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Congressman Lummis’ legislation protecting jobs in Southwest Wyoming passes House Natural Resources Committee with bipartisan support.

Wednesday the House Natural Resources Committee voted 28 – 13 in favor of H.R. 957, The American Soda Ash Competitiveness Act, legislation authored by U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo) that restores the federal royalty to 2% for soda ash produced on federal lands.

In 2011 federal soda ash royalty rates were raised by the Obama Administration from 2% to 6 %. The increase by the Administration was voluntary, and occurred during very difficult economic times in the U.S., while at the same time China’s state-owned industry was enjoying heavy government subsidies.

“This is a great step forward for Wyoming and California miners who produce natural soda ash, as well as the longshoremen in Oregon, Texas and California that make sure the product is shipped overseas ,” Rep. Lummis said. “As we inch closer to a better economy in this country, I’m confident this bill will help soda ash producers grow jobs, production, and exports.  I’d like to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for recognizing this, and working to support the Wyoming workers who rely on soda ash production to make a living and feed their families.  As a Congress it should be our mission to encourage, not impede, their success.”

Soda ash is a commonly used product found in household cleaners, detergents, and auto-glass. Sweetwater County soda ash producers employ nearly 3,000 workers in Wyoming alone, along with hundreds of longshoremen at the ports of Portland, Oregon and Port Arthur, Texas. Soda Ash production accounts for nearly one billion dollars to the balance of trade for the U.S. Setting a fair royalty rate is critical to maintaining the American soda ash industry’s competitive edge in the global market.

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