{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://hageman.house.gov/media/press-releases/forum-emphasizes-importance-reforming-endangered-species-act", "Forum Emphasizes the Importance of Reforming the Endangered Species Act", "2023-09-14", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "House", "WY", "Harriet M. Hageman", "H001096", "hageman.house.gov", "hageman", "https://hageman.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Yesterday, the Congressional Western Caucus and the House Natural Resources Committee\u2019s Joint ESA Working Group co-hosted a Forum to hear directly from organizations representing farmers, ranchers, county commissioners, and small businesses about the need to reform and modernize the Endangered Species Act. The forum was led by Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04) and included several Western Caucus Members including Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee Bruce Westerman (AR-04), and Representatives Harriet Hageman (WY-AL), Jerry Carl (AL-01), Cliff Bentz (OR-02), Lauren Boebert (CO-03), and John Duarte (CA-13). Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-02), a Member of the Natural Resources Committee, also participated.\n\n\u201cYesterday we heard from stakeholders representing farmers, ranchers, offshore energy, sportsmen, and small businesses who shared their thoughts on how the ESA can better help recover species while also reducing the regulatory burdens placed on our partners on the ground,\u201d said Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04). \u201cAs Chairman of the Western Caucus and co-chair of the ESA Working Group, I understand the importance of hearing feedback from folks across the country to hear about their experiences with the ESA. I want to thank our participants, Members, and guests who joined us today for an important discussion that will help inform our working group as we work on ESA reforms going forward.\u201d\n\n\"This dialogue was an essential step in our efforts to improve the ESA for the benefit of all Americans, not the environmental lawyers profiting from endless litigation. The testimony we heard from residents across the country made it clear that the ESA is broken and desperately needs to be reformed,\u201d said House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR-04). \u201cI want to thank Representative Newhouse and all of our panelists and members who participated in this forum. I look forward to continuing to work with all participants to develop responsible and reasonable solutions to modernize the ESA and fix this broken policy.\"\n\nMembers heard from policy experts who highlighted, through their own experiences, the importance of reforming the ESA:\n\nMr. Ryan Bronson, Director of Government Affairs, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation\n\nMr. Ken Hamilton, Executive Vice President, Wyoming Farm Bureau\n\nMs. Amanda McKinney, Chair, Board of Yakima County Commissioners\n\nMr. Andre Monette, Partner, Environmental and Natural Resources Practice, Best, Best & Krieger LLP\n\nMr. Rick Grinnell, Co-Founder, Southern Arizona Business Coalition\n\nMr. Kevin Bruce, Executive Director, Gulf Energy Alliance", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://hageman.house.gov/media/press-releases/forum-emphasizes-importance-reforming-endangered-species-act"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.207269262522459, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}