WASHINGTON D.C. – In her most recent report, Rep. Cynthia Lummis discussed three bills which she called “big wins for Wyoming.” The bills focused on American Soda Ash, forests and electricity reliability. 

“Last week, as Vice Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, I supported and voted for three bills that are big wins for Wyoming and are all bipartisan efforts.

H.R. 1992: the American Soda Ash Competitiveness Act will prevent an increase of the soda ash royalty rate to 6 percent at the end of this fiscal year.  Instead, the bill lowers the rate to 2 percent for 5 years to help level the playing field between Wyoming’s natural soda ash and the synthetic, state-subsidized soda ash produced in China.  The soda industry directly employs over 2,000 workers in Wyoming and supports thousands more jobs in the transportation, port, and manufacturing sectors.

H.R. 2358: the Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act will streamline and improve management of electricity rights-of-way on federal lands, which are crucial to power delivery but are threatened by beetle killed trees and other hazards.  This bill will enhance the reliability of the electrical grid in Wyoming, reduce the threat of wildfire, and protect ratepayers.

H.R. 2647: the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015 expedites the National Environmental Policy Act to improve forest management activities.  This will ensure forest health and resilience by efficiently managing fire-prone forested lands.  The bill bolsters proactive management of forests and encourages state and local collaboration on management projects that would prevent catastrophic wildfire.  It also cuts red tape and takes a measured step to prevent unproductive litigation that has held up responsible and environmentally sound projects on our federal forests.

I am really pleased we passed these bipartisan bills critical to Wyoming, her forests, and her working families, out of committee. The next stop is the House floor and the odds are looking good.

Please feel free to contact me to discuss these or other bills.”