The Republican-led House passed a bill that would stop future presidents from banning oil and gas drilling without getting permission from Congress first. Lawmakers voted to pass the “Protecting American Energy Production Act,” which says that the president can’t “declare a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing unless Congress authorizes the moratorium.”
There were 118 Democrats who voted against the bill, but all Republican House members voted for it to pass. The bill comes after former President Joe Biden put in place several rules for the oil and gas industry. For example, he banned all future oil and gas drilling along 625 million acres of coastal and offshore waters just weeks before he left office.
Rep. August Pfluger, a Republican from Texas, said that worries about possible fracking bans during the Biden administration led to the bill.
“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.
Earlier this month, the U.S. House voted 213 to 184 to pass legislation aimed at speeding up federal permitting for interstate natural gas pipelines.
The bill would designate the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as the lead agency for pipeline permitting reviews.
Under the legislation, FERC would be allowed to consider water quality assessments as part of its environmental review, rather than waiting for separate Clean Water Act certifications from states.
Supporters say state-level certifications have often delayed pipeline approvals for years. The bill is titled the Improving Interagency Coordination for Pipeline Reviews Act. It is one of several measures in Congress aimed at accelerating federal permitting processes.
Another bill, the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today Act, also passed the House with bipartisan support. Lawmakers have made broad permitting reform a priority as they seek to expand energy infrastructure to meet rising electricity demand.
That demand has grown in part due to the rapid expansion of data centers across the country. Supporters of the legislation also argue that faster permitting could help reduce household energy costs, particularly by enabling quicker construction of energy projects that can increase supply and competition in the market.
The agency has approved most natural gas pipeline proposals that have come before it recently.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Friday that gasoline prices could begin falling within weeks despite a sharp spike tied to the escalating conflict with Iran. Wright said the disruption to global oil markets is likely temporary.
“Look, Iran’s been an escalator of energy prices [for] 47 years, the whole history of their regime,” Wright said in an interview, Newsmax reported. “We got a little bit of an interruption right now to finally put an end to their ability to wreak havoc, to kill Americans, and to terrorize their neighbors.”
His remarks came as oil traders and drivers reacted to rising crude and gasoline prices following joint U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran.
Iran has also taken steps to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway is one of the most critical oil choke points in the world.
The strait connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and normally carries about 20 percent of global petroleum liquids consumption.
Any threat to shipping through the passage can quickly impact global energy markets.
President Trump said that Iran is “totally defeated” just two weeks into the conflict with the Islamic Republic.
“The Fake News Media hates to report how well the United States Military has done against Iran, which is totally defeated and wants a deal — But not a deal that I would accept!” he posted to Truth Social.