U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson is working on a proposal to trim federal spending and put more accountability into the agencies under his watch as chairman of the Subcommittee on Interior and the Environment. In that position, Simpson, R-Idaho, has a leadership role in crafting budget proposals for agencies like the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and Environmental Protection Agency.
With the BLM, Simpson said there will be language in the bill to help resolve grazing disputes that end up in court. He also wants to require more transparency for payments through the Equal Access to Justice Act, which allows plaintiffs who successfully sue the federal government to recoup their legal costs. That fund has been heavily used by environmental groups, among others. Simpson said he doesn’t want to end the payments, just disclose where the money is going and the rates that attorneys receive. “I have a right to know where my tax dollars are going,” he said...more
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