ABQ Times

WASHINGTON—U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01), called out GOP lawmakers who said the Bureau of Land Management is misusing public lands, when the Republican presidential frontrunner—former President Donald Trump—also misused public lands in a House Committee on Natural Resources Hearing.  

“Along with places like Mount Rushmore and the sacred mountain that it was carved into, and that the former President Donald Trump, used for a campaign event, which one of our witnesses helped to host on the sacred indigenous lands, which was a misuse and possibly illegal misuse of our public lands,” Rep. Stansbury said.  

She went on to list why the BLM’s role is so important for protecting public lands.  

“The rule actually will help us to manage our lands in a more balanced way,” Rep. Stansbury said. “It's not going to cut off development, it's not going to cut off our ranchers from grazing, it's not going to cut off oil and gas. It's not going to cut off mining. It's going to make sure that we are adequately balancing the needs of conservation, protecting our cultural landscapes, and ensuring that we are also balancing that with our Resource Management.”   

Rep. Stansbury’s full remarks as delivered are below.  

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and welcome to our governors. Thank you for joining us today.

 I just want to start with respect to my dear friends across the aisle to counter the narrative that was proposed at the beginning of this hearing that this is just a bunch of bureaucrats from the east supporting this action by the Department of the Interior, and to remind my colleagues that the Secretary of Interior is our nation's very first indigenous cabinet secretary, a native New Mexican whose family has lived in and been from New Mexico for countless generations.  

I myself am a native New Mexican. I was born in rural New Mexico, Farmington, New Mexico and San Juan County, where my dad worked in the oil fields and where my mom worked at the San Juan powerplant. I grew up working the land with my hands working for my family's irrigation company, and I support this rule.   

And the reason why I support this rule is because unlike what we're hearing in this hearing this morning, the rule actually will help us to manage our lands in a more balanced way. It's not going to cut off development, it's not going to cut off our ranchers from grazing, it's not going to cut off oil and gas. It's not going to cut off mining. It's going to make sure that we are adequately balancing the needs of conservation, protecting our cultural landscapes, and ensuring that we are also balancing that with our Resource Management.   

I say that also as somebody from a state in the West, that is an oil and gas state. That is a rural state. That is a state where our communities depend on agriculture and ranching and where our state revenue predominantly comes from oil and gas on those lands and where our state has actually implemented a very similar rule.   

And guess what? Not only did it not cut into the revenues of this state, we have seen the largest, most astronomical growth in oil and gas revenues over the last several years in New Mexico ever in the history of our state. In fact, this year, we are on par to see the largest growth in oil and gas revenues after implementing a similar rule.   

So, I find it very upsetting, Mr. Chairman, when I see the resources of this body of Congress, of the People's House being used to put forward narratives and misinformation that in my mind is intended to scare the American people, because it's just simply not true. And much of what I've heard here today is just not true. This is really about balancing the needs of our public lands.  

Now, if we want to talk about Eastern bureaucrats who have been misusing public lands, I do have to note with respect that you know, the Black Hills were brought up this morning. It is a space that’s similar to Chaco Canyon and is sacred to indigenous people, that is sacred to the Lakota Sioux people, along with places like Mount Rushmore and the sacred mountain that it was carved into, and that the former President Donald Trump, used for a campaign event, which one of our witnesses helped to host on the sacred indigenous lands, which was a misuse and possibly illegal misuse of our public lands.  

As we all know, the former president this week was indicted on 37 counts of illegal behavior, including under the Espionage Act. It's a fine point to make here in this committee to try to claim that a bunch of Eastern bureaucrats are telling Westerners about misuse of our public lands, when the front runner in the Republican Party is indicted on 37 counts of illegal activity this week and was misusing our public lands in the West.   

So, I take a lot of a lot of homage with the conversation here this morning. You know, I do want to make the point that it's important that we follow the science, that we do listen to our stakeholders across the West, that we listen to our indigenous communities, that we listen to our farmers and ranchers who are stewards of the land, of course they are.  

That we do work with industry and those who are using our public lands for revenues and for extractive activities that we all benefit from and that we continue to ensure the ecological integrity of our public lands in the West.   

But it's also important that we maintain the integrity of this body and use the resources of this committee and of Congress to tell the truth to the American people, and that we make sure that we are serving our role as good stewards of this body and our public lands. And with that, I yield back.   

VIDEO LINK:  The full video can be found here

Original source can be found here.