***For Immediate Release***
Contact: Bo Ollison, 713-524-2388 or 202-549-5292 (cell) bollison@consumerenergyalliance.org
State Legislator Coalition Offers Support for State Mineral Revenue Protection Act
The Energy Producing States Coalition (EPSC) appreciates and supports the efforts of Representative Cynthia M. Lummis (R, WY), Representative Rob Bishop (R, UT 1), Representative Jason Chaffetz (R, UT 3), Representative Kevin Cramer (R, ND), Representative Steve Pearce (R, NM 2), Representative Chris Stewart (R, UT 2), Senator Michael Enzi (R, WY), Senator John Barrasso (R, WY), Senator Tom Udall (D, NM), Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D, ND), Senator Orrin Hatch (R, UT), Senator John Hoeven (R, ND) and Senator James Risch (R, ID) in introducing and co-sponsoring the “State Mineral Revenue Protection Act.” The legislation would ensure that mineral revenue for natural resource development on public lands would be paid directly to those states it is owed to. Currently, mineral revenue is paid to the federal government and then distributed to the states.
This legislation would protect states from future garnishing of state mineral revenue under the justification of sequestration or a similar budgetary proposal. It would directly provide states their guaranteed mineral revenue without being subjected to the whims of the federal government.
While this legislation will not remedy the “theft” of the nearly $110 million in guaranteed mineral revenue that states have already experienced, it is a positive step to eliminate the prospects of similar federal budgetary slight-of-hand in the future. EPSC believes that withholding state mineral revenue payments under any circumstance is inappropriate and supports Congressional actions to eliminate the possibility of any future occurrences. EPSC encourages their entire Congressional delegations to support this important legislation.
Rep. Roger Barrus (UT), Chairman, Energy Producing States Coalition
Sen. Cathy Giessel (AK), Chairman-Elect, Energy Producing States Coalition
Speaker Thomas Lubnau (WY), Immediate Past Chairman, Energy Producing States Coalition
The Executive Committee of the Energy Producing States Coalition
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The Energy Producing States Coalition (EPSC) is a group of like-minded state legislators working together to develop positions and areas of common interest on policies and issues that affect domestic energy production and transmission. The group was founded in 2011 and currently includes legislators representing Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Mississippi, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These legislators work together to develop and advocate for sound public policy in areas of shared interests between energy producing states.