Rep. Cheney Says Lease Moratorium Will Cost 1 Million Jobs
Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney says President Joe Biden's moratorium on old and gas leases on federal lands will cost 1 million U.S. jobs.
The Republican says that includes 18,000 jobs in Wyoming.
Biden issued the moratorium in a Jan. 27 executive order.
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The order has come under heavy criticism in Wyoming, where the energy industry is a key component of the state economy and a major contributor to the revenues used to fund state government. Cheney on Thursday morning posted the following statement on her Facebook page:
''The negative ramifications from the #BidenBan will be felt all across the country.
Our nation will be more dependent on our adversaries, families will face higher energy bills, and an estimated million jobs will be lost — including 18,000 here in Wyoming."
Cheney is far from the only Wyoming officeholder to criticize the ban. Sen. John Barrasso has accused the president of "taking a sledgehammer to the economy."
Governor Mark Gordon a few days ago called the lease ban a "direct attack on Wyoming." State Superintendent Jillian Balow recently said the ban threatens to defund Wyoming schools.