U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith from Mississippi has announced her support for legislative efforts to overturn certain energy policies enacted during the Biden administration. These policies aim to limit American oil and gas production, including future developments in the Gulf of Mexico.
Hyde-Smith, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is cosponsoring several Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions that seek to reverse these policies. One such resolution is S.J.Res.11, which targets a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) rule restricting oil and gas production on the Outer Continental Shelf.
“President Trump was right to declare a National Energy Emergency to undo Biden administration policies that undermine American energy production,” said Hyde-Smith. “Now, it’s time for Congress to step up and use the Congressional Review Act to rescind the Biden rules, regulations, and taxes imposed to strangle U.S. oil and gas production.”
The Senate voted 54-44 in favor of S.J.Res.11, introduced by U.S. Senator John Kennedy from Louisiana. This resolution aims to halt a September 2024 rule mandating new oil and gas leaseholders on the Outer Continental Shelf submit an archaeological report before commencing production.
“The Biden administration was in hyperdrive to finalize regulatory strangleholds on U.S. oil and gas production, one of which is this BOEM cultural survey requirement,” Hyde-Smith remarked.
Additionally, the Senate will consider S.J.Res.12 this week. Also backed by Hyde-Smith, this resolution seeks to repeal the methane emissions fee—termed as a Natural Gas Tax—imposed by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
“We’re all paying for the radical Green New Deal-style policies forced on us by the previous administration,” stated Hyde-Smith. “I cosponsored S.J.Res.12 because imposing new taxes on producers won’t do anything to bring costs down or promote U.S. energy dominance moving forward.”
Hyde-Smith plans to oppose S.J.Res.10, a Democratic initiative aiming to overturn President Trump’s executive order declaring a National Energy Emergency.
The CRA provides Congress with a mechanism to nullify federal agency regulations through joint resolutions of disapproval if approved by both congressional houses and signed by the President or if Congress overrides a presidential veto.
