The Department of the Interior announced they will postpone the implementation of the Office of Natural Resources Revenue’s (ONRR) “Consolidated Federal Oil & Gas and Federal & Indian Coal Valuation Rule.” Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) released the following statement:

“The Trump administration made the right decision to suspend this illogical and legally dubious rule. It is already causing uncertainty for future investment and development on federal and tribal lands and increasing electricity rates for rural communities including those in my district. The next step is to do so permanently and avoid Congress having to do it for them.”

Background

In December 2015, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held an oversight hearing on ensuring certainty for royalty payments on federal resource production.

The House voted to keep language in H.R. 5538, the “Department of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2017,” that prohibited ONRR from enforcing the valuation rule.

Last week, Reps. Scott Tipton (R-CO) and Steve Scalise (R-LA) introduced a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act that would rescind the onerous rulemaking and prohibit substantially similar rules from being considered.