Representative Jodey Arrington (R-TX), who also serves as the House Budget Chairman, has introduced the Abundant American Resources Act. This bill requires federal land management agencies to "conduct an economic valuation of resources in areas that have been withdrawn or protected from exploration and production" of energy resources by President Joe Biden (D) and his administration.
Chairman Arrington believes this bill will provide President Donald Trump (R) with the tools to return to American energy dominance.
“For four years, the Biden-Harris administration orchestrated a whole-of-government assault on American energy independence, enacting burdensome taxes and regulations against the oil and gas sector at a time of skyrocketing energy demand,” said Chairman Arrington. “One of the most overreaching actions taken by President Biden was to federalize millions of acres of land, effectively preventing the federal government from extracting oil, gas, and minerals from these areas.
Furthermore, Rep. Arrington said that this bill gives President Trump the ability to take advantage of energy production that "Biden left on the table" and usher in another period of American energy independence.
"I’m proud to introduce the Abundant American Resources Act to shed light on how much revenue and energy production President Biden left on the table and equip President Trump with data that supports his American Energy Dominance Agenda,” concluded Arrington.
Moreover, Representative Dan Newhouse (R-WA), a former Chairman of the Western Caucus and a co-sponsor of the bill, stated that this legislation would allow the United States to "fully tap into" American resources.
“For years we have failed to fully tap into our own abundant resources, leading to a reliance on our adversaries for the critical minerals our economy demands,” said Rep. Newhouse. “This legislation is an important step to further identify our resources and begin the process to start developing them as demand continues to rise. I am proud to join Rep. Arrington as we work to return America to energy dominance.”
According to Rep. Arrington's office, the Biden administration withdrew more than 674 million acres with production potential. This includes
- Using the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prevent offshore drilling from 625 million acres of federal waters;
- Illegally cancelled oil and gas leases on 1.6 million acres in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska;
- Designated eight National Monuments totaling 4.7 million acres using the Antiquities Act;
- Issued a five-year offshore leasing plan that only includes three lease sales over the course of the program.
