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4mo ago

House GOP Advances Bill Expanding Fossil Fuel Leasing and Selling Public Lands

The legislation, which includes a controversial Nevada-Utah land sale amendment, heads to the full House as part of a broader reconciliation package.

FILE - The Kaktovik Lagoon and the Brooks Range mountains of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge are seen in Kaktovik, Alaska, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
Chairman Mark Amodei (R-NV) questions acting FEMA Administrator Cam Hamilton as he appears before a Homeland Security Subcommittee Hearing on Oversight on Capitol Hill on May 7, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Map of all U.S. Federal Land Produced by the Bureau of Land Management.
The Nevada Independent Logo

Overview

  • The House Natural Resources Committee approved a GOP-led bill to increase fossil fuel production and mining on public lands by a 26-17 vote, with one Democrat joining Republicans.
  • The bill mandates 30 offshore drilling lease auctions in the Gulf of Mexico and six in Alaska's Cook Inlet over 15 years, alongside expanded Arctic drilling opportunities.
  • A last-minute amendment authorizes the sale of public lands in Nevada and Utah, with some parcels designated for affordable housing, sparking bipartisan criticism.
  • The legislation reduces royalty rates for oil, gas, and coal extraction, projects $18.5 billion in revenue to finance tax cuts, and allows expedited environmental reviews exempt from court challenges.
  • Rep. Ryan Zinke, a former Interior Secretary, opposed the land sale provision, calling it a 'red line,' and launched a bipartisan Public Lands Caucus to advocate for federal land protections.