Protecting American Energy Production Act
Protecting American Energy Production Act
Plain Language Summary
# Plain Language Summary: Protecting American Energy Production Act **What the Bill Does** This bill would limit the President's power to ban hydraulic fracturing (fracking)—a drilling technique used to extract oil and natural gas from underground rock formations. Currently, a President could impose such a ban on their own authority. Under this bill, the President would need approval from Congress before implementing any fracking moratorium.
The bill also expresses Congress's preference that individual states, rather than the federal government, should have primary control over regulating fracking on state and private lands. **Who It Affects and Current Status** The bill primarily affects the oil and natural gas industry, states with significant energy production, and environmental and energy policy. It has already passed the House of Representatives and is now in the legislative process. The bill reflects a disagreement between branches of government about who should decide energy policy—the President acting independently versus Congress making decisions collectively, and federal government versus state governments.
CRS Official Summary
Protecting American Energy Production ActThis bill prohibits the President from declaring a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing unless Congress authorizes the moratorium. The bill also expresses the sense of Congress that states should maintain primacy (authority) for the regulation of hydraulic fracturing for oil and natural gas production on state and private lands.Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a process to extract underground resources such as oil or gas from a geologic formation by injecting water, a propping agent (e.g., sand), and chemical additives into a well under enough pressure to fracture the formation.
Latest Action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.