Today, Energy Workforce President Tim Tarpley will testify at the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources legislative hearing on H.R. 1121 the “Protecting American Energy Production Act,” and H.R. 5616, the “BRIDGE Production Act of 2023.” Tarpley will be testifying in support of these two bills that guarantee access to oil and gas resources both on and offshore, and ensure that the rights to domestic resource development are kept from being interrupted or administratively slowed down.
H.R. 1121, the “Protecting American Energy Production Act,” was introduced by Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC-03) in February 2021. This legislation “prohibits the President from declaring a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing unless Congress authorizes the moratorium. The bill also expresses the sense of Congress that states should maintain primacy for the regulation of hydraulic fracturing for oil and natural gas production on state and private lands.”
In his testimony, Tarpley explains the importance of hydraulic fracturing to the economy and the environment: “With 95% of new onshore wells in the United States requiring hydraulic fracturing, a moratorium or ban would shut down new production in the United States. That means dramatically higher gas prices, no new investment, job losses and loss of United States energy security and the environmental gains the U.S. has made.”
H.R. 5616, the “BRIDGE Production Act of 2023,” was introduced by Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA-06) in September 2023. This legislation mandates that the Secretary of Interior hold no less than four offshore lease sales on specified dates that cannot be bureaucratically delayed. Tarpley argues that: “This mandate should not be necessary, as we should already have a 5-year lease plan according to existing law, but unfortunately, we do not. This mandate will bring regulatory certainty for the energy workforce that relies on the offshore for their livelihood and will allow for long-term investments necessary to continue to develop our offshore resources.”
After the legislative hearing these two bills will move to a Energy and Mineral Resources subcommittee vote, followed by a full vote from the Committee on Natural Resources. If passed the legislation will move to a full vote before the U.S. House of Representatives.
Watch Tarpley’s testimony and the full hearing live at 2:15 p.m. ET/1:15 p.m. CT. You can also read Tarpley’s full testimony.
Energy Workforce Government Affairs staff will continue to track and update membership on actions surrounding this legislation and the broader issues they address. If you are interested in Energy Workforce’s advocacy efforts or would like to join the Government Affairs Committee, contact Senior Director Government Affairs, Deidre Kohlrus.
Deidre Almstead Kohlrus, Senior Director Government Affairs, writes about industry-specific policies for the Energy Workforce & Technology Council. Click here to subscribe to the Energy Workforce newsletter, which highlights sector-specific issues, best practices, activities and more.
