Congress redefines 'clean energy' to include natural gas, shifting federal support away from renewab
H.R. 5765 — Affordable, Reliable, Clean Energy Security Act of 2025 · Filed by Troy Balderson (R-OH) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Oct 17, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill redefines what counts as 'clean energy' in federal policy to include natural gas and hydrocarbon combustion (as long as they meet air-quality standards), and requires the Department of Energy, Interior, and EPA to rewrite all their energy regulations, grants, and guidance to use these new definitions within 90 days. The effect is to treat fossil fuels as equivalent to renewables and nuclear in federal energy programs, potentially redirecting subsidies and support away from wind and solar toward natural gas and oil.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is to redefine 'clean energy' to include natural gas and hydrocarbon combustion, effectively neutralizing the distinction between fossil fuels and renewables in federal policy. This is functionally a deregulation and subsidy-redirection tool disguised as a definitional update.
What the text implies
- Redefining 'clean' to include natural gas combustion may allow fossil fuel projects to qualify for renewable energy tax credits, grants, and subsidies previously reserved for wind, solar, and nuclear.
- The 90-day mandate to rewrite all EPA, DOE, and Interior regulations using these definitions could effectively suspend or reverse climate-focused rules (e.g., methane emissions standards, coal plant retirement timelines) without explicit repeal.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
natural gas utilities; fossil fuel producers; hydrocarbon energy companies