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Mar 25, 2024
During a House Natural Resources Committee hearing last week, Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY) spoke about a Bureau of Land Management policy.
Be nice to represent Hagaman for 5 minutes on HR6085.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm proud to testify on my bill to prohibit the finalization of the draft Resource Management Plan or RMP revision and its associated draft Environmental impact statement from the Bureau of Land Management that would severely restrict grazing, mining, oil and gas development, recreation and other activities on 3.6 million acres in Wyoming.
As everyone in this committee is aware of, BLM field districts are required to update their resource management plans in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, or flip phone. In 2011, the Rock Springs Field Office began the process of updating its own plan prior to release of the new draft plan, the Rock Springs Rock Springs Field Office had used and implemented the existing RMP since 1997.
The new draft, however, that was released for public comment in 2023, is gaining national attention for its unprecedented Attack on land access and use. The RP contains 4 alternatives for the planning area, including Alternative B which is the no action Alternative.
BLM's Preferred Alternative B, which would have tremendous negative consequences for the State of Wyoming, our nation, energy independence, access to millions of acres of land and national security,
Alternative C which severely restricts recreational activities and alternative deed which attempts to balance various uses with the development and conservation, but also significantly hinders existing projects on federal lands.
To say that the draft plan isn't as bad is an understatement, and alternatives BNC are especially bad for Wyoming, which was why there was so much opposition from my constituents. In typical.Passion the federal government has chosen the very alternative that has the most community opposition and would do the most damage.
In total, under the preferred alternative, about two to 2.5 million acres of land would not be available for new rights of way. This would be an increase of more than 480% placed off limits for such things as power lines, pipelines and Maintaining roads.
The RMP route severely restricts vehicle access, including upwards of 4500 miles of existing roads and trails of all uses, and would remove about 10,000 miles of routes from the transportation network. The plan even calls for limiting vehicles to designated roads across the landscape, but it doesn't clarify roads it will designate for travel.
The draft RMP designates 1.8 million acres of the planning area as areas of Critical Environmental Concern, or a CC's, which undermine all great opportunities for economic development, particularly as it relates to energy production, grazing and mineral extraction. This is an increase of 1.3 million workers.
Compared to what's currently in the plan, the Preferred alternative significantly impacts Wyoming energy production, which is essential to the state and local economy, as well as to national energy independence and security, according to the Department of Interior. In calendar year 2022, Louisville Minerals and Sweetwater County alone netted over $32 million in revenue for the federal government and $433 million in total for the state of Wyoming.
This is not just about mining or energy and mineral extraction, however. This is one of the largest land grabs we've ever seen in an all-out assault on every vital Wyoming industry and the rule of law.
Wyoming ranchers are facing a ban on livestock raising and big game habitat during the birthing season, prohibiting range improvement projects such as troughs, reservoirs and fences, and suspending AUM that are currently authorized within the planning area.
The Way I'm In Stock Growers Association highlighted many of the specific impacts this proposed alternative would have on grazing. Including the ability to control noxious weeds and other invasive plants species.
Most disheartening about this is the fact that it ignored stakeholder input over the past 12 years. The administration continues to insert itself into every community in America under the guise of claiming to do good, only to outright ignore the communities needs, and to pursue bad policies in the pursuit of political goals for the administration's political goals for this administration. Goals that are not shared by Wyoming, and goods and goals that are not in the best interests of our country.
In a letter to the Rock Springs Field office, Wyoming Sweetwater County Commissioners highlighted the fact that: “behind closed doors, without any coordination with the county or other cooperating agencies, the BLM has taken a completely politically driven reversal from its original direction and released a proposed RMP and EIS that eliminates multiple use within the Rock Springs Field Office and in turn, Sweetwater County.”
Mr. Chairman, we've seen this kind of thing happen in other areas including within the Bears Ears monument designation in Utah and others in Colorado and Arizona. We need to put a stop to these illegal land grabs, administrative overreach, and outright violation of our federal Land Management laws. We need to protect our communities.
The alternatives laid out in the Rock Springs RMP, particularly alternative B will destroy Wyoming's local economy. We cannot go on like this.
I urge my colleagues to support my bill, which would nullify the implementation of this monstrosity of a plan.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And with that I yield back.