House Committee Advances Bill to Expand Drilling on Federal Lands

In a major victory for American energy security, the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee is set to advance landmark legislation to dramatically expand oil, gas, and coal production on federal lands and waters. This sweeping package, championed by energy advocates in Congress and backed by the Trump administration, prioritizes reliable domestic production over foreign dependence and regulatory paralysis.

Among the key provisions:

• 30 lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico (soon to be renamed the "Gulf of America") over 15 years

• Multiple onshore and offshore lease sales in Alaska

• Biennial leasing in the National Petroleum Reserve

• 90% of post-2035 leasing revenues from Alaska returned to the state

• Reduced federal royalty rates to incentivize new production

These provisions are estimated to generate $15 billion in revenue while simultaneously boosting U.S. energy independence and job creation. While the bullets above do not relate directly to California, it is always beneficial to have pressure from other states and regions showing the contrast between California’s mismanagement of its oil industry and other states maximizing their relationship with the oil industry for the good of all residents. And CIPA members do need BLM permits badly, as noted below.

Radical Environmental Groups Cry Foul, Again

True to form, environmental special interests are sounding alarms, attacking the legislation as a giveaway to industry while continuing their campaign to block virtually every attempt at domestic fossil fuel production. Lawsuits, regulatory challenges, and misinformation campaigns have become the default tools of groups that oppose even the most modest permitting activity on federal land.

Rather than offering real solutions for affordability or energy reliability, these organizations reflexively litigate, obstruct, and delay, increasing America’s reliance on foreign oil imports from nations with weaker environmental standards and hostile geopolitical interests.

California Connection: The Need for BLM Permitting Reform

The proposed federal reforms come at a crucial moment for California, where federal permitting delays on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands have left vast domestic resources untapped. Independent producers in California are currently facing untenable backlogs and permitting standstills, often the result of anti-oil political interference from radical environmental groups influencing state leadership.

Although BLM has full jurisdiction over mineral development on federal lands under the Mineral Leasing Act, coordination with state agencies remains a chokepoint, particularly when California refuses to assign API numbers, a key component in well identification. Without API numbers, both drilling and injection operations are brought to a halt, including those under direct EPA oversight.

CIPA continues to advocate for the federal government to bypass these state-created obstructions and resume issuing permits directly, consistent with federal law. The House’s renewed focus on federal land development strengthens this push.

Blocking U.S. Oil = Enriching Foreign Regimes

Opposition to domestic production doesn’t reduce global demand; it simply shifts demand to sources like Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Venezuela. With no interstate crude oil pipelines crossing the Sierra Nevada, California is isolated from the rest of the U.S. energy infrastructure and increasingly reliant on foreign imports shipped in by carbon-intensive supertankers. Domestic drilling, especially on BLM land, remains essential to keeping fuel affordable and our economy resilient.

Takeaway

The House's action underscores the nation’s renewed commitment to real energy policy, one that prioritizes production, permits, and prosperity over politics, protest, and paralysis. CIPA supports these reforms and urges parallel action at the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management to address California’s permitting freeze and unlock the state’s federally managed resources.