Legislation was passed 226 to 188 by the Republican-controlled House to prevent future administrations from prohibiting oil and gas drilling without the consent of Congress.
The âProtecting American Energy Production Actâ was passed by lawmakers in a vote on Friday, which forbids the president from âdeclaring a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing unless Congress authorizes the moratorium.â
Republican House members unanimously voted in favor of the legislationâs passage, while 118 Democrats voted against it.
Just weeks before he left office, former President Joe Biden banned future oil and gas drilling along 625 million acres of coastal and offshore waters, among other oil and gas-related regulations. The bill follows his actions.
The Republican who introduced the bill, Rep. August Pfluger of Texas, stated that the legislation was prompted by worries about possible fracking bans during the Biden administration
âWhen President Biden took office, his administration took a âwhole of governmentâ approach to wage war on American energy production, pandering to woke environmental extremists and crippling this thriving industry,â Pfluger said in a statement following the billâs passage.
âMy legislation that passed today is a necessary first step in reversing Bidenâs war on energy by preventing the federal government from banning the use of hydraulic fracturing,â he said.
As part of his âdrill, baby, drillâ strategy, President Donald Trump has pledged to unleash energy produced in the United States since the campaign trail.
If the president signs the bill into law, it would stop the drilling method from being banned by subsequent administrations.