Idaho's 1st District GOP Rep. Raúl Labrador has landed Natural Resource Committee subcommittee assignments with jurisdiction over issues key to a state with 64 percent of the land owned by the United States.

Labrador is a member of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands, Subcommittee on Water and Power and the Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs.

Ten federal agencies own 33.7 million of Idaho's 53 million acres: Forest Service (20.4 million acres); Bureau of Land Management (11.9 million acres); Department of Energy (571,000 acres); Bureau of Reclamation (483,000 acres); Air Force (111,000 acres); National Park Service (97,000 acres); Army Corps of Engineers (61,000 acres); U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (41,000 acres); Agricultural Research Service (33,000 acres); Bureau of Indian Affairs (33,000 acres).

“I am excited to begin my work on these three subcommittees with jurisdiction over policy important to Idaho,” Labrador said in a news release announcing the assignments. “Between our vast public lands, our hydropower facilities and our native tribes, I will be in a strong position to do a lot of good for Idaho.”

According to the release:

The Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands has jurisdiction on issues related to the National Park System, the National Wilderness Preservation System, recreation on public lands, federal reserved water rights, grazing on public lands and national monuments. Since 60 percent of Idaho is under Federal ownership, this subcommittee has direct influence over policies that affect the everyday lives of countless Idahoans.

The Subcommittee on Water and Power oversees the generation and marketing of electric power from Federal systems like Bonneville Power Administration, water resources planning conducted under the Water Resources Planning Act, interstate water issues, Indian water rights and irrigation. Hydropower is the nation’s largest contributor to its renewable energy portfolio and helps make Idaho one of the leaders in clean energy production. Idaho farmers, along with 20 percent of all western farmers, also are served by irrigation projects that are overseen by the bureau of reclamation and fall under the jurisdiction of this important subcommittee.

The subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs is responsible for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the office of the Special Trustee for American Indians and covers issues relating to tribal recognition, trust stewardship, tribal land and water claims and Indian treaty rights. Because up to ten percent of the nation’s untapped energy resources are located on tribal lands, this subcommittee also will play a significant role in the development of a coherent national energy policy.

You can follow Idaho Statesman Politics on Twitter.