Press Releases

Washington, D.C. (April 11, 2013) – President Obama released his budget Wednesday, which included $1.1 trillion in new tax revenues over the next 10 years, an additional $8.2 trillion in debt during the same period, and countless new bureaucratic hurdles for small businesses to leap through. Congressional Western Caucus Co-Chairs Steve Pearce (R-NM) and Cynthia Lummis (R-NM) released the following statements in response to the President’s budget:

“I am very disappointed that the President has decided to continue his war on the West by piling on new regulations and fees for oil and gas producers in his 2014 budget,” said Congressman Steve Pearce. “Oil and gas producers already have to jump through hoops to drill on federal lands, and the provisions outlined in this budget proposal will make it nearly impossible for the industry to develop energy on federal lands. The President loves to take credit for oil and gas development on private and state lands, yet he is dead set on killing exploration and development on federal lands. In addition to his attack on our energy producers, President Obama also made further cuts to the Wildlands fire program, leaving our forests without the protection they need heading into fire season. Last year was one of the worst fire seasons on record, and our forests can’t afford a repeat of last years’ damages.”

“The Department of the Interior’s FY14 budget is quite the parting shot from Secretary Salazar,” said Congressman Cynthia Lummis.  “It’s as if they sit around and try to out-do each other on how badly they can hurt Western economies and communities.  Here’s some lowlights: New taxes to hinder development of oil, gas and coal; new fees to feed the insatiable appetite for more red-tape; a completely nonsensical proposal to punish developers for not operating when the federal government blocks them from operating in the first place; a one-two punch of new taxes on hard-working ranchers paired with dramatic cuts in rangeland management, and; a stunning disregard for the needs of the West to fight wildfires.  Some have wondered about the ‘War on the West.’  Here is your proof.”

For more information about the Congressional Western Caucus, please visitwww.westerncaucus.pearce.house.gov.