Commonsense, science-based, and economically sound legislation successfully passed out of the Natural Resources Committee through our portion of the reconciliation legislation this week, as House Republicans continue to deliver on our promise to generate savings and boost new revenue for the federal government. As Chairman of this great committee, it was an honor to lead my colleagues in delivering an incredible federal savings of $18.5 billion dollars, greatly surpassing our requested amount of $1 billion dollars.
There’s an understanding one holds as an Arkansan, avid outdoorsman, and licensed forester that our nation’s natural resources are more abundant than almost anywhere in the world, capable of meeting our energy demands without looking beyond our borders for help. Our country is certainly blessed with these resources, and it’s time for Congress to begin the work to produce legislation that provides the avenues necessary for needed energy, critical minerals, and loosening the ties that bind us to our dependence on countries like China and Russia for energy and minerals that can be produced right here at home.
When advocating for this legislation, many groups worry about conservation, oftentimes leading us to a hands-off approach that usually causes more harm than good. It’s important that we learn from the great conservationist giants who came before us and apply their knowledge with the knowledge we have today to create something that is lasting, efficient, and champions the resources we have in our own backyard.
Our motto for the Republicans in the House Natural Resources Committee is, “putting conservatives back into conservation.” The word conservation was derived from the word conservative, and many of our most renowned conservationists like President Teddy Roosevelt, John Lacey, and Gifford Pinchot were proud Republicans. Conservation has been an ideal instilled in the Westerman family since childhood when learning from our granny as she tended the garden, making use out of every single thing her hard work produced, and it has been a guiding principle throughout my life, certainly now as Chairman of the Natural Resources Committee.
Sir Roger Scruton, a fellow of the British Academy and of the Royal Society of Literature, once said that a conservative is one who believes in unchosen obligations. A deeper look into that ideal is that a conservative is someone who reflects deeply on the past – in this case, our nation’s history – and understands that there is a much larger picture that all of us are a part of. Our great nation is the product of the grand ideals our founding fathers derived for us through creating and establishing our Constitution and form of government. And as such, we have a deep obligation of upholding and defending those values and principles upon which our country was founded.
There cannot be a reflection upon the past without an understanding of the importance of looking toward the future and recognizing the unchosen obligation we have to care now for what we have been given, for it to be even better for the generations to come. House Natural Resources Republicans are doing exactly that as we have crafted and passed this vital legislation for the reconciliation process that will position the federal budget to allow for the conservation and stewardship of our lands. Our natural resources are one of the most treasured gifts we have been given as a nation, and we must do our part, in our day, to leave them better than how they were received for our benefits both now and in the future.
