The U.S. House of Representatives has passed three resolutions under the Congressional Review Act to reverse resource management plans (RMPs) finalized during the previous administration. These RMPs had restricted access to millions of acres of land and mineral resources in Alaska, Montana, and North Dakota.
House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) commented on the passage of these resolutions, stating: “This is a great day for Americans across the country as we continue our work to unleash our natural resources, support local economies and communities and strengthen our energy and national security. We are supporting good-paying jobs, protecting critical state revenue and ensuring we are putting our nation back on the path to energy dominance. I want to thank Representatives Begich, Downing and Fedorchak for their leadership and work to repeal these harmful resource management plans on behalf of their states.”
H.J. Res. 104, introduced by Representative Troy Downing (R-Mont.), aims to repeal an RMP affecting Montana’s Miles City Field Office. This plan had restricted over 2.75 million acres of land and 11.7 million acres of mineral estate in Montana, including coal deposits in the Powder River Basin, which accounts for about 30 percent of U.S. coal resources.
H.J. Res. 105 was introduced by Representative Julie Fedorchak (R-N.D.) and targets an RMP in North Dakota that limited access to more than four million acres of land in the state. The plan also prohibited coal leasing on most of North Dakota’s coal deposits and halted mineral leasing on a significant portion of oil and gas acreage.
H.J. Res. 106, sponsored by Representative Nick Begich (R-Alaska), seeks to overturn an RMP that locked up more than 13 million acres in Alaska. Repealing this plan could facilitate projects such as the Ambler Road and Alaska LNG Pipeline.
Each resolution aligns with executive orders from President Trump focused on expanding American energy production and increasing use of domestic resources.
