Republicans Head West to View Rural Benefits of Federal Energy Production

Press Release

Yesterday, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) joined Republican members of Congress on field tours and a hearing to hear from Americans in New Mexico and Texas about how onshore energy leasing revenues benefit their communities.

"Good policy is best crafted outside the D.C. beltway," Westerman said. "It was a privilege to travel to New Mexico and Texas and hear firsthand how the Biden administration's war on American energy has impacted rural areas. Not only did we talk with oil and gas operators on the ground, but we also heard the other part of the story and discussed with faculty and students about how local education systems benefit from the leasing revenues that oil and gas production provides the states. A rising tide really does lift all boats. When we invest in American resources, American jobs and American economies, the whole world benefits."

"This House Republican majority brings our work out in the field where it belongs," Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Chairman Pete Stauber (R-Minn.) said. "The Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee looks forward to discussing how oil and gas development keeps costs for Americans down nationwide and supports communities in Texas and New Mexico. I was glad to visit the Permian Basin and hear directly from those impacted the most on why we need permitting reform to unleash the full potential of American resources."

"I was extremely honored to welcome the first Natural Resources field hearing of the new Congress to West Texas," U.S. Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) said. "This hearing examined how oil and gas production benefits local communities, and there was no better place to begin this discussion than the Permian Basin. Our region is home to the largest secure supply of oil and gas in the world--it's time for Congress to recognize the benefit the region provides to America's economic and national security."

Background

The members began the day with a tour of an oil rig and natural gas hydraulic fracturing site outside of Hobbs, N.M. Facility operators discussed the state-of-the-art technology and new advancements in carbon capture that they have implemented.

The members then toured the Career and Technical Education Center in Hobbs, which trains high school students to prepare them for technical jobs or pursuits in secondary education. The school was partially funded by the contributions from the oil and gas sector.

The day concluded with a field hearing at the University of Texas Permian Basin, where expert witnesses testified to the ways in which their communities benefit from onshore energy production and how federal policy should help, not hinder, economic opportunity.

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