Congress blocks offshore drilling safety updates, favoring oil operators
H.J.Res. 57 — Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of the Interior relating to "Oil and Gas and Sulfur Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf-High Pressure High Temperature Updates". · Filed by Andrew Clyde (R-GA) · 3 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 12, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This resolution uses the Congressional Review Act to block a Department of Interior rule that updated safety and operational standards for high-pressure, high-temperature oil and gas drilling on the outer continental shelf. If passed, the rule would be nullified and cannot be re-issued in substantially the same form without new congressional authorization.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole function is to nullify a Department of Interior rule that updated safety and operational standards for offshore HPHT drilling. This is a straightforward deregulatory action using the Congressional Review Act mechanism.
What the text implies
- Voiding the rule prevents Interior from re-issuing substantially similar standards without explicit congressional approval, effectively locking in older operational standards for HPHT drilling.
- The CRA disapproval may signal congressional intent to block future Interior rulemaking in this domain, potentially chilling agency efforts to update standards based on new safety data or operational experience.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
offshore oil and gas operators; deepwater drilling contractors; oil and gas equipment suppliers