WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and 16 of their colleagues reintroduced the Protecting Our Wealth of Energy Resources (POWER) Act to prohibit the president or his secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture or Energy from blocking energy or mineral leasing and permitting on federal lands and waters without Congressional approval.
“Federal lands and water belong to the people of the United States. These resources should be used to power our country and keep Americans employed. This bill installs needed safeguards to ensure that no president can unilaterally pull the plug on American energy production and put thousands out of work the way this president has done the past two years,” said Dr. Cassidy.
“Wyoming can power the nation, and the U.S. can power the world. President Biden’s executive orders and administrative actions taking aim at energy and mineral development on public lands hurt our economy, communities across the west and the environment by forcing our nation to rely on countries with lower environmental standards for importing energy,” said Senator Lummis. “We have borne witness to the negative impacts of these policies through record high gas prices and increased prices on goods and services we rely on every day. Not to mention, these efforts are illegal. It is time for Congress to take back its authority and to unleash American energy and mineral potential.”
Cassidy and Lummis are joined by U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Mike Braun (R-IN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Hoeven (R-SD), Ron Johnson (R-WI), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Lee (R-UT), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Jim Risch (R-ID), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) in cosponsoring the legislation.
Cassidy, Lummis, and a quarter of the Senate introduced identical legislation last Congress to block Biden’s energy bans. Learn more here.
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