Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-03) said, “Rather than working on real issues like reducing inflation and improving the economy, Joe Biden came to Colorado today to unilaterally lock up hundreds of thousands of acres through the stroke of his pen and prevent Coloradans from using our public lands for activities that we want and need. Shamefully, Biden ignored the concerns and opposition of impacted communities so he could appease Green New Deal extremists. Equally troubling, they hid their true motivations and failed to be transparent about the harm and restrictions that will result from this massive land grab. With gas prices skyrocketing, OPEC decreasing its oil production, and Americans already struggling to pay their utility bills, this land grab to shut down American energy and natural resources production could not come at a worse time.
“I have a few questions the fake news should ask Joe Biden about his land grab: With gas prices approaching $4.00 per gallon, how does preventing oil and gas production on 280,000 acres help and when will you stop your attacks on responsible energy production? Since you are also preventing mining on 280,000 acres, where are you going to get the minerals for all your electric vehicles, children mining with their bare hands in the Congo? Why did you claim you are taking today’s action in part to benefit the tribes, when the nearest tribal reservation is 4 ½ hours away? How many less trips overseas would you have to take to beg OPEC and the Saudi Prince to increase oil production if you allowed responsible energy production on the lands you locked up today? Why did you put the priorities of Green New Deal extremists ahead of hard-working Coloradans? How many catastrophic wildfires are going to burn as a result of your land grab that prevents timber harvesting and forest management?”
“As if it weren’t enough for Joe Biden to deplete our emergency strategic petroleum reserves for political gamesmanship and then getting brushed off by OPEC after begging them to increase oil supply, he is now doubling down on incompetence," House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (AR-04) said. "Taking even more domestic production off the table is attacking American energy production, American jobs, American workers and leaving American consumers to pay the tab.”
Background:
Despite significant local opposition and concerns, Joe Biden unilaterally implemented a massive land grab in Colorado today, preventing responsible energy production and mining on 225,000 acres for 22 years and creating a new 53,000-acre national monument in Colorado that will also prevent these activities as well as forest management and timber harvesting.
The Thomson Divide mineral withdrawal is the latest in a string of Biden administration attacks on American energy and mineral development. President Biden has leased less acreage for oil and gas development than any president in history while simultaneously depleting the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), making the U.S. increasingly vulnerable to the whims of OPEC+ nations. At a time when Americans are facing rising prices at the pump, this action will ban new energy development in a region with longstanding oil and gas production.
The CORE Act, land grab legislation introduced by Senator Bennet, sought to lock up more land on nearly 400,000 acres, 73,000 acres of which would be designated as the most extreme land designation of new wilderness. For more than a decade, the CORE Act landgrab failed to get the support necessary to be signed into law.
Because of their failure to pass a bill through Congress, despite Democrats controlling the House, Senate, and Presidency, Green New Deal extremists and out of touch politicians asked Biden to unilaterally take today’s action. The real goal of the extremists that made this revised request is to permanently prohibit mining, timber harvesting, as well as responsible oil and gas production on this land.
Presidents on both sides of the aisle have abused the Antiquities Act ~270 different times to lock up hundreds of millions of acres of land and water. The Camp Hale National Monument is the first national monument designated by Biden under the Antiquities Act of 1906. The Obama-Biden administration abused the Antiquities Act more than any other administration in history, using it 34 times to lock up 553,599,880 acres of land and water as national monuments, representing 66 percent of all of the land and water ever designated as a national monument using the Antiquities Act. The Obama-Biden administration used the Antiquities Act to lock up an average of 189,589 acres every day in office, or an area roughly equivalent to the size of Biden’s home state of Delaware for every month of the administration.
The federal government already owns and controls ~640 millions acres in the U.S. There are 424 National Parks Units and the National Parks maintenance backlog is a staggering $12 billion. The U.S. burns up more than 10 million acres of forest and land each year, and more than 60 million acres are in need of management and considered high risk. The federal estate is much too large already, and we simply aren’t taking care of the lands and assets already under federal control.
Stakeholders who formally objected over the years to legislation containing CORE Act provisions and/or the use of the Antiquities Act to accomplish today’s land grab include: American Energy Alliance, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Forests Resource Council, Americans for Limited Government, American Loggers Council, Archuleta County (Colorado), Arizona Cattle Growers Association, Arizona Farm Bureau, Arizona Power Authority, Arrowhead Snowmobile Club, Becky Norton Dunlop, Assistant Secretary, Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior (1988-1989), Buena Vista Snowdrifters, California Farm Bureau, Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Center for Energy & Environment, Cheyenne County (Colorado), Coalition of AZ/NM Counties, Colorado Blizzards, Colorado Consulting Foresters, Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado Livestock Association, Colorado Oil & Gas Association, Colorado Snowmobile Association, Colorado Off Highway Vehicle Coalition, Colorado Wool Growers Association, Conservatives for Property Rights, Dolores County (Colorado), Douglas Creek Conservation District, enCore Energy, The Energy Council, Federal Forests Resource Coalition, Flattoppers Snowmobile Club, Freemont County (Colorado), Gene Glover, County Commissioner of Rio Grande County (Colorado), Golden Vertex Corp., Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce, Grant County Cattle Growers Association (New Mexico), Gunnison County SnoTrackers, Heritage Action for America, Holy Cross Powder Hounds, Idaho Farm Bureau Federation, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Independent Petroleum Association of America, Industrial Minerals Association – North America, Lake City Continental Divide Club, Less Government, John Galusha, County Commissioner of Huerfano County (Colorado), Mesa County (Colorado), Midvalley Snowmobile Club, Mineral County (Colorado), Montezuma County (Colorado), National Mining Association, National Stone Sand and Gravel Association, New Mexico Business Coalition, New Mexico Federal Lands Council, North Park Snow Snakes, Off-Road Business Association, One Voice, Pikes Peak High Riders, Platoro West Inc., Prime Fuels Corp., Protect Americans Now, Public Lands Council, Public Lands for the People, Rifle Snowmobile Club, Routt Powder Riders, Sabre Gold, Sangre Snowrunners Snowmobile Club, San Juan Sledders Snowmobile Club, S&W Adventure Riders, San Juan Trail Riders, Snow Country Explorers, Summit Snow Riderz, Trails Preservation Alliance (Colorado), Uncompahgre Valley Trail Riders, United 4-Wheel Drive Association, United Snowmobile Alliance of America, Washington Farm Bureau, West Slope Colorado Oil & Gas Association, Western Energy Alliance, White River Conservation District, White River Snowmobile Club, Wolf Creek Trailblazers, and Yavapai County Cattle Growers.
Members of Congress who formally objected to today’s action include: Reps. Lauren Boebert (CO-03), Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Ken Buck (CO-04), Byron Donalds (FL-19), Russ Fulcher (ID-01), Louie Gohmert (TX-01), Paul Gosar (AZ-04), Doug Lamborn (CO-05), Troy Nehls (TX-22), Scott Perry (PA-10), and Adrian Smith (NE-03).
