Economy and Jobs

Today, members of the Western Caucus released the following statements after President Trump signed an Executive Order on modernizing America's water resource management and water infrastructure. “Water is a necessity for life and nowhere is that truer than in the West. Water infrastructure powers our homes, ensure farmers have water to irrigate their crops, and ensure our communities of enough to drink. This Executive Order ensures that the expertise is in place to bring our water infrastructur... Read more

Today, members of the Western Caucus released the following statements after President Trump signed an Executive Order on addressing the threat to the domestic supply chain from reliance on critical minerals from foreign adversaries. “The Executive Order signed by President Trump yesterday is a great step in the right direction. The Congressional Western Caucus has been at the forefront of highlighting our unsustainable reliance on foreign adversaries in our critical minerals supply chain and th... Read more

Today, members of the Western Caucus released the following statements after the Environmental Protection Agency announced their final rule on regulatory guidance transparency. “Today’s announcement by EPA is another example of this Administration putting transparency at the forefront of their decision making. The American people deserve to know the exact science that goes behind regulatory decisions and this new rule will make that possible. I thank Administrator Wheeler for his hard work and h... Read more

Today, members of the Western Caucus released the following statements after Interior Secretary David Bernhardt signed a Record of Decision approving the Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska. “Today’s announcement by Secretary Bernhardt is another step towards American energy independence. Oil and gas development in ANWR will not only help fuel our country, but also provide thousands of good-paying jobs for hard working Americans. The ... Read more

Today, members of the Western Caucus released the following statements after it was announced that the American Mineral Security Act would be included in the Senate COVID-19 relief package. “Including the Murkowski/Manchin language addressing our critical mineral shortage in the next COVID response package will be a win for the American people and our national security. We currently rely on China for 20 critical minerals that are essential for our daily lives, that is no longer sustainable. Chin... Read more

Today, members of the Western Caucus released the following statements after the Army Corps of Engineers published the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Pebble Mine project in Alaska. “Today's announcement by the Army Corps is a welcome one and is about fairness. The Pebble Mine should be given the same opportunity to go through the federal environmental review process as any other mining project. Regardless of whether this project meets the needed environmental qualification... Read more

Today, members of the Western Caucus released the following statements after President Trump announced the final rule to modernize the National Environment Policy Act (NEPA). “Today’s announcement by the President that we are updating NEPA is welcome news for everyone in America who likes to see America build things and grow. For too long, NEPA has grown stale, wrapped in judicial decisions, lengthy paperwork requirements and more. What was originally just a checklist for project take off has be... Read more

Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a proposal for public comment concerning processes EPA should undertake when promulgating regulations under the Clean Air Act (CAA) to ensure that information regarding the benefits and costs of regulatory decisions are developed and provided in a consistent and transparent manner. “I applaud this important step taken by the EPA to bring greater accountability and transparency to the federal rulemaking process. My constituents deserve to kn... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule to increase the efficiency and transparency of the Clean Water Act Section 401 certification process. This new rulemaking will ensure that new infrastructure projects will receive a timely review process and ensure that Clean Water Act standards are still being met. “Today’s final rule from EPA is a win for American consumers, workers and our environment. Domestic interstate commerce ties our states together ... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Western Caucus Chairman Paul Gosar (AZ-04) and Rep. Michael Waltz (FL-06) introduced the American Critical Mineral Exploration and Innovation Act of 2020. They were joined by Western Caucus Chair Emeritus and House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Republican Rob Bishop (UT-01), House Committee on Space, Science, and Technology Ranking Republican Frank Lucas (OK-03), and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23). “I am proud to sponsor the American Critical Mi... Read more