On Wednesday, Rep. Lauren Boebert and 12 other Republicans introduced legislation that would pull back Biden administration policies slowing down oil and gas permitting on federal lands. The American Energy Act is designed to give energy companies increased certainty in the federal permitting process for oil and gas drilling which will lead to lower gasoline and energy costs for Americans. Boebert is looking to stop Biden’s Green New Deal which has slowed energy leasing, as she sates, “The Biden administration is colluding with Green New Deal extremists to slow down energy leasing, clog up the bureaucratic pipeline, and threaten American energy producers with frivolous lawsuits.” She says that her bill will, “cut red tape to unleash American energy, streamline the energy permitting process, reduce gas prices, and eliminate frivolous lawsuits threatening American energy independence.”
The Republican legislation focuses on mandating that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a subagency tasked with managing federal lands, approves applications for permits (ADPs) from energy companies in a timely manner. The Biden Administration has been found guilty of purposely delaying ADPs in order to prevent fossil fuel extraction. According to BLM data, “there were 4,896 pending APDs on federal lands and another 179 on Indian property as of Jan. 31.”
Rep. Boebert’s office also says the average permitting time has doubled from 92 days, under president Trump, to 182 days under the Biden administration. “For over two years, the Biden administration has slow-walked oil and gas permits, ultimately driving up energy costs for the American people,” said Rep. Tom Tiffany, the chairman of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands.
“Under the Trump administration, the Bureau of Land Management approved nearly 400 drilling permits monthly in Fiscal Year 2020. The permitting process has been severely slowed down under the Biden administration, with the Bureau of Land Management approving only an average of 233 drilling permits per month in Fiscal Year 2022” Boebert’s office said.
Rep. Boebert further detailed The American Energy Act in a press release, “My American Energy Act cuts red tape to unleash American energy by extending the term of APDs from two years to four years to reduce unnecessary paperwork, ensuring agencies process permits under a valid existing lease regardless of any unrelated civil action, and by prohibiting activist judges from unilaterally vacating valid energy leases.”
Boebert continued, “in short, H.R. 1067 will help reduce gas prices by providing certainty for responsible energy production and preventing baseless litigation. With the price at the pump skyrocketing and the international energy market destabilizing, the world needs American energy now more than ever.”
Groups supporting Rep. Lauren Boebert’s American Energy Act include: Heritage Action, Americans for Limited Government, Colorado Oil & Gas Association, Western Energy Alliance, West Slope Colorado Oil & Gas Association, US Oil and Gas Association, Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico, EnerGeo Alliance, and New Mexico Oil & Gas Association.
The bill is being cosponsored by Rep. Andy Biggs, Rep. Eric Burlison, Rep. Paul Gosar, Rep. Harriet Hageman, Rep. Doug Lamborn, Rep. Barry Moore, Rep. Troy Nehls, Rep. Andy Ogles, Rep. Pete Stauber, Rep. Ben Cline, Chip Roy, and Rep. Tom Tiffany.
