WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), released the following statement in response to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) final announcement on the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan (RMP). This decision threatens energy workers and their communities in Wyoming and across the West.

“The Biden-Harris administration is pushing Wyoming off an economic cliff with nothing more than a tattered parachute,” said Senator Barrasso. “The Rock Springs Resource Management Plan strangles responsible natural resource development. This plan isn’t designed to manage Wyoming’s natural resources. It is designed to suffocate them. While I’m grateful for the efforts of those on the ground in Wyoming who worked to improve the original proposal, the plan unveiled today directly jeopardizes Wyoming’s economy and our way of life.”

Senator Barrasso questioned Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland on the Rock Springs RMP at a May 2, 2024 ENR hearing, highlighting BLM’s continued practice of ignoring the people who would be most affected by this plan. Watch their exchange here.