Washington, D.C. (July 29, 2015) – Today the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is holding the first of several “listening sessions” on the Federal Coal Program in Washington, D.C., thousands of miles from the western communities home to the bulk of federal coal. The stated purpose of the listening sessions is to have “an honest and open conversation” about increasing federal coal royalties that at current rates contribute billions annually to federal, state, and tribal coffers. The BLM plans on visiting some of the impacted communities out west next month. Read more »
Washington, D.C. (July 16, 2015) – Today the U.S. House passed HR 2898: the Western Water and American Food Security Act of 2015. The bipartisan vote of 245-176 sends the legislation to the U.S. Senate for consideration. Members of the Congressional Western Caucus secured numerous provisions in the legislation and helped ensure its passage through the House. In addition to providing much-needed water supply to families, farmers and communities in California, the bill will increase critical water storage throughout the west, streamline water project permitting on federal lands, and protect state-endowed water rights from federal water grabs. Read more »
Washington, D.C. (July 10, 2015) – Today President Obama’s Administration announced that it will unilaterally designate 700,000 acres in eastern Nevada as the Basin Range National Monument, undermining a locally-developed land plan that even Sen. Harry Reid supported and dismissing any opportunity for meaningful public input. This designation will put this enormous swathe of land under lock and key, using a modern art project spanning a few hundred acres to justify a land grab of hundreds of thousands of acres.
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Washington, D.C. (July 9, 2015) – Today the U.S. House passed H.R. 2647: the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015. This bipartisan legislation would improve federal forest management practices by restoring fundamental land management capabilities to the U.S. Forest Service, such as routine thinning practices to improve forest health and reduce wildfire threats. The bill also implements a fiscally responsible mechanism to treat catastrophic wildfires equitably with other federally-recognized natural disasters. Read more »
Washington, D.C. (June, 29 2015) – Today the United States Supreme Court ruled against the Environmental Protection Agency in Michigan v. EPA. The court invalidated the EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxic Standards rule, also known as Utility MACT, because the agency refused to consider the rule’s economic costs.
Western Caucus Chairman Cynthia Lummis (WY-at large)… Read more »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senate Western Caucus Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY), Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statements after members of the Senate and Congressional Western Caucuses were successful in securing provisions in the Western Water and American Food Security Act of 2015 to help increase water storage, streamline water permitting and protect water rights in the West. The bill was introduced today by U.S. Representative David G. Valadao (R-CA) in part to address issues related to the drought in California. Read more »
Washington, D.C. (June 23, 2015) – Today the U.S. House passed H.R. 2042: the Ratepayer Protection Act. This legislation would suspend enforcement of the EPA’s rule to force the closure of coal-fired power plants until the resolution of the numerous legal challenges to the rule. The bill would also allow state governors to opt out of the rule should the governor determine the rule would have a significant adverse effect on electricity ratepayers or the reliability of the state’s power grid. Read more »
Washington, D.C. (June 24, 2015) - A federal BLM Hydraulic Fracturing rule was set to go into effect today. If allowed to go forward, this rule would duplicate active state management that has been effectively regulating hydraulic fracturing for decades and responding in recent years to advancing drilling technologies. Yesterday, however, a federal judge in Wyoming district court ordered a stay of the rule until he is able to hear further arguments in pending litigation over the validity of the rule. Read more »
Washington, D.C. (June 19, 2015) – Today the U.S. Forest Service announced full withdrawal of the Proposed Directive on Groundwater Management. The directive, which was proposed in May of 2014, was finally withdrawn after a bipartisan effort to stop the directive and protect the longstanding and effective state management of these waters. Read more »
Washington, D.C. (June 4, 2015) – Today in a press release the EPA announced a draft assessment conducted at the request of Congress to study the potential impacts to drinking water resources from hydraulic fracturing. Read more »
