WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate will have the chance to go on the record today to support students and schools in states that will suffer under the Biden administration’s oil and gas leasing ban.

U.S. Senator John Barrasso’s (R-WY) budget amendment would allow for the hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue that states currently receive for public education to be replaced. That funding will be slashed in states like New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming because of President Biden’s executive order to ban new oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters. 

In 2019 alone, revenues from oil and gas production contributed $1.37 billion to New Mexico and $669 million to Colorado public schools. 

“This is very simple,” Barrasso said.  “The Democrats’ reckless energy plan is going to cost states hundreds of millions of dollars. This is revenue states use to fund schools from kindergarten to college. It pays teachers and helps students. Democrats have no idea what the collateral damage of these bans on American energy is going to be for communities across our country.” 

The amendment establishes a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to supporting schools in states with lost revenue due to the federal moratorium on oil and natural gas leasing on public lands and off-shore waters. 

Read the text of the amendment here.

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