NE Wyoming News

On September 19, 2024, Congresswoman Harriet Hageman's bill, H.R. 6085, aimed at prohibiting the implementation of the proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Environmental Impact Statement for the Rock Springs RMP Revision, was passed by the House Natural Resources Committee.

Representative Hageman commented on the bill's passage: “The BLM's proposed Rock Springs Resource Management Plan and proposed Final Environmental Impact Statement will substantially reduce economically productive and environmentally safe land uses and activities. It is a de-facto land lockout, converting thousands of acres of multiple-use designated federal land in Wyoming to be set aside for non-use and non-access. This is exactly what the radical environmentalists have been demanding and what the Biden-Harris administration has been hell-bent on implementing across the West."

Hageman further elaborated on her concerns: “It is impossible to overestimate the devastation this RMP will cause to our local communities, our State and our country, due to the impact on our mining, grazing, recreation, and energy industries – all because bureaucrats in Washington, DC are buying into the ‘climate change’ hysterics of the Biden-Harris administration rather than following scientific analysis and facts. It is critical Congress stops this attack on Wyoming and the west, and today’s vote to nullify the Rock Springs RMP is a major step in the right direction.”

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman supported Hageman's legislation: “The Biden-Harris administration is intent on destroying the western way of life, cutting off multiple uses of federal lands that many communities have depended on for generations. Congresswoman Hageman’s essential legislation will fight back against these devastating land lockups and force the Biden-Harris administration to listen to local communities. I’d like to applaud her for countering the environmental extremists in the Biden-Harris administration and fighting for the people of Wyoming and all Americans’ access to our natural resources.”

The National Mining Association endorsed H.R. 6085. Rich Nolan, President and CEO of NMA, expressed his support: “Today’s passage of legislation out of Committee to block BLM’s proposed Rock Springs RMP is an important step forward in reversing the harm this plan would have on communities across Wyoming and numerous industries in the state, including mining. BLM’s proposed plan aggressively prioritizes land conservation over multiple uses and would lock up hundreds-of-thousands of acres from potential energy and mineral production at the very moment U.S. electricity and mineral demand are both soaring. We applaud Representative Hageman’s leadership in pushing back against BLM’s misguided proposal and strongly encourage the House to pass this urgent legislation.”