Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chairman Dan Newhouse (R-WA) released the following statement in response to the announcement that the House will vote next week on massive federal land grab legislation. The Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act, introduced on February 16, bans oil, gas, and mining leases on 1.2 million acres of land, contributing to President Biden’s devastating attack on American energy security and independence. Additionally, the bill designates nearly 1.5 million acres of public lands as wilderness and incorporates more than 1,000 river miles into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, eliminating responsible recreation opportunities, grazing access, and rural development.

“The fact that Speaker Pelosi is planning to bring this legislation to the House floor next week – when it was just introduced yesterday – demonstrates her refusal to acknowledge the reality facing American families in the West and across the nation,” said Chairman Newhouse. “Our country continues to grapple with the unprecedented impacts of a global pandemic, thousands of Americans have received a pink slip in the face of President Biden’s executive orders gutting the energy industry, and yet here we are in the U.S. House of Representatives bringing forth legislation that continues to trample upon the voices of rural communities and further harm oil, gas, and mining communities.

He continued, “The Western Caucus opposes federal land grabs that ignore the priorities of local communities, and we will continue to focus on promoting safe, responsible, domestic mineral development – particularly as American workers lose their jobs due to the Biden Ban.”