Several energy groups, including the American Petroleum Institute (API), the Energy Workforce & Technology Council (EWTC) and the American Exploration and Production Council (AXPC), have reacted to the passage of the HR1 bill in the House of Representatives , which occurred on March 30.
“We applaud the House of Representatives for passing HR 1 – common sense legislation that puts our nation’s energy security front and center,” API President and CEO Mike Sommers said in a statement from the organization.
“It is now clear that both Republicans and Democrats share the common goal of providing Americans with reliable energy and making energy safer, cleaner and more affordable,” Sommers added.
“This is a positive step toward enacting serious, bipartisan permitting reform, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate on real solutions that will modernize our infrastructure and benefit all Americans,” Sommers said.
The EWTC also applauded the passage of HR1, with Chairman Tim Tarpley stating that “the federal government should enact policies that support, not impede, America’s energy security.”
“HR 1 goes a long way toward moving us toward that goal. We believe this legislation will enable a resurgence of American oil and natural gas production by providing much-needed regulatory reform, removing barriers to the development of vital infrastructure and restoring certainty to federal offshore and offshore leasing,” he added.
“Unlocking our domestic energy strengthens our national security, lowers energy costs across the country, and helps reduce global emissions by increasing US oil and gas that is produced cleaner and safer and under stricter environmental regulations than almost every other major supplier,” Tarpley continued.
Unleashing American Energy
Anne Bradbury, CEO of AXPC, said: “In passing the Lower Energy Costs Act [H.R.1]the House of Representatives demonstrated its commitment to unleashing American energy for our nation’s economic growth, security and environmental leadership.”
“We encourage the U.S. Senate to work in a bipartisan, bicameral fashion to pass legislation that frees up American energy and lowers domestic costs by modernizing permitting, supporting U.S. energy access to global markets , supporting production on federal lands and repealing the punitive new tax on natural gas that would raise Americans’ energy bills,” Bradbury added.
Also commenting on the bill’s passage in the House, American Energy Alliance President Thomas Pyle said, “HR 1 addresses many of the policy priorities that the American Energy Alliance has championed in recent years.” .
“The Lower Energy Costs Act will cut red tape and increase domestic energy production to lower energy costs for American families and reduce our dependence on China for minerals and important mineral processing,” he added. .
Rigzone has requested comment from the US Department of Energy (DOE) on the passage of the HR1 bill in the House and on statements from API, EWTC, AXPC and AEA. As of this writing, Rigzone has not yet received a response from the DOE.
Passing the House
Last Thursday, the Congressional website revealed that the bill HR1 had passed the House of Representatives with 225 Yes to 204 No after being introduced in the House on March 14.
The bill expedites the development, import, and export of energy resources, including by waiving environmental review requirements and other specified requirements under certain environmental laws, removing certain restrictions on the import and export of oil and natural gas, and prohibiting the president to declare a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing, states a summary of HR1 posted on the Congress site.
It also does so by “directing the Department of the Interior to conduct sales for leases of oil and gas resources on federal lands and waters as specified in the bill and limiting the authority of the President and executive agencies to restrict or delay energy development on federal land,” the summary on the congressional site notes.
“In addition, the bill reduces royalties for oil and gas development on federal lands and eliminates charges on methane emissions. It also eliminates a variety of funds, such as funds for efficiency improvements energy in buildings, as well as the greenhouse gas reduction fund,” the summary continues.
HR1 still needs to pass the Senate, then go to the president before becoming law, the congressional site explains.
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