Press Releases

Today, Congressional Western Caucus members released statements on the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) final rule revising the agency’s Federal Oil and Gas Leasing Program.
 
“Today’s announcement from BLM will cause already high energy prices to climb and force the closure of small businesses across the West,” said Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04). “This is the Biden Administration’s latest gift to extreme environmental groups implementing their radical agenda that restricts American energy and places hardships on our communities. Not only does this decision violate the BLM’s multiple-use mandate, it also bypasses Congress entirely by creating a ‘preference criteria’ which will shut out future oil and gas leasing. As Western Caucus Chairman, I strongly oppose this misguided rule which will only hurt American families, consumers, and businesses.”
 
“The Biden administration will stop at nothing to make American energy more expensive and more difficult to access in their tireless quest to chase unattainable campaign promises and undefined climate goals,” said House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR-04). “American families endure blow after blow from this administration's failing economic policies as they watch the cost of everyday goods skyrocket. Now, as American families are struggling to keep the lights on and keep fuel in their tanks, Biden and the activists in his administration are abusing their power and attempting to stifle further American energy development on BLM land. This hurried rule will create new fees and regulatory burdens that will inevitably be passed onto consumers in the form of higher prices for energy. However, House Republicans saw this coming. Just last month, we passed Congresswoman Boebert's Restoring American Energy Dominance Act, which will require the BLM to withdraw this burdensome and unnecessary rule. Solutions like this are part of the ways Republicans are committed to supporting consumers and keeping energy prices affordable across the country. American energy is among the cleanest and safest in the world, and it's baffling that President Biden wants to force us to turn to foreign adversaries for resources that we have in abundance right here at home.”
 
“I’m disheartened to see the Biden Administration’s Bureau of Land Management finalize its misguided rule today, which will increase energy prices for the American people, jeopardize our energy independence, and make us reliant on adversarial nations like Russia, Iran, and Venezuela for our energy,” said Vice Chair Pete Stauber (MN-08), Chairman of the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee. “It’s yet another part of the Biden Administration’s anywhere but America; any worker but American energy agenda. As Chairman of the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee, I was proud to support and advance across the House floor H.R. 6009, the Restoring American Energy Dominance Act, which requires the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw this disastrous rule.”

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