Senator Barrasso introduced Micah before Senate ENR Committee
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) welcomed Wyoming County Commissioners Association Natural Resource Counsel Micah Christensen to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee this week.
Mr. Christensen testified at a hearing to examine how the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land use planning process under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) affects permitting for energy, mining, grazing, and infrastructure projects on federal lands.
Senator Barrasso introduced Mr. Christensen to the committee prior to his testimony.
“Micah works closely with Wyoming’s county commissioners every day on federal natural resource issues,” said Senator Barrasso. “Over the past few years, Micah has worked to defend and represent Wyoming’s interests when it comes to federal land management. He has become a pivotal voice for Wyoming and seen firsthand the federal overreach from the previous administration. I am grateful he is here with us today to discuss the Federal Land Management and Policy Act.”
During the hearing, Barrasso highlighted how Wyoming and other western states rely on access to our federal lands for a variety of uses, including grazing, timber harvesting, recreation and energy and mineral production.
“We have seen an increase in federal overreach, particularly in land management across Wyoming. Many of these designations have originated from Washington D.C. rather than local Wyoming offices. Field staff follow directions from the current administration that could be favorable or not towards locally led initiatives. Ultimately, final approval comes from back East,” said Senator Barrasso. “I continue to rely upon Wyoming stakeholders and look to many in the state for advice. Almost half of the land in Wyoming is owned by the federal government. These are public places that people from Wyoming depend on accessing for their livelihoods. Congress directed grazing, timber harvesting, recreation, energy and mineral production to take place on federal lands.”
Click here to watch Mr. Christensen’s remarks.
In his testimony, Christensen highlighted the important role local land managers and county commissioners play in coordinating with the BLM to manage federal lands in Wyoming.
“Changing administrative priorities that move planning decision authority out of local field offices to Washington D.C. harms our working relationships with local land managers, undermines the planning process, and jeopardizes the use and protection of the natural resources that FLPMA intends to be conserved,” said Christensen. “These landscapes and resources cannot be managed on four- or eight-year terms, but must be grounded in the coordination and cooperative federalism principles that FLPMA and NEPA envisioned and demand.”
“We desperately need federal agencies to empower local land managers on the ground, who understand the impacts of management actions on the communities they live in, that prioritize relationships with local governments, and work under the requirements set by Congress in FLPMA and NEPA, so that we can cooperatively craft RMPs that can carefully address the moral issue of conservation to the betterment of ourselves and future generations of Americans,” continued Christensen.
You can read Christensen’s entire committee statement here, and listen to Senator Barrasso’s questions here.
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