To prohibit a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedReceived; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy …
Additional sponsors: Mr. Griffith, Ms. De La Cruz, Mr. Walberg, …
Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources; committed to the …
Reported from the Committee on Energy and Commerce
Mr. Duncan (for himself, Mr. Reschenthaler, Mr. Perry, Mr. Estes, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill prohibits the President from declaring a moratorium (ban) on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) unless Congress specifically authorizes such a moratorium. It also expresses that states should maintain primary regulatory authority over fracking on state and private lands.
Who Benefits and How
The oil and gas industry benefits from protection against executive action banning fracking. Fracking companies gain regulatory certainty that no President can unilaterally halt their operations. States with significant oil and gas production (Texas, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, etc.) benefit from preserved regulatory authority over fracking on non-federal lands.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The executive branch loses the ability to respond to potential fracking-related emergencies with a moratorium without congressional approval. Environmental groups lose a potential pathway to restricting fracking through executive action. Communities concerned about fracking impacts face reduced federal recourse.
Key Provisions
- Prohibits the President from declaring a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing without congressional authorization
- Expresses congressional sense that states should maintain primary authority over fracking regulation on state and private lands
- Applies to all fracking operations, not just those on federal lands
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Prohibits the President from declaring a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) unless authorized by Congress, and expresses that states should maintain primacy over fracking regulation on state and private lands.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Preemptively block executive branch from banning fracking, preserve state regulatory authority"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Oil & gas industry
- Fracking companies
- States with oil/gas production
Likely Burden Bearers
- Executive branch (limited authority)
- Environmental advocates
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "congress"
- → Congress
- "president"
- → President of the United States
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology