House prepares votes on drilling, public lands, oil reserve

The House is set to consider dozens of amendments to legislation tethering federal oil reserve drawdowns to fossil fuel development.

January 26, 2023

The House will become a battleground as soon as Thursday for partisan Republican and Democratic energy legislation related to offshore drilling, public land development and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

House members have been submitting amendments to H.R. 21, a bill from House and Energy Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), which would limit SPR drawdowns until the Department of Energy develops a plan to increase oil production on federal lands.

The bill is being considered under a modified open amendment process, which allows members free rein to offer changes as long as they submit their plans ahead of debate. The process hasn't been used in almost a decade.

Many lawmakers are unsure how the effort will play out. Some Democrats say Republicans will find ways to cut amendments after determining they're not germane to the base bill.

"We are in uncharted waters ... stuck between a lot of rhetoric about wide-open floor debates, transparency and open rules," said Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.). "Once the dog catches the car, it looks a little different. ... I imagine they'll find reasons to rule a lot of things out of order or use germaneness."

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — under pressure from conservatives — has said more debate will benefit both parties.

Democrats target offshore oil drilling

A number of environmentally focused Democrats want to use the amendment process as an opportunity to push legislation that shuts out offshore oil drilling from various areas of the country.

The amendments broadly focus on attaching exemptions to the House Republican bill, specifically the requirement that DOE develop a plan to increase the percentage of federal lands leased for oil and gas production so that it matches the percentage of oil drawn out of the SPR in a future release.

For example, an amendment from Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) would bar the potential DOE plan from including any "oil and gas leasing in any tract located off the coast of Virginia."

Amendments from Huffman and fellow California Democratic Reps. Mike Levin, Sara Jacobs and Jimmy Panetta utilize similar language for their state, which taken together would effectively ban most drilling off the coast of California.

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By:  Nico Portundo and Jeremy Dillon
Source: E&E Daily