Washington, D.C. (RELEASE) January 17th, 2024 — Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources advanced two bills sponsored by Congresswoman Harriet Hageman. H.R. 1246, to authorize leases of up to 99 years for land held in trust for federally recognized Indian tribes, and H.R. 5482, the “Energy Poverty Prevention and Accountability Act of 2023.” Both bills will now be scheduled for a vote of the whole House of Representatives.
Rep. Hageman stated, “I am proud these two priorities were voted out of committee today and look forward to a vote by the full House of Representatives. Simply put, these bills seek to correct government overreach and reduce bureaucratic red tape.
“Legislatively extending leases on trust lands held by federally recognized tribes will streamline a lease extension process that, as currently administered, can take decades to complete. To have true economic development opportunities, tribes must have the ability to offer businesses the certainty of long-term leases.
“Energy poverty is a problem caused by the Biden administration’s war on fossil fuels and it impacts millions of families who face skyrocketing energy costs. This bill describes the implementation of policies which are designed to intentionally drive up the cost of energy – making heating your home, using electricity, or doing anything that requires fossil fuels to become more expensive. Energy poverty hits low income and minority populations especially hard. H.R. 5482 will force the administration to be transparent and provide the data reflecting the impact of energy poverty and expose how harmful these policies really are to hard working Americans.”
Natural Resources Committee Chairman, Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) stated, “Representative Hageman has been a champion for her local constituents, working tirelessly in Committee this Congress. This work includes both H.R. 1246, which allows tribes to boost economic development via commercial and financial leases, and H.R. 5482, which will benefit Wyoming and Americans across the country by studying how burdensome regulations lead to energy poverty. I look forward to continuing to work with Representative Hageman to pass these bills into law.”
