As USDA Secretary Confirmation Hearing is Held, Ranchers Call on Trump to Investigate Big Energy’s Big Fires in the Lonestar State

Big Energy Under Fire Failure to Compensate Ranchers After Taking Responsibility for Largest Wildfire in Texas History

/EIN News/ -- WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This week, as the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held their confirmation hearing on President Donald J. Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, a coalition of conservative agriculture organizations including the Institute for Legislative Analysis’ Center to Protect Ranchers, Farm and Ranch Loss Group, LLC, Competitive Markets Action, the Organization for Competitive Markets, Competitive Markets PAC, Founders PAC, called on the newly inaugurated Trump, and his Administration, to investigate the rampant fires in the Panhandle of Texas and across the State of California that have left farmers, ranchers, and animals in dire situations thanks to energy conglomerates like Xcel Energy – a Fortune 500 utility company operating across 8 states, who caused the fires in Texas. A similar occurrence contributed to the ongoing California fires and previous fires in Colorado. Rollins hails from the State of Texas and is a graduate of Texas A&M University.

The coalition is demanding answers for why countless landowners, ranchers, and farmers – many of whom are now facing insolvency and bankruptcy – have still not been compensated for the enormous losses they sustained from the Smokehouse Creek Wildfire Complex, which devastated large portions of the Texas panhandle and western Oklahoma. Xcel has since taken responsibility for the wildfire, the largest in Texas history and the fifth-largest fire in the U.S. since 1871. Furthermore,

“As Americans continue to witness the horrific California fires, which like in Texas, appear to be sparked by a utility, few people have any idea what one of these tragedies entails. The pain these victims feel doesn’t begin to dissipate after the fire, it merely worsens,” said Bram Browder, Director of the Institute for Legislative Analysis’ “Center to Protect Ranchers”. “In Texas, now nearly an entire year after the fire, countless landowners, ranchers, and farmers still haven’t had their claims paid by Xcel. These victims first endured the mental anguish of watching everything they own go up in flames. Now they are forced to endure the financial anguish of having no way to rebuild or generate an income – sadly, I’m not sure which is more traumatizing.”

“We call on President Trump and the new Administration to investigate the Texas and California fires, and these big, woke energy utilities that put laughable ESG policies before the actual safety of the ecosystem, production models, and the best interest of those of us who put food on American plates,” said Taylor Haynes, a cattle rancher in Wyoming and President at the Organization at Competitive Markets. “We appreciate all of the attention Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and Attorney General Ken Paxton are giving to the situation in Texas and hope to see a resolution soon.”

”We stand strong beside the American ranchers and family farmers in calling on President Trump to take swift action in investigating these fires that continue to decimate America,” said Marty Irby, President & CEO at Competitive Markets Action. “As USDA Secretary nominee Brooke Rollins said yesterday in her confirmation hearing, we need the ‘right team on the field,’ to do just that and we call on the Senate to make swift confirmations for officials at the USDA, DOJ, and DOE, who all have a role to play in investigating these unnecessary disasters caused by big utilities that continue to decimate ranchers in Rollins’ home state."

According to S. Smith, one of the Texas ranchers who continues to suffer from the aftermath of the fire, “At one point there was a glimmer of hope for many of us within the community after Xcel took responsibility and made assurances they were going to pay out our claims. However, that hope has turned into despair since we have had no communication from Xcel for months. Plus, we have now learned Xcel has turned over the claims process to some 200-year-old New York litigation firm."

The coalition urges swift action by The Trump Administration to ensure justice for the ranchers, farmers, and landowners impacted by Xcel’s actions. Their continued resilience in the face of devastating losses underscores the urgent need for transparency, accountability, and meaningful reforms in the utility and agricultural sectors. With the incoming administration and state leaders, the coalition remains steadfast in its commitment to advocating for those who feed America and safeguard our nation’s food security.

The Center to Protect Ranchers (CPR) is a project of the Institute for Legislative Analysis (ILA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit based in Washington, D.C. As the only conservative organization dedicated solely to the ranching industry, the CPR works to strengthen transparency and accountability across four major issue areas impacting ranchers. The ILA is a national policy and research organization that serves as a data hub for a multitude of conservative and right-of-center organizations. https://limitedgov.org

The Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit based in Lincoln, Nebraska. The foundation of the Organization for Competitive Markets is to fight for competitive markets in agriculture for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. True competition reduces the need for economic regulation. Our mission and duty are to define and advocate the proper role of government in the agricultural economy as a regulator and enforcer of rules necessary for markets that are fair, honest, accessible, and competitive for all citizens. https://competitivemarkets.com/

Competitive Markets Action (CMA) is a 501(c)(4) non-profit based in Washington, D.C., that was formed with the mission of shaping policy to promote more regenerative and sustainable agriculture, and competitive markets in the U.S., and to defend against attacks on states’ rights by the federal government. CMA works to raise awareness of the harm caused by multinational conglomerates to the American family farmer, the consumer, and our U.S. economy to bring about legislative and regulatory reforms. https://www.competitivemarketsaction.org/.

Attachment

• Agriculture Secretary Nominee Brooke Rollins

Marty Irby
                    Competitive Markets Action
                    marty@competitivemarketsaction.org
                    202-821-5686