House GOP to examine administration's 'wild lands' policy

House Republicans will hold an oversight hearing on the Obama administration’s new wilderness policy just a little more than a week after voting to block funding for the initiative.

The so-called “wild lands” policy, which the Department of Interior unveiled in December, allows the administration to protect land that has not been designated as wilderness land. Republicans have slammed the policy as an effort to circumvent Congress’s authority and raised fears that it could be used to make lands off-limits to oil-and-gas drilling.

A bill to fund the government through the end of the fiscal year passed by the House last week includes a provision to block funding for the administration’s “wild lands” policy. The bill faces an uphill battle in the Senate, where Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said he’ll pursue a 30-day measure to fund the government while lawmakers negotiate on legislation to fund the government through the end of September. 

The House Natural Resources Committee will hold an oversight hearing on the policy March 1. Witnesses at the hearing include Idaho Gov. C.L. Butch Otter and Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, both Republicans. Other witnesses will be announced later.

“This is a prime example of why Congress must exercise vigorous oversight of the Obama Administration,” Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), the chairman of the committee, said in a statement. “The Wild Lands policy expressly circumvents Congress’ statutory authority to establish Wilderness areas. Under this policy, the public’s access to public lands can be limited or halted entirely — impacting our economy, jobs, recreation opportunities and American energy production.”