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Chris Stewart on Energy & Oil |
We, the people of Utah, are capable of protecting our own backyard from abuse or exploitation. We are capable of protecting the true wilderness that we love without cutting off so many of our lands to multiple use.
De-federalizing public lands is vital to a coherent energy strategy. It will lead to greater energy independence, an issue that is critical to our national security.
And at a time when the rising cost of energy is devastating middle-class families, our leaders in Washington DC are making it more and more difficult to develop energy on public lands. Over the last two years, oil development on federal lands is down 13%, while natural gas development is down 10%. This is a direct result of Pres. Obama's unwillingness to allow drilling on public lands.