Will Lap Dog Larsen Roll Over and Roll Out the Bureaucratic Red Tape?

Democrats Look to Lock-Up More Energy-Rich Land

Washington- In a document recently leaked by the Department of Interior (DOI), a list of as many as 14 energy-rich areas could be unilaterally designated as national monuments under the Antiquities Act, which provides the President full executive power to designate areas without input from local residents, stakeholders and officials. If the President were to move forward with the national monument designations, Washington's public land users and energy producers will be among those hardest hit, not to mention the likely impact it will have on future local tax revenue and jobs. Lap Dog Rick Larsen has already rolled over for his party's failed economic policies which have cost taxpayers millions of jobs, will he roll out the red tape too?

"A letter to President Obama Thursday from Reps. Doc Hastings (Wash.) and Rob Bishop (Utah) highlights an internal Interior list of 14 areas that could be designated as National Monuments under the Antiquities Act.

"The lawmakers fear Obama will wield executive power to designate large regions where uses such as oil-and-gas drilling and mining would be greatly restricted." (Ben Geman, "Senior Republicans allege secret Interior plot to create national monuments," The Hill, 2/18/2010)

By giving his seal of approval to his party's failed stimulus, Larsen has already proven he supports a big-government agenda that puts bureaucracy before creating jobs:

"Although President Obama initially said that 90 percent of the jobs created by the stimulus program would be in the private sector, the data suggests that well over half of the jobs claimed so far have been in the public sector." (Michael Cooper and Ron Nixon, "Reports Show Conflicting Number of Jobs Attributed to Stimulus Money," The New York Times, 11/5/2009)

"With thousands of acres of profitable and energy-rich land at stake, will Rick Larsen continue to advance his party's big-government agenda at the expense of creating opportunities for Washington's small businesses?" said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. "Larsen has already jeopardized Washington's economy by supporting his party's failed economic policies 98.3percent of the time. Will Larsen roll over again for his party bosses and potentially put more Washington jobs at risk?"