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Sen. Cortez Masto presses Forest Service on plans to reopen Ruby Mountains to leasing
Summary
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto questioned a Forest Service official during a Senate committee hearing about whether the administration plans to open the Ruby Mountains in Nevada to oil, gas and critical-minerals leasing, citing a prior 2019 Forest Service finding and a previously introduced Ruby Mountains Protection Act.
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto pressed a Forest Service official during a Senate committee hearing about whether the administration intends to open the Ruby Mountains in northern Nevada to oil, gas or critical-minerals leasing.
Cortez Masto said the Ruby Mountains are "one of my state's most cherished places" and asked officials to explain what critical-minerals production the Forest Service expects to develop there, noting prior agency findings and legislation intended to protect the area.
Her questions referenced a 2019 Forest Service finding that recommended no leasing in the area because of "very low potential to develop oil and gas resources" and public opposition. Cortez Masto told the panel that the committee previously approved her bill, the Ruby Mountains Protection Act, to permanently prohibit oil and gas development there,…
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