Press Releases

Washington, D.C. (May 25th, 2016) – Today the U.S. House passed  an energy policy and natural resources package and motioned to go to conference with the U.S. Senate on the legislation. Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Cynthia Lummis (WY-At large), Vice Chairmen Mark Amodei (NV-02) and Paul Gosar (AZ-04), and caucus member Rep. Bruce Westerman (AR-04) issued the following… Read more »

Washington, D.C. (May 16th, 2016) – The federal government owns 85 percent of Nevada, and the state faces unnecessary and burdensome federal restrictions on responsible mineral development that will severely impact local economies. Read more »

Washington, D.C. (May 12th, 2016) – Today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized their federal methane rule to restrict emissions of the gas across the country. The rule is expected to overlap and interfere with successful state and voluntary efforts to reduce methane emissions without discouraging energy production. Western Caucus Chairman Cynthia Lummis (WY-At… Read more »

Washington, D.C. (May 12th, 2016) –Yesterday the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service announced that it is dropping its appeal against the Texas Court ruling that removed the threatened designation of the lesser prairie chicken. The court cited that local conservation efforts and plans were ignored when the listing decision was made. Read more »

Washington, D.C. (May 10th, 2016) - Yesterday Andy Johnson, a rancher in Fort Bridger, Wyoming, claimed a victory over the Environmental Protection Agency, retaining his stock pond that was permitted by the appropriate state agencies. The EPA claimed jurisdiction over the pond and threatened tens of thousands of dollars in daily fines as long as the pond remained, saying the pond required federal permitting as well. The terms of the settlement assure that the Johnson family will pay no fines, does not concede any federal jurisdiction to regulate the pond, and that the government will not pursue any further enforcement. Read more »

Washington, D.C. (May 9th, 2016) – Today the Congressional Western Caucus kicked off a new video series to show the opportunities, challenges, and problems facing the West and the country as a whole when it comes to federal land management and the growing federal footprint. Read more »

Washington, D.C. (April 20th, 2016) –Yesterday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) caved to pressure from serial litigants in abandoning a common sense Endangered Species Act (ESA) proposal. This surrender rolled back one of the few positive moves by the Obama Administration to improve the ESA. In May of 2015, the FWS proposed changes to the process under which the FWS… Read more »

Washington, D.C. (March 15, 2016) – Today, U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced that the outer-continental shelf of the Mid-Atlantic coast would be off limits to oil and gas production under its 5-year plan for offshore energy production. Read more »

Washington, D.C. (February 29, 2016)-Late last week, Western Caucus Chairman Cynthia Lummis (WY-At large) and Coal Caucus Chairman David B. McKinley, P.E. (WV-01) co-led 11 fellow Members of the U.S. House in sending a letter to Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. The letter demanded the legal justification for the Administration’s recent moratorium on any new leases for coal production on federal land as well as the estimate of jobs that will be lost because of the new lease moratorium. Read more »

Washington, D.C. (February 26, 2016) –Today the U.S. House passed with a bipartisan vote H.R. 2406, the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act. Read more »