On the recordApril 30, 2024
Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Westerman, the chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3397, the Western Economic Security Today Act. Since day one in office, President Biden has consistently attacked our Western way of life. His administration's latest effort is one of the most egregious examples of Federal overreach against our public lands in decades. Two weeks ago, the Bureau of Land Management finalized their conservation and landscape health rule in spite of staunch opposition to the proposal. This rule illegally elevates conservation under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act's multiple-use mandate for public lands, contrary to congressional intent, and means that America's lands could be locked up from their intended purposes. The rule threatens production of America's abundant natural resources, grazing, and recreational access to our public lands, all for the sake of a political handout to climate alarmists and activists. As chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, I have been fighting against this rule because prosperity in rural Western America is under attack. I am proud to join my friend from Utah in support of this legislation to overturn this rule and protect our Western way of life.





