Washington, DC — Today Department of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced the appointees to the newly reformed Royalty Policy Committee. In March, Secretary Zinke issued a new charter for the Committee and solicited nominees through early July.  Among the nominees was Taxpayers for Common Sense, president, Ryan Alexander.

In response to the announcement Alexander issued the following statement:

“The fair and accurate collection of royalties is vitally important to ensuring taxpayers receive the revenues they are due from the natural resources we all own. For decades, federally owned resources, managed by the Department of Interior, have been inadequately valued and royalties have been under collected, shortchanging taxpayers of billions of dollars in valuable revenue.  I am disappointed that neither I nor any other taxpayer advocate was appointed to the Committee.  A committee dedicated to reviewing the policies that determine if taxpayers are fairly compensated for our assets should include an advocate dedicated to taxpayers.  We hope the new committee will put aside their private or professional interests and put the nation’s resource owners–federal taxpayers– first.”

– Ryan Alexander, president

The first meeting for the Committee is scheduled for October 4th and is open to the public.