Lubbock Times

House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington has introduced the Abundant American Resources Act, aiming to evaluate the economic potential of resources in federal lands that were restricted from exploration and production under the previous Biden Administration. The legislation is intended to assist President Trump in reestablishing American energy dominance.

Arrington criticized the former administration's policies, stating, "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." He expressed his support for the new bill by saying, "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."

Rep. Dan Newhouse also endorsed the legislation, highlighting its importance in identifying domestic resources as demand increases. "This legislation is an important step to further identify our resources and begin the process to start developing them as demand continues to rise," he said.

The Biden-Harris administration previously withdrew over 674 million acres from potential production through various measures. These included using the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to halt offshore drilling on 625 million acres of federal waters and canceling oil and gas leases on 1.6 million acres in Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve.

The Trump Administration has already begun reversing many of these policies through executive orders. However, this new act seeks to uncover economic values tied to remaining federal lands.

Tim Tarpley of the Energy Workforce & Technology Council supports this initiative for its potential impact on energy security and data transparency. Anne Bradbury from the American Exploration & Production Council echoed similar sentiments regarding revenue benefits for taxpayers. Holly Hopkins from API emphasized that responsible land management is crucial for supporting conservation efforts.

Erik Milito of NOIA stressed that accurate resource accounting would aid policymakers in managing domestic production effectively. Tim Stewart from U.S. Oil and Gas Association noted that updating resource values could reveal hidden costs when lands are withdrawn from production.