WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement Wednesday, after President Biden signed an executive order halting oil and gas leasing on federal lands.

“Today the Biden Administration has taken yet another step to force their elitist coastal values on the rest of America. President Biden’s moratorium on oil and gas leasing on federal lands, will impact states across the west like Utah deeply, affecting education budgets, civil services and much more.

“The University of Wyoming has projected $169M of investment losses in Utah resulting from just a one-year leasing moratorium. This same study predicts $45M of oil and gas production losses and $14M of tax revenue losses. (LINK)

“The Biden Administration claims to support the American worker. Apparently, that doesn’t extend to American energy producers as a leasing moratorium sends a clear signal that their jobs are not welcome here.

“Jobs will be lost. Families will be forced to relocate. Thriving communities will lose their means to continue. And to achieve what? Advocates of these polices argue that greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced. Nothing could be further from the truth. People around the world who use American fuel will still drive on roads and heat their homes. Countries like Saudi Arabia or Russia will easily make up for lost production but with greater impact to the environment.

“The Biden Administration must immediately call off its moratorium on oil and gas energy development and must be completely transparent in how they conduct all related reviews.”