Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) is accusing the Biden administration of politicizing new public lands protections, accusing it of prioritizing oil and gas production in Democratic-led New Mexico while curtailing oil and gas production in Wyoming, Alaska, and other conservative states.
In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Lummis, the chairwoman of the Senate Western Caucus, noted that New Mexico is now outproducing her state of Wyoming in the areas of both natural gas (8.4 billion cubic feet per day versus 3.3 billion) and oil (1.76 million barrels per day versus 265,000).
“We’re really frustrated with the Biden administration’s crackdown in Wyoming and Alaska on oil and gas production — and letting it flow freely in New Mexico, which is where (Interior Secretary) Deb Haaland is from,” Lummis said.