (R-ID) and Collin Peterson (D-MN) today underscored the urgency in reversing the ruling of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cottonwood Environmental Law Center v. U.S. Forest Service by introducing bipartisan bicameral legislation to do just that. The bill seeks to codify the position taken by the Obama administration that federal agencies are not required to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Serv... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today supported the House Interior and Environment Appropriations bill for FY17 during the House Appropriations Committee consideration. Included in the legislation are policies important to western states and critical funding for Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT), a vital program in the west that ensures communities are adequately compensated for the lack of tax revenue due to the presence of federal land. “Every county in Idaho depends on the federal government mee... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson joined a bipartisan group of Members of Congress in sending a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) top official expressing extreme concerns with the use of federal funding for advocacy and lobbying efforts. EPA funds were recently linked to an advocacy project in Washington State. “As an Idahoan I fully expect to have differences with the EPA regarding policy,” said Simpson. “But one thing that we should always agree on is the law and these advocac... Read more