Natural Resources
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Reps. Bruce Westerman, Doug Lamalfa,, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Matt Rosendale, and Cliff Bentz
Over the past year and a half — as Democrats have controlled both chambers of Congress and the White House — rural communities across the country have been harmed by the failed policies coming out of our nation’s capital. As Members who represent these communities, we have worked tirelessly to elevate their voices and bring to light the negative impacts our constituents are experiencing.
REPS. BRUCE WESTERMAN (R-ARK.) AND YVETTE HERRELL (R-N.M.)
No one likes filling up their car at a gas station. It feels like the most necessary of evils, spending money on something we never see but depend on to go about our daily lives. What was once a routine errand has now become a significant strain on family budgets, as the price of oil continues to climb with no end in sight.
President Biden said last month that he was doing “everything in [his] power” to bring down gas prices, while simultaneously blaming Vladimir Putin for the problem and taking no responsibility for his own part in the crisis. While Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine is certainly contributing to higher energy prices worldwide, the reality is, President Biden’s own reckless policies started the energy crisis well before Russia invaded Ukraine.
Rep. Bruce Westerman
I’ve had the privilege of visiting all 50 states, and I can confidently say America is unparalleled in its beauty, diversity, heritage, and bounty of natural resources. From deserts, to mountains, to marshes, to coastlines, and everything in between, ours is a country unlike any other. Church organist Katherine Lee Bates perhaps said it best when, inspired by her view from atop Pikes Peak, she penned the now familiar refrain, “Oh beautiful, for spacious skies/For amber waves of grain/For purple mountain majesties/Above the fruited plain.”
This week we celebrate Earth Day, where we recognize the need to protect our environment as good stewards of the Earth. “Environment” should not be a dirty word to conservatives. Republican President Teddy Roosevelt became the father of conservation by creating the National Park Service and setting aside 230 million acres of public lands for the nation to protect and enjoy. The Republican party was the first to champion conservation to benefit our communities, and we continue to do so today.
I recently led a group of Western Caucus Congressmen on a tour of Arkansas’ Fourth District to show my colleagues the unique relationship the Natural State has with our natural resources and how we manage and use them to our communities’ advantage. The Western Caucus consists of congressmembers from rural and western states who are invested in policies that particularly affect our constituencies.
WASHINGTON - On April 8 and 9, Vice Chair of the Western Caucus Bruce Westerman (AR-04) led a group of Western Caucus Members on a field tour of Arkansas’ Fourth District.
David Showers
Members of the Congressional Western Caucus said the federal government's ownership of large tracts in the Western United States complicates land management.
"I come from a state where the public land ownership is two-thirds of the land mass," Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-District 1, of Idaho, said Friday after touring the Blakely Mountain Dam power plant. "We've had a terrible time getting access to wisely manage that land, because it's publicly controlled, and it's susceptible to environmental lawsuits."
Rep. Bruce Westerman and Rep. Dan Newhouse
It is no secret that every summer, western states experience what has become an annual season of devastating wildfires. The West is a patchwork of public lands, and the federal government has long neglected its responsibility to actively manage the forests and grasslands it owns.
Rep. Bruce Westerman
Leadership starts with a strong national energy policy, and the United States must lead in our response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Everyone now knows more should have been done to stymie Russia before the invasion, but now we must look forward and lead with confidence and boldness to protect Americans and strengthen our allies in this fight for freedom.