Today, Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) and House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR-04) released these statements following the successful markup of the House Natural Resources Committee portion of the budget reconciliation package.
“The Natural Resources section of the budget reconciliation bill is critical to unleashing American energy dominance,” said Chairman LaMalfa. “By increasing lease sales and incentivizing production on Federal lands, more Americans will have a steady supply of affordable and reliable energy. Increased timber sales in Federal forests will create prosperity in rural economies and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires. With $18.5 billion in taxpayer savings, this bill also delivers much needed fiscal responsibility to our nation. This legislation is a major win for the American people.”
“Today, committee Republicans took decisive action and advanced our portion of the one big, beautiful reconciliation bill,” said Chairman Westerman. “We're generating more than $18.5 billion in new revenue and savings for the American people by unleashing the United States’ abundant natural resources. These budgetary measures will deliver on President Trump’s agenda to make our nation energy dominant today and into the future. I'd like to thank all of our committee members for their tireless work on this legislation, and I look forward to supporting it through the legislative process.”
This bill includes provisions to:
Reinstate quarterly onshore oil and gas lease sales under the Mineral Leasing Act
Require offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Cook Inlet Planning Area in Alaska and the Gulf of America
Incentivize energy production in Alaska
Require coal lease sales and encourage domestic mineral production
Modernize Federal permitting processes to establish certainty for projects
Prohibits the implementation of Biden Administration Resource Management Plans (RMPs) in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming that threaten the multiple-use mandate and lock up resources on public lands
Require timber sales in Federal forests to improve forest health
Root out waste, fraud and abuse to save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars
