Press Releases

Washington, D.C. (August 26th, 2016) – Today President Obama unilaterally enlarged the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii by 442,781 square miles.   Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Cynthia Lummis (WY-At large) issued the following statement in response: “By creating monuments out of thin air or expanding already existing… Read more »

Washington, D.C. (August 24th, 2016)– The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is approaching the end of a five year, 757 species work plan dictated by a court order drafted behind closed doors because of lawsuits brought by litigation happy groups like the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD). Now the CBD is threatening to sue again on an additional 417 species, including 87… Read more »

Washington, D.C. (August 24th, 2016)–Today, President Barack Obama ignored local and state input by using the Antiquities Act to unilaterally designate 87,500 acres of lands in Maine as the Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument. President Obama and Secretary Jewell have backpedaled on their own promise to conduct a robust public process prior to making any decision. Read more »

Washington, D.C. (August 2nd, 2016) – Yesterday, President Obama’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) finalized guidance directing all federal agencies to incorporate climate change into their decision-making processes under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This guidance applies to a broad swath of federal actions and permits, including public land and… Read more »

Washington, D.C. (July 14th, 2016) – Today, after working late into the night, the U.S. House passed H.R.5538: the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017. Western Caucus Members secured a host of provisions reining in Obama Administration regulatory overreach and ensuring more responsible stewardship of western lands and natural… Read more »

Washington, D.C. (June 30, 2016) –Today the Department of the Interior released the final rule for assessing the value of the coal, oil, and natural gas produced on federal and tribal lands. The new regulations, combined with other actions taken by the Obama Administration, will lead to lost jobs and a decline in energy production. Western Caucus Chairman Cynthia Lummis (WY-At… Read more »

Washington, D.C. (June 22, 2016) – Today President Obama released a report from the White House ironically titled, “The Economics of Coal Leasing on Federal Lands: Ensuring a Fair Return to Taxpayers”. The irony being that this President and his Administration have been dead set on keeping coal in the ground from the very beginning. Regulation after regulation has… Read more »

Washington, D.C. (June 21st, 2016) – Today in Wyoming, US District Court Judge John Skavdahl struck down the Bureau of Land Management’s final rule on hydraulic fracturing. Judge Skavdahl agreed with western states, tribes, and industry that the BLM lacked the authority to regulate hydraulic fracturing. Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Cynthia Lummis (WY-At large) issued… Read more »

Washington, D.C. (June 10th, 2016) –Today the U.S. House of Representatives voted to condemn proposals to tax carbon emissions and raise taxes on oil. In his FY 2017 budget, President Obama proposed a $10 tax hike on every barrel of oil and has often spoken of taxing carbon emissions. These taxes would burden American energy consumers and stifle the energy renaissance that is… Read more »

Washington, D.C. (June 8th, 2016) – Today the U.S. House passed H.R. 4775: Ozone Standards Implementation Act of 2016. The legislation ensures states have time to implement ozone restrictions at a more realistic pace, saving jobs and economies from being hamstrung by unattainable mandates from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the process. Congressional Western Caucus… Read more »