Dec. 17, 2010 -- The current ranking minority member of the House Natural Resources Committee is set to become its chair for the 112th Congress, according to the New York Times. Rep. Doc Hastings, who represents Washington's 4th Congressional District, will chair the committee that oversees federal land and water use, national parks and forests and Indian reservations.
As he notes on his Congressional website, the Natural Resources Committee is of particular importance to the Congressman's home state of Washington's major projects, namely the Bonneville Power Administration and the Columbia Basin and Yakima Projects, which all fall under the Natural Resource Committee's jurisdiction.
The following are the top ten contributors to Hastings' campaign by interest group:
| Interest | Contributions |
|---|---|
| Oil & Gas | $75,921 |
| Crop Production & Basic Processing | $55,337 |
| Construction Services | $25,900 |
| Insurance | $25,900 |
| Health Professionals | $24,150 |
| Electric Utilities | $23,350 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $20,000 |
| General Contractors | $19,275 |
| Forestry & Forest Products | $19,000 |
| Casinos/Gambling | $17,600 |
Rep. Hastings will replace West Virginia Democrat Nick Rahall as chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee for the 112th Congress. The following are the top ten contributors to Rahall's campaign by interest group:
| Interest | Contributions |
|---|---|
| Casinos/Gambling | $66,800 |
| Transportation Unions | $62,000 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $48,258 |
| Building Trade Unions | $47,500 |
| Railroads | $46,000 |
| Mining | $44,000 |
| Industrial Unions | $42,000 |
| Air Transport | $41,500 |
| Public Sector Unions | $40,500 |
| Lobbyists | $27,071 |
Contributions above are for the last two years of available data, Oct 14, 2008 - Oct 13, 2010. Contributions from political parties and from other candidates are not included in the "Top 10" lists. Contributions data provided by the Center for Responsive Politics (OpenSecrets.org).
