Should the President need Congressional approval before issuing any moratorium on oil, natural gas, or mineral extraction from federal land?

Awaiting Vote
Bill Summary

H.R. 543 would require the president to get Congressional approval before issuing any moratorium on oil, natural gas, or mineral extraction from federal lands. The legislation comes in reaction to an executive order, signed on January 27, which placed a moratorium on oil and gas leases on federal lands. The executive order did not permanently block drilling; existing leases are now under review. Sponsor: Rep. Yvette Herrell (Republican, New Mexico, District 2)
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Opponents say

• "The United States and the world face a profound climate crisis. We have a narrow moment to pursue action at home and abroad in order to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of that crisis and to seize the opportunity that tackling climate change presents. Domestic action must go hand in hand with United States international leadership, aimed at significantly enhancing global action. Together, we must listen to science and meet the moment." Source: Presiden Biden (President of the United States of America)
• "BLM (Bureau of Land Management) isn’t being managed for all – it seems it’s only being managed for oil and gas industries. There has to be a balance, and there can be a balance, but what we are seeing now is a big swing toward imbalance. How much can we extract from the public lands at the public land-owners expense? It’s getting while the getting’s good, so to speak. Even during the Bush administration, we never saw this much of a swing toward listening to what the oil and gas industry needs." Source: Russell Kuhlman (Executive Director of the Nevada Wildlife Federation)

Proponents say

• "More than half the oil and more than two-thirds of the natural gas produced in New Mexico is on federal lands. A moratorium on new leases will devastate our state’s economy, destroying more than 60,000 jobs by 2022, and decimate our state’s budget. This will have the greatest impact on the children of New Mexico, where our public education system received more than $1 billion in funding from the oil and gas industry last year alone." Source: Rep. Yvette Herrell (Republican, New Mexico, District 2)
• "The Biden Ban would be nothing short of catastrophic for western states that are already reeling from the decline in energy usage brought on by the pandemic and continued volatility in energy markets. It’s a one-two punch that means disaster for energy jobs, families, and communities." Source: Senator Cynthia Lummis (Republican, Wyoming)