Today, all House Committee on Natural Resources Republicans sent a letter to U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Acting Secretary Scott de la Vega, requesting information regarding President Joe Biden’s executive orders on climate. In part, the members wrote:

“In his first week in office, President Biden issued executive orders (EO) at an unprecedented pace. President Biden’s unilateral actions spared few policy areas and included drastic changes to our national energy supply and security. For example, EO 13990 halts leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, revokes the Keystone XL Pipeline permit, and instructs agencies to analyze past actions for consistency with the Biden Administration’s climate agenda. Additionally, EO 14008 includes a directive for the Department of the Interior (DOI) to pause new oil and gas leases until completion of a comprehensive analysis. In response to EO 13990, DOI instituted a problematic 60-day suspension of mineral leasing and permits on federal land through Secretarial Order 3395.  

“We are already seeing the harmful, long-term consequences of these abrupt orders. The revocation of Keystone XL Pipeline’s permit immediately resulted in 1,000 lost jobs, and tens of thousands more will be eliminated if drilling on federal land remains prohibited. This is a direct violation of President Biden’s own campaign promises. Economic impacts of a permanent ban include a $700 billion decrease in U.S. Gross Domestic Product, decreased natural gas exports, and increased reliance on foreign oil. An annual loss of $8.8 billion for conservation projects will also occur as a result of a prolonged ban…

“With a high level of anticipated damages to the American worker, industry, and consumer, it is imperative that due diligence, not arbitrary and capricious decisions, prevail prior to implementing these policies. Therefore, we request information related to the level of analysis, if any, conducted to assess the impact of Secretarial Order 3395, as well as information related to the execution and potential consequences of these policies.”

Read the full letter here.