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SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett are joining other Western lawmakers in taking on a so-called "anti-oil administration."
The senators have formed the "Western Senate Caucus," which they say is in the interest of Americans who pump gas into their cars, turn on their lights and look for affordable ways to feed their families.
The caucus directly took aim at Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's decision to rescind parcels of federal Utah land auctioned off in December and the use of other federal land in Utah.
Sen. Hatch told the Salt Lake Tribune this caucus is similar to the Sagebrush Rebellion in the 1970s, when Western officials aimed to turn back federal lands to state and local governments.
