WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Western Caucus Chair Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) led ten of her colleagues in sending a letter today to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Chairman Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) requesting that the subcommittee take action on five major issues that significantly impact the economic and environmental well-being of the west.
The letter focuses on the damage done by the Biden administration rejecting input from those out west and giving control to unelected bureaucrats in Washington who are pushing a radical activist-driven agenda that is harmful to the western way of life.
“As members of the Senate Western Caucus, we seek to promote and defend the western way of self-reliance, local decision-making, and love of the land. We believe the most successful land management policies are collaborative in nature and take into full consideration those whose heritage and livelihoods are tied to our lands and resources. Those who are closest and depend the most on the land are best equipped to take on land management challenges,” said the senators.
Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), John Barrasso (R-WY), Steve Daines (R-MT), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ted Cruz (R-TX), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Lee (R-UT), James Risch (R-ID) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) joined Sen. Lummis in sending the letter.
Click here to read the letter.
Requests in the Letter:
- Block the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Conservation and Landscape Health Rule
- The BLM’s proposed new public land management guidelines would allow out-of-state activists to tie up millions of acres of public lands that people out west have lived off of for generations.
- Block the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan 2.0 Rule and the MATS Rule
- The EPA’s assault on American energy producers not only violates the Supreme Court’s ruling in West Virginia v. EPA, but more importantly will prematurely shut down fossil fuel power plants that support the west and provide good paying jobs.
- Continue Prohibition on Greater Sage-Grouse Listing
- Enabling state and local communities to make informed decisions on the ground remains the most effective approach for conserving the greater sage-grouse and sustaining rural western communities.
- Wild Horse & Burro Management
- Because wild horse and burro populations double every four years, the federal government needs to take the necessary steps to prevent overpopulation that would pose a threat to western rangeland.
- Wildfire Suppression and Prevention
- Congress must prioritize proven methods of forest management and securing adequate fire suppression resources to protect the west from the deadly threats of wildfires.
About the Senate Western Caucus
The Senate Western Caucus is a group of Senators from western and rural states who are committed to upholding the fundamental principles of the west. The Caucus is composed of 27 senators from 15 states west of the Mississippi River.
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