During the recent AAPG Congressional Visits Day, staff for the House Natural Resources Committee expressed interest in receiving input on issues and potential legislation from knowledgeable stakeholders. Here is an easy way to get involved in the process of informing Washington, D.C., decision makers: send a quick comment to the committee members in response to a particular hearing.

Friday, April 4 at 9:30 am, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources of the House Natural Resources Committee will hold an oversight hearing on“Energy Independence: Domestic Opportunities to Reverse California’s Growing Dependence on Foreign Oil.”

The hearing charter and witness list are not yet available, but the opinions of Rep. Lamborn (R-Colo.), the subcommittee chairman, are likely to guide the hearing--he has stated that federal lands offshore California contain potentially huge energy resources, and California would also benefit from increased Alaska production if ANWR and NPR-Alaska were opened for production. Potential production from federal lands and the need for improved federal permitting procedures may also be discussed at the hearing.

On Tuesday, April 8 at 2:00 pm the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources of the House Natural Resources Committee will hold an oversight hearing on “American Energy Jobs: Opportunities for Women and Minorities.”

The hearing charter and witness list are not available but prior comments by Rep. Lamborn (R-Colo.), the subcommittee chairman, suggest that the themes may include the importance of domestic energy production to providing high-paying jobs while helping America’s energy security. Chairman Lamborn has also complained about slow and cumbersome federal permitting, so that may also be discussed.

To view the webcast of the hearings visit http://naturalresources.house.gov/live/. To view the witnesses’ written testimonies visit each hearing website shortly before the hearing. You can also read the testimonies after the hearing.

To take action, you can send your comments to the committee chair, ranking member or other member of the subcommittee by clicking on the representative's name on the subcommittee website then selecting the contact or email button at the representative's web page.