Barrasso visits troops in Middle East, discusses coal lease moratorium

One of the most important and rewarding parts of my job is visiting our men and women in uniform overseas. I was fortunate to meet with and bring a little bit of Wyoming to members of the Wyoming Air National Guard who are currently serving in the Middle East.

Visiting troops in the Middle East

On July 28, I had privilege to meet and thank Wyoming troops serving in the Middle East. Wyoming has more than 30 members of the Wyoming Air National Guard’s 153rd Airlift Wing stationed in the United Arab Emirates. These service members are from communities across the state, including Casper, Cheyenne, Douglas, Pine Bluffs, Rock Springs, Torrington and Wright.

Wyoming can be proud of the outstanding job the members of the 153rd are doing to keep America safe. These brave men and women go to work every day in temperatures that regularly exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit. It was great to talk to them about their families back home, Cheyenne Frontier Days, and how they’re looking forward to a new Wyoming Cowboy football season.

Drought bill passes senate committee

On July 13, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed bipartisan legislation called the Western Water Supply and Planning Enhancement Act. The legislation provides forward-looking measures to help drought-stricken states make better use of existing water infrastructure, increase conservation efforts, and protect state-issued water rights.

People across the West are calling on Washington to deliver drought relief and provide for more water storage in their communities. We are now one step closer to this, and to further developing and enhancing our water resources, which are critical to economic development, job creation and our environment.

Calling on Sec. Jewell to lift moratorium on coal leasing

On July 14, I led a group of nine senators in pressing Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to suspend the agency’s review of the federal coal program and its moratorium on new coal-lease sales. This moratorium has crushed jobs and economic growth in communities in Wyoming and across coal country.

The White House has short-circuited the Department of Interior’s ongoing review of the coal program in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Under federal law, environmental reviews “shall serve as the means of assessing the environmental impact of proposed agency actions, rather than justifying decisions already made.” The administration should stop stacking the deck against American energy development and lift this moratorium for good.

Wyoming comes to Washington

It was great to visit with students from Baggs, Burns, Casper and Little Snake River who were in town for FFA leadership conferences. It’s encouraging to see that the future of Wyoming’s agricultural communities is in good hands under these impressive young leaders.

School superintendents from Green River and Meeteetse were also in town in July for the National Association of School Administrators conference.

We had a great discussion about the recently passed education bill and how it will impact schools in Wyoming.

 

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