Jan 21, 2021 Restricting Mineral Development Will “Decimate Jobs”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the Department of Interior Acting Secretary Scott de la Vega’s order halting new drilling permits on public lands and waters, IPAA issued the following statement:
Dan Naatz, IPAA SVP of Government Relations and Political Affairs: “Restricting mineral production on federal lands and waters is a misguided proposal that will decimate jobs and economic development in communities across the country. According to a recent study conducted by the University of Wyoming’s School of Energy Resources, the fiscal and economic losses from President Biden’s proposed leasing moratorium on western states from 2021-2040 is over $640 billion. In their never-ending desire to placate the environmental community, the Democrats are not only willing to destroy the economies of many western states and the Gulf Coast, but also impact world markets. All a leasing ban will do is shift production to Saudi Arabia and Russia, which have far less-stringent environmental controls than American producers.”