Hageman Introduces Legislation to Protect Wyoming’s Jobs and Energy from Biden’s Favoritism
Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Harriet Hageman introduced legislation to protect Wyoming’s energy industry and jobs from the federal government’s continued weaponization of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Congresswoman Hageman’s bill automatically disqualifies certain decisions from being classified as “major federal actions” under NEPA to ensure that new coal, critical mineral, and fluid mineral leases are not subject to disproportionately onerous NEPA requirements. This bill establishes greater regulatory parity between Wyoming’s legacy industries and the Biden-Harris Administration’s preferred industries. This legislation takes the formula that other industries have used to carve themselves out of onerous NEPA processes and applies it to Wyoming oil, gas, coal, and critical minerals.
The CHIPS and Science Act, signed into law in 2022, authorized $280 billion to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing and included NEPA carveouts that expedite projects for these administration-favored industries. At the same time, however, conservatives in Congress have faced repeated obstacles to reform NEPA to grant America’s energy sector similar privileges. Congresswoman Hageman’s new legislation seeks to bring comparable regulatory relief to certain extraction industries that are vital to Wyoming’s economy, to national security, and to providing affordable and reliable energy for everyone in America, thereby ensuring that these sectors are not held back by excessive regulations.
“While the Biden Administration has created carveouts to further his agenda, it has weaponized NEPA against Wyoming’s legacy industries, such as coal, oil, and gas,” said Congresswoman Hageman. “My legislation levels the playing field, ensuring that reliable energy projects aren’t singled out for unnecessarily long environmental analysis. It’s time to put an end to the government picking winners and losers. The Biden Administration’s NEPA process has been used to benefit its allies while leaving hardworking Wyoming families and communities behind.”
Background:
NEPA requires federal agencies to assess the environmental impact of major actions, but it has increasingly been manipulated to delay or block critical energy and mineral projects. The Biden Administration’s approach has created a two-tier system where industries aligned with his political activism benefit from expedited processes, while energy and mining sectors, essential to Wyoming’s and America’s economy, face heightened regulatory burdens. Congresswoman Hageman’s legislation will restore fairness by exempting energy and mineral activities on federal lands from NEPA, ensuring all industries are treated equally and that our jobs and energy future are not disadvantaged.
Contact: Esteban Elizondo, Communications Director