Lawmakers in the House of Representatives have passed a bill that blocks all future presidents from using executive powers to ban oil and natural drilling without congressional approval.
The “Protecting American Energy Production Act” prohibits the president from “declaring a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing unless Congress authorizes the moratorium.”
The Republican-led House passed the legislation in a vote on Friday.
Republican House members unanimously voted in favor to pass the bill while 118 Democrats voted against the legislation.
The bill comes after former President Joe Biden enacted several regulations on oil and gas during his term.
Biden’s efforts included banning future oil and gas drilling along 625 million acres of coastal and offshore waters just weeks before he left office.
Republican Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) is the congressman who introduced the bill.
Pfluger said concerns over potential fracking bans during the Biden administration prompted the legislation.
In a statement following the bill’s passage, Pfluger said:
“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.
“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.
If Trump signs the legislation into law, it would prevent future administrations from banning the drilling method.
Trump has yet to comment on the bill’s passage.
However, it is very likely that the president will approve it.
On Monday, Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum stripped the energy sector of “coercive” climate policies and oil lease bans enacted under the Biden administration.
Bergum also launched internal investigations into agency actions that “burden” energy development.
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