Recently in Washington                   

Last week the House passed H.R. 2775, the No Subsidies Without Verification Act, by a vote of 235-191. Congressman Simpson supported the measure.  The bill prohibits the distribution of Obamacare premium tax credits and subsidies before eligibility is verified. 

Simpson Supports Legislation to Reduce Fraud in Obamacare

Floor Schedule

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16TH
On Monday, the House will meet at 2:00 p.m. in pro forma session. Votes are not expected.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH
On Tuesday, the House will meet at 12:00 p.m. for morning hour and 2:00 p.m. for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30 p.m.

Legislation Considered Under Suspension of the Rules:

1) H.R. 1410 - Keep the Promise Act of 2013 (Sponsored by Rep. Trent Franks / Natural Resources Committee)

2) H.R. 1003- To improve consideration by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission of the costs and benefits of its regulations and orders, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Michael Conaway / Agriculture Committee)

3) H.R. 2449 - To authorize the President to extend the term of the Agreement of Cooperation between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Korea Concerning Civil Uses of Nuclear Energy for a period not to exceed March 19, 2016 (Sponsored by Rep. Ed Royce / Foreign Affairs Committee)

4) H.R. 301 - To provide for the establishment of the Special Envoy to Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia (Sponsored by Rep. Frank Wolf / Foreign Affairs Committee)

5) S.793 - Organization of American States Revitalization and Reform Act of 2013, as amended (Sponsored by Sen. Robert Menendez / Foreign Affairs Committee)

6) H.R. 3092 - To amend the Missing Children’s Assistance Act, and for other purposes (Sponsored by Rep. Brett Guthrie / Education and the Workforce Committee)

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH, AND THE BALANCE OF THE WEEK
On Wednesday and Thursday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business.

On Friday, the House will meet at 9:00 a.m. for legislative business. Last votes expected no later than 3:00 p.m.

H.R. 1526 - Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act, Rules Committee Print (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Doc Hastings / Natural Resources Committee)

H.R. 761 - National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act of 2013 (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Mark Amodei / Natural Resources Committee)

H.R. 687 - Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act of 2013 (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Paul Gosar / Natural Resources Committee)

H.R. __ - Nutrition Reform and Work Opportunity Act (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Frank Lucas / Agriculture Committee)

H.J.Res __ - Continuing Appropriations Resolution 2014 (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Appropriations Committee)

Public lands losing money

Funds to remove hazardous fuels are drying up

Twin Falls - Not enough water and overgrown vegetation have left Idaho's public lands at risk for record-breaking wildfires, but the programs aimed to reduce those threats also are in peril.

Dwindling federal funding has forced cuts to the hazardous fire fuels-reductions program overseen by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service. The program is considered essential to reduce the threat of wildfires. Nationwide, 14 million acres of forestland have been treated since the program was created in 2001.

Yet fuels have continued to build up and wildfires burn bigger, longer and, ultimately, cost more to suppress than ever before.

Nearly 20 percent of the acreage burned during last year's wildfire season was in Idaho. Starting as early as April, the state's fire season didn't come to a close until October. It lasted two months longer than the average fire season documented in the 1970s.

While there is little argument that wildfires are growing more catastrophic, national lawmakers have fought over increasing funding to the hazardous fire fuels-reduction program. That's left local officials in limbo, bracing for pending cuts to their ongoing efforts.

For the BLM, Idaho's fuels reduction budget was about $10 million in Fiscal Year 2012-13. President Barack Obama's proposed 2014 budget would reduce that figure by half.

Nationwide, the program already has been hit with an $82 million budget cut due to the federal sequester. And the Obama administration wants to slash another $216 million in Fiscal Year 2013-14.

While Congress could provide the BLM with more funding for Idaho's office, the state is bracing for all possibilities, BLM Idaho spokeswoman Jessica Gardetto said.

"That has an impact on our ability to do these projects," Gardetto said. "We don't know what's going to happen yet, so we don't know what may need to get cut."

Attempts by Idaho congressional leaders have had marginal success in finding more funding for fuels removal.

Rep. Mike Simpson, chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, added $287 million this summer for hazardous fuels removal.

"While I have seen the destructive impacts of catastrophic fires, I've also seen where proactively removing hazardous fuels from an area has made the difference between relatively minor damage to resources and property and complete destruction," the Idaho Republican said in a statement. "Failing to adequately fund the hazardous fuels account would virtually guarantee that the cost of wildfire suppression will continue to rise in the future."

The Senate passed the bill, however, after trimming $97 million.

Less money means that the Forest Service has focused its fuels reduction efforts on areas close to communities.

In 2012, Forest Service fire crews manually removed dead and overgrown fuels and conducted 1.3 million acres of prescribed burns in areas known as the wildland-urban interface.

Other program options include removing dead logs to reduce the risk of intense wildfire behavior, thinning forests or changing vegetation to reduce fire behavior.

To cope with less funding, local agencies have started exploring partnerships to find alternative money sources.

In Cassia County, the BLM has partnered with conservation groups and ranchers, as well as other federal agencies, to remove unhealthy vegetation from sage grouse habitat.

The project is labeled "sage grouse habitation restoration" but also serves as a hazardous fuels removal project, said Jeremy Bisson, wildlife biologist with the BLM's Burley field office.

Sage grouse -- listed as an endangered species candidate -- are threatened when juniper encroaches on their habitat. Juniper also burns hotter and easier than other native plants essential for sage grouse survival.

Bisson's project, which began a few years ago, has faced setbacks because last year's wildfires, including the 9,000-acre Cave Canyon Fire, scorched most of the juniper he wanted to remove to preserve sage grouse habitat.

"It would have definitely altered fire behavior," he said. "It's possible it might have curtailed it from burning as much sage grouse habitat."

Project volunteers are working to remove the juniper and replant the area with native plants. And because the project serves multiple purposes, there are more funding resources, Bisson said.

Funds for the project come from the hazardous fire fuels-reduction program, as well as the Sage Grouse Initiative through the National Resources Conservation Service.

"We are getting the biggest bang for our buck," Bisson said.

For the BLM, Idaho's fuels reduction budget was about $10 million in Fiscal Year 2012-13. President Barack Obama's proposed 2014 budget would reduce that figure by half.

Nationwide, the program already has been hit with an $82 million budget cut due to the federal sequester. And the Obama administration wants to slash another $216 million in Fiscal Year 2013-14.

While Congress could provide the BLM with more funding for Idaho's office, the state is bracing for all possibilities, BLM Idaho spokeswoman Jessica Gardetto said.

"That has an impact on our ability to do these projects," Gardetto said. "We don't know what's going to happen yet, so we don't know what may need to get cut."

Attempts by Idaho congressional leaders have had marginal success in finding more funding for fuels removal.

Rep. Mike Simpson, chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, added $287 million this summer for hazardous fuels removal.

"While I have seen the destructive impacts of catastrophic fires, I've also seen where proactively removing hazardous fuels from an area has made the difference between relatively minor damage to resources and property and complete destruction," the Idaho Republican said in a statement. "Failing to adequately fund the hazardous fuels account would virtually guarantee that the cost of wildfire suppression will continue to rise in the future."

The Senate passed the bill, however, after trimming $97 million.

Less money means that the Forest Service has focused its fuels reduction efforts on areas close to communities.

In 2012, Forest Service fire crews manually removed dead and overgrown fuels and conducted 1.3 million acres of prescribed burns in areas known as the wildland-urban interface.

Other program options include removing dead logs to reduce the risk of intense wildfire behavior, thinning forests or changing vegetation to reduce fire behavior.

To cope with less funding, local agencies have started exploring partnerships to find alternative money sources.

In Cassia County, the BLM has partnered with conservation groups and ranchers, as well as other federal agencies, to remove unhealthy vegetation from sage grouse habitat.

The project is labeled "sage grouse habitation restoration" but also serves as a hazardous fuels removal project, said Jeremy Bisson, wildlife biologist with the BLM's Burley field office.

Sage grouse -- listed as an endangered species candidate -- are threatened when juniper encroaches on their habitat. Juniper also burns hotter and easier than other native plants essential for sage grouse survival.

Bisson's project, which began a few years ago, has faced setbacks because last year's wildfires, including the 9,000-acre Cave Canyon Fire, scorched most of the juniper he wanted to remove to preserve sage grouse habitat.

"It would have definitely altered fire behavior," he said. "It's possible it might have curtailed it from burning as much sage grouse habitat."

Project volunteers are working to remove the juniper and replant the area with native plants. And because the project serves multiple purposes, there are more funding resources, Bisson said.

Funds for the project come from the hazardous fire fuels-reduction program, as well as the Sage Grouse Initiative through the National Resources Conservation Service.

"We are getting the biggest bang for our buck," Bisson said.