Washington, D.C. (March 27, 2013) – The Obama Administration notified states Monday that there would be significant deductions in federal mineral royalties paid to states due to the effects of the sequester. The decision to cut these payments come at a great cost to Western Caucus member states, who will bear 99.3% of the burden of these cuts, totaling $109 million. This money is used by states to finance K-12 education, highways funds, community colleges, and flood protection projects, among other things. Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Steve Pearce, and Western Caucus member and Republican Study Committee Chairman Steve Scalise released the following statements in response:
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Washington, D.C. (March 14, 2013) – After the-sky-is-falling proclamations from the Obama Administration that sequestration would harm National Parks, delay oil and gas permits, and cost jobs in the Department of the Interior, Senate Democrats this week introduced a FY13 spending bill that would impose further cuts to the Parks, severely curtail funds to fight wildfires, and reduce resource development dollars used for permitting. In both the FY13 Continuing Resolution (CR) and in the FY14 budget proposal, Senate Democrats prioritized new land acquisition over protecting and efficiently operating our current federal estate.
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Washington, D.C. (March 13, 2013) – As the U.S. Forest Service prepares for the start of fire season, they received bad news from the Senate Democrats today- another round of cuts were proposed in the Senate. The most recently proposed cuts come just weeks after the agency’s budget was affected by the 5% across-the-board cuts known as the sequester, which already posed significant threats to the agency’s ability to successfully fight wildfires in the upcoming year.
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Washington, D.C. (March 6, 2013) – On the eve of the Senate’s confirmation hearing, Members of the Congressional Western Caucus sent a letter to the President highlighting questions and concerns about Sally Jewell’s nomination for Secretary of the Department of the Interior (DOI). In the letter, caucus members emphasized the impact the DOI has on the West, and laid out the basic qualifications any Secretary of the Interior should possess.
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WASHINGTON,D.C.- President Obama announced today that he is nominating Dr. Ernest Moniz to be the next Secretary of Energy. Dr. Ernest Moniz, a physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, previously served as Undersecretary of Energy under President Clinton. Western Caucus Chairman Steve Pearce released the following statement in response to the announcement:
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WASHINGTON,D.C.- President Obama announced today that he is nominating Gina McCarthy to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). McCarthy is currently the Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, which oversees air quality policy implementation. Western Caucus Chairman Steve Pearce released the following statement in response to the announcement:
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Washington, D.C. (February 28, 2013) – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Director Dan Ashe sent a letter yesterday to a group of 15 Western Members of Congress who previously expressed concern with the potential listing of the lesser prairie chicken as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In the letter, Director Ashe stated that the public comment period would be re-opened to allow affected communities more time to comment on the widely supported conservation plan proposed by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA). Western Members of Congress released the following statements in response to the letter:
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WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today, Senate Western Caucus Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY) and Congressional Western Caucus co-chairs Stevan Pearce (R-NM) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) joined 22 other Caucus Members in sending a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar urging the Administration to withdraw Secretarial Order 3321, which establishes the “National Blueways” program.
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Washington, D.C. (February 5, 2013) – Today, Utah Congressman Chris Stewart announced his membership with the Congressional Western Caucus. The Caucus is in its twentieth year of advocating for Western and rural interests in Congress.
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Washington, D.C. (February 4, 2013) – Western Caucus Co-Chairmen Steve Pearce (NM-02) and Cynthia Lummis (WY), along with Chairman Emeritus Rob Bishop (UT-01), today urged the House of Representatives to consider energy development on federal lands as a way to increase revenues without having to increase taxes on the middle-class.
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