Lummis Slams Biden Administration Rule that Would Drive up Cost to Drill on Public Lands

July 21, 2023

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senate Western Caucus Chair Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) released the following statement after the Biden administration announced a new rule that would drastically increase the cost of drilling oil and gas on public lands.

"As Americans continue to feel the pain of record inflation, the Biden Administration today chose to further ignite the flames by increasing royalty rates on domestic oil and gas producers. This shortsighted action will only raise the price at the pump for people in Wyoming while discouraging domestic energy production and increasing our energy dependence on foreign adversaries. Mr. President, this continuous onslaught on the people and industries of Wyoming has to stop," said Sen. Lummis. "It's time for Congress to take up and pass my POWER Act to prohibit the president - once and for all - from blocking energy production on federal lands and waters without Congressional approval.

This rule would increase the cost to drill on public lands to nearly 17%.

Lummis is an ardent defender of domestic energy production. The first bill Sen. Lummis introduced when coming to the Senate was the Protecting Our Wealth of Energy Resources (POWER) Act to prohibit the president or his secretaries of Interior, Agriculture or Energy from blocking energy or mineral leasing and permitting on federal lands and waters without Congressional approval. She reintroduced thePOWER Act at the beginning of this Congress alongside 16 of her colleagues.

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