US Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R), who has been Wyoming's at-large US House member and one of the Natural Resources Committee's most effective members since winning her first term in 2008, said that she will not run for reelection in 2016.
"I came to Washington to be a reformer, not a career Congressman," she said at a Nov. 12 news conference in the Wyoming Capitol rotunda in Cheyenne. "With the election of Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to be Speaker of the House, we have ushered in thoughtful, conservative leadership; restored member-driven policy-making to the legislative process; and returned regular order that will bring sunshine to back rooms, making government work better."
Unlike several other committee members who use hearings to stridently take positions, Lummis asks witnesses thoughtful, incisive questions about the matters at hand. "This is a sad announcement for our country and our committee," Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) said on Nov. 13. "The House needs more people like Cynthia Lummis, not fewer."
Her political career in the Cowboy State goes back to 1979, when she became the youngest woman ever elected to its legislature and served 14 years in its House and Senate, focusing on natural resource and taxation issues, until 1994. Lummis then worked in several state government posts before being elected state treasurer for two terms from 1998 to 2007.
Lummis said she appreciated being part of a strong congressional delegation with Republican US Sens. John A. Barrasso, Michael B. Enzi, and their staffs. "We have fought tooth-and-nail to regain Wyoming's abandoned mine lands funds, to reform the Endangered Species Act, and to restore a fair share of federal mineral royalties to Wyoming," she said.
"Wyoming will miss her energy and her fight," said Barrasso, who holds a comparable committee position to Lummis' in the House on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "The US House of Representatives will miss one of the most decent, honest, and irreplaceable voices for western principles and ideals in Congress today."
'She gets things done'
"Her ability has magnified her voice and her vote," Enzi observed. "She is known on both sides of the aisle and gets things done. She has been an essential part of our Washington team, using her agriculture, business, legal, legislative, and state treasurer background to make a big difference."
Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead (R) said Lummis has performed well for the past 7 years as the state's US House member. "Congress will be losing a stalwart warrior on energy issues with [her] decision not to seek reelection," noted National Ocean Industries Association Pres. Randall B. Luthi, who worked with Lummis in Wyoming's government.