Commentary: Congressman Steve Pearce today introduced legislation to protect thousands of jobs and federal and state revenues provided by oil and gas production on federal lands. The enforcement of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Onshore Order 3 Rule will result in job loss and reduced State funding for education, hospitals, law enforcement, and other essential services.
“Over a year ago, we allowed Americans to export oil – for the first time in forty years – strengthening our economy and creating substantial job growth. The last Administration imposed a number of burdensome regulations on oil and gas production on federal lands, forcing small businesses to incur unnecessary costs and increasing our reliance on foreign oil. This specific regulation will significantly threaten small and mid-sized businesses operating on federal lands in Southeast New Mexico,” said Rep. Pearce.
The Bureau of Land Management administers onshore federal energy and mineral resources, covering nearly 700 million acres of federal mineral and energy resources. Onshore Oil and Gas Order No. 3 was part of the previous Administration’s last ditch effort to over-regulate federal mineral production. The regulation will increase processing requirements and bureaucratic hurdles on small businesses without increasing measuring accuracy. Unfortunately, most small businesses will not be able to afford these changes and will be forced to discontinue production, reducing the amount of revenues paid to both the state and federal governments.
Rep. Pearce continued to state, “these regulations only impose unnecessary regulatory burdens on domestic energy production forcing increased costs on small businesses and pushing federal, and state, revenues overseas. I introduced this bill today to ensure the production of reliable energy remains in America, saving good paying jobs for the people of Southern New Mexico.”
Background
H.J.Res. 56 was introduced utilizing the Congressional Review Act to overturn last minute regulations from the Obama Administration. Original co-sponsors of the bill include Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Rep. Christ Stewart (R-UT), Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Rep. Lamborn (R-CO), Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Rep. Amata Radewagen (R-American Samoa), Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX).