public lands drilling mining Western states.

Republican lawmakers in Congress are moving to eliminate limits on energy development in several Western states. That would clear the way for President Donald Trump’s plans to sharply expand mining and drilling on public lands. House Republicans on Wednesday night voted to repeal development restrictions across large areas of Alaska, Montana and North Dakota. The repeals would reverse land use plans adopted in the closing days of former President Joe Biden’s administration that were meant to curb climate-warming fossil fuel emissions. Republicans want to create more jobs and revenue. Democrats had urged the rejection of the repeals. The Republican-majority Senate must still approve the House action.