Washington, D.C. — U.S. Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-03), House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR-04), and Western Slope Oil & Gas Association Executive Director Chelsie Miera released the following statements opposing the latest Colorado-Utah land grab by the Biden-Harris Administration's Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
“Once again, the Biden-Harris Administration and the radical progressives in charge of BLM are attempting to lock up our public lands from critical uses like oil & gas exploration. Instead of putting Coloradans first, they're continuing to bend the knee to Green New Deal worshippers who want to destroy Colorado's oil & gas industry and the tens of thousands of good-paying jobs that support families across the state. Our children will lose out on millions of dollars for education from this tyrannical seizure of our land and there is nothing balanced about it. Obama, Biden and Harris have tried to use the Gunnison Sage-Grouse's ugly, non-endangered cousin, the Greater Sage-Grouse, to lock up more than 183 million acres in the West. This new land grab attempt doubles down to lock up tens of millions of acres more of surface and subsurface mineral rights. There was no consideration by this regime of what is actually best for all Coloradans. I will fight this newest land grab just like I've done for every ridiculous attempt from the Biden-Harris Administration and BLM to damage our economy.” said Congresswoman Boebert.
“This is just the latest attempt from BLM to prioritize environmental activists over the economic needs of local communities,” said House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR-04). “By limiting the ability of domestic energy producers to use our public lands, the Biden-Harris Administration will continue to drive up energy costs for hard working American families. House Republicans will work to stop this nonsensical war on American energy and will make sure Americans know that we cannot trust this Administration when it comes to supporting American jobs and reducing energy costs.”
"In a state with the most stringent regulations on oil and gas development for our private, state, and federal lands, it is frustrating for our oil & gas employees to watch the Biden-Harris Administration continue to make production of our clean, reliable and affordable natural gas nearly impossible in Colorado," said Chelsie Miera, Executive Director of Western Slope Oil & Gas Association. "We are grateful to Congresswoman Boebert for her continued advocacy in support of the thousands of families who work in our oil & gas industry and Coloradans who depend on our energy production."
Background:
This week, the Biden-Harris Administration unleashed another massive land grab in Colorado and Utah when the agency released Records of Decision for the Big Game Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment, the Gunnison Sage-Grouse Resource Management Plan Amendment, and plans for the Grand Junction and Colorado River Valley Field Offices.
Establishing a one-mile buffer completely around this Gunnison Sage-Grouse’s habitat and drastically reducing surface disturbances in the bird’s habitat is ridiculous and unnecessary.
The BLM’s record of decision for oil and gas management that amends resource management plans in Colorado significantly changes the management plans and could hinder responsible energy production on six million surface acres managed by BLM and 16 million acres of BLM-managed sub-surface mineral estate and closes off low and medium potential oil and gas areas.
In this land grab, BLM also amended 11 Resource Management Plans in Colorado and Utah to lock up land for Gunnison sage-grouse habitat on more than two million acres of BLM-managed public land and nearly three million acres of public subsurface mineral estate.
Changes to the Colorado River Valley and Grand Junction Field Office RMPs also close off low and medium potential oil and gas areas. These bureaucratic seizures also designate new wilderness areas that contribute to catastrophic wildfires as they prevent active forest management and mechanical thinning.
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