Today, President Joe Biden announced a prohibition on oil and gas development in more than 600 million acres of federal waters along the Atlantic coast, the Pacific coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and portions of the northern Bering Sea. House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement in response:

"While the federal deficit grows, President Biden’s decision to lock away 625 million acres of future energy potential undermines one of our nation’s greatest revenue streams—energy receipts, second only to income taxes. In the 119th Congress, we will use every tool, including reconciliation, to restore and unleash these revenues, fueling conservation, coastal resilience, and energy independence, and ensuring America—not OPEC, Russia or China—leads the world.”

Background

Today, President Joe Biden issued a memorandum banning oil and gas production in more than 600 million acres of federal waters. This is the latest blow in a long series of anti-energy policies from the Biden administration.

Since taking office, President Joe Biden has taken unprecedented steps to cripple American energy production and cede control of the global energy market to our adversaries. On day one, the Biden administration revoked the Keystone XL pipeline permit, killing thousands of American jobs and increasing reliance on foreign energy sources. President Biden also imposed an indefinite pause on new oil and natural gas leasing on U.S. federal lands and waters and did not hold an onshore lease sale for a year and a half.

In September 2023, the administration canceled seven oil and gas leases on the North Slope of Alaska and locked up millions of acres in the National Petroleum Reserve. Biden’s Department of the Interior is also responsible for the worst five-year offshore leasing plan in history, which contained the fewest lease sales since the start of the program and was issued two years late.

House Republicans will work diligently in the 119th Congress with President Trump to roll back these Biden decisions and restore American energy dominance.