The Republican-led House passed legislation to block future administrations from enacting bans on oil and gas drilling without congressional approval.
In a vote on Friday, lawmakers passed the “Protecting American Energy Production Act” to prohibit the president from “declaring a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing unless Congress authorizes the moratorium.”
There were 118 Democrats who voted against the legislation, while Republican House members unanimously voted in favor of its passage.
The bill comes after former President Joe Biden enacted several regulations on oil and gas during his term, including banning future oil and gas drilling along 625 million acres of coastal and offshore waters just weeks before he left office.
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Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, the Republican who introduced the bill, said concerns over potential fracking bans during the Biden administration was what prompted the legislation.
“When President Biden took office, his administration took a ‘whole of government’ approach to wage war on American energy production, pandering to woke environmental extremists and crippling this thriving industry,” Pfluger said in a statement following the bill’s passage.
“My legislation that passed today is a necessary first step in reversing Biden’s war on energy by preventing the federal government from banning the use of hydraulic fracturing,” he said.
Since the campaign trail, President Donald Trump has vowed to unleash American-made energy as part of his “drill, baby, drill” agenda.
The legislation, if signed by the president into law, would prevent future administrations from banning the drilling method.
On Monday, Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum stripped the energy sector of “coercive” climate policies and oil lease bans enacted under the Biden administration, launching internal investigations into agency actions that “burden” energy development.
