News Releases
Crapo, Risch Introduce Idaho County Gun Range Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch today introduced the Idaho County Shooting Range Land Conveyance Act in the United States Senate. This bill would convey 31 acres belonging to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to Idaho County for a gun range. "If enacted, this legislation will finally allow Idaho County to provide access to important firearms training for law enforcement officials and residents, as well as create recreational opportunities for families," said Cr… Continue Reading
July 15, 2014
Crapo Testifies On Bipartisan, Bicameral Fix For Fire Funding
Washington, D.C. -Idaho Senator Mike Crapo's legislation to fix a fundamental flaw in the way the federal government funds wildfire suppression was the focus of a Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee hearing today. Appearing before the committee, Crapo discussed his legislation, S. 1875, the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act, and addressed members on the critical need to end the costly and destructive cycle of underfunding forest management efforts vital to preventing future fires an… Continue Reading
July 10, 2014
Crapo, Risch and Simpson Praise Senate Passage of Water Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch with Congressman Mike Simpson, today praised passage of a bill authored by Simpson to permit existing water diversions in Idaho wilderness areas. The Idaho Wilderness Water Resources Protection Act was passed unanimously by the full United States Senate. There are a number of water diversions in both the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness and the Selway-Bitteroot Wilderness areas that have existed since before the wilderness are… Continue Reading
July 08, 2014
Crapo Statement on Passing of Former Governor John V. Evans
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo issued this statement today following the passing of former Idaho Governor John V. Evans. "Governor Evans will be missed, but his legacy in the family business and his public service will endure. He and his family have been Idaho pioneers. The Evans family banking operation survived the Great Depression and has assisted thousands of Idaho residents and businesses. I fondly recall John's leadership during difficult economic times during the 19… Continue Reading
July 01, 2014
Crapo, Risch Urge President to Make Clear Immigration Laws Will Be Enforced
Washington, D.C. -U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch are calling on the Administration to take immediate action to stem the flow of the thousands of unaccompanied children crossing the southern border into the U.S. illegally. The Idaho lawmakers, joined by a bipartisan coalition of 39 senators, sent a letter to President Obama urging him to exercise the influence of his office to dispel misinformation regarding U.S. immigration policies and firmly enforce the law along our nation's borders.… Continue Reading
June 26, 2014
Crapo, Bennet Note Focus on Wildfire Mitigation in Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, Call for Passage of PREPARE Act
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) are encouraged by the focus on wildfire mitigation strategies in the Homeland Security appropriations bill and call on their colleagues to pass the PREPARE Act, which would make targeted investments for pre-disaster mitigation and preparedness. The Senate Appropriations Committee included language in the Homeland Security appropriations bill today instructing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to devise … Continue Reading
June 26, 2014
Crapo, Risch Call for Immediate Action on Fire Funding Proposal
Washington, D.C.-Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch want immediate consideration for their legislation that would pay for fighting the most severe forest and range fires with federal disaster funding. S. 1875, the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act, would draw from disaster and emergency accounts whenever firefighting costs exceed 70 percent of the 10-year average cost of wildfire suppression. The legislation would leave in place fire prevention and forest health funding, which is all too often… Continue Reading
June 25, 2014
Idaho Delegation Fights Forest Service Effort to Seize State Waters
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch and Congressmen Mike Simpson and Raúl Labrador this week joined 36 other lawmakers, including House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-WA) and House Water and Power Subcommittee Chairman Tom McClintock (R-CA), in sending a letterto Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack cautioning that the U.S. Forest Service's recently proposed Groundwater Resource Management Directive will limit access to public lands and interfere with s… Continue Reading
June 25, 2014
Crapo Seeks To Expand Investigation Into Wrongful IRS Targeting
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo today called on federal officials in Washington, D.C., to intensify the investigation into the political targeting of conservative groups by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the agency's inability to produce a record of emails and other electronic information related to the alleged misconduct of senior IRS employees. Crapo, a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, was joined by his Republican colleagues on the committee in requestin… Continue Reading
June 19, 2014
Crapo, Risch Offer Legislation to Stop EPA Water Grab
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch joined a coalition of twenty-eight Senators to introduce legislation blocking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from finalizing its March 2014 proposed rule revising the definition of "waters of the United States" under the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). If made final, the move by the EPA would significantly expand federal authority, allowing the agency to regulate nearly every stream, ditch, pond, puddle and other local … Continue Reading
June 11, 2014
Crapo, Risch Back New Veterans Care Agreement
Washington, DC - Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch supported compromise legislation today that would end lengthy waits for veterans seeking medical care by hiring new staff and expanding veterans' access to private medical care. The legislation, co-sponsored by both Crapo and Risch, also improves the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) accountability by allowing VA leadership to more easily fire underperforming employees. The U.S. Senate passed the bill by a 93-3 vote. Congress ha… Continue Reading
June 10, 2014
Delegation: New Report Shows Urgent Need To Overhaul Fire Policy
Washington, D.C. - In response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) new report demonstrating how limited federal firefighting budgets have negatively impacted wildland fire preparedness, forest restoration efforts and other projects over the last two fiscal years, members of Idaho's Congressional Delegation are saying the report should serve as a call to action to overhaul the way in which the federal government funds fighting wildfires on public lands. "This report further solidifies… Continue Reading
June 03, 2014
Crapo: New EPA Carbon Proposal To Undermine Economy
Washington, D.C.-- Idaho Senator Mike Crapo raised objections to a 3,000-page set of sweeping proposed federal regulations issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The newly outlined rule would mandate existing power plants nationwide reduce carbon emissions 30 percent by 2030 as a part of the President's Climate Action Plan. "If implemented, these regulations will carry enormous economic and practical ramifications without resulting in commensurate environmental benefits," s… Continue Reading
May 31, 2014
Crapo, Risch, Simpson Statements on Bowe Bergdahl's Release
"We celebrate with Bowe, Bob and Jani Bergdahl today as this wonderful news brings an end to their five-year ordeal," said Idaho Senator Mike Crapo. "Our prayers have been answered and we offer our thanks for the perseverance of the family and the many Idahoans who have kept this vigil. We appreciate the men and women who made this release possible. I was able to speak with Bob this morning and convey my feelings and look forward to an Idaho reunion. Today's release is a reminder that we… Continue Reading
May 28, 2014
Crapo to Present Award to Mother of Iraq Vet; Discuss Housing Reform Legislation
Idaho Falls - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo will present his Spirit of Idaho Award Saturday to Theresa Hart of Post Falls. Hart lost her son, Nick Newby, to an I.E.D. explosion in Iraq in 2007. Since then, she has established a service program named in her son's honor. "Newby-Ginnings" assists veterans with everything from new appliances to clothing, even money for gas. Crapo will present Hart with the award for her volunteer efforts to encourage donations to veterans. The Spirit of Idaho Award… Continue Reading
May 23, 2014
Crapo and Risch Hail Passage of Bipartisan Water Resources Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch today praised passage of the bipartisan Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA). The bill was passed yesterday afternoon, May 22, on the Senate floor with a vote of 91 to 7. "This legislation provides critical funding to our nation's water infrastructure managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers," said Crapo. "The Corps operates multiple projects in Idaho and throughout the Columbia River Basin that, through the furthest inl… Continue Reading
May 23, 2014
Crapo Named an Inaugural â??Fiscal Heroâ??
Washington, D.C. - The national Campaign to Fix the Debt has named Idaho Senator Mike Crapo a "Fiscal Hero" for "work to improve the nation's fiscal situation." This is the first time the organization seeking federal fiscal responsibility has issued such awards. The Campaign to Fix the Debt says it issued the recognition to Member of Congress who have "distinguished themselves by taking fiscally responsible votes, pushing their party leaders to make debt a priority, leading bipartisan effo… Continue Reading
May 22, 2014
Crapo, Risch Laud Committeeâ??s Inclusion of Potato Nutrition Language
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch commended the U.S. Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee today for adopting an amendment to end the unnecessary exclusion of the nutrient-packed fresh white potato in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. The WIC program makes qualifying foods available for low-income and nutritionally at-risk pregnant women and their infants and children through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Under current law, the USDA … Continue Reading
May 21, 2014
Crapoâ??s Blackfoot River Land Settlement Act Moves Forward
Washington, D.C. - Legislation authored by Idaho Senator Mike Crapo to settle local land disputes in southeastern Idaho was reported favorably out of the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee today by a unanimous voice vote. S. 2040, the Blackfoot River Land Settlement Act, seeks to clear up issues related to the ownership of land and water rights dating back to the 1960s when federal flood control projects were undertaken along the Blackfoot River. As a consequence of the project's channel rea… Continue Reading
May 16, 2014
Crapo, Risch Introduce Youth Careers in Logging Act
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch have introduced the Youth Careers in Logging Act, S. 2336, which would extend benefits enjoyed by others in the agriculture industry by allowing family members to learn the trade of logging from a younger age so that they may carry on the family business. "This legislation offers tomorrow's leaders the family training to become the future of the industry and assist in the restoration of our national forests," said Crapo. "In the loggi… Continue Reading
