Congress·In Committee·H.R. 513

Offshore Lands Authorities Act of 2025

Rep. Higgins Introduces Offshore Lands Authorities Act to Reverse Federal Drilling Bans

12 months ago·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

The Offshore Lands Authorities Act of 2025 is currently in the early stages of the legislative process. It is being reviewed by a subcommittee within the House Committee on Natural Resources after a recent hearing. The bill is actively moving forward as it continues to undergo committee study.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Unlikely to pass

This bill has strong support from energy-producing states but will likely face a lot of pushback in the Senate from members who want to protect the environment.

Key Points

Energy EnvironmentNational Security Foreign Policy

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

The bill nullifies protections for the Northern Bering Sea Climate Resilience Area and Arctic waters that are important to Alaska Native communities for subsistence hunting, fishing, and cultural practices. Executive Order 13754, which this bill would undo, was specifically designed to protect these resources. Opening these areas to potential drilling could threaten marine ecosystems that Indigenous communities in Alaska depend on for food and way of life.

“Section 3 of Executive Order 13754 (81 Fed. Reg. 90669; relating to Northern Bering Sea climate resilience).”

-3

ImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

-3

ImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

State Impacts

StateScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

4 milestones4 actions

May 20, 2025House

Subcommittee Hearings Held

May 13, 2025House

Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

Jan 16, 2025House

Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

Jan 16, 2025

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.

Related News

1 article

SeafoodSource·about 1 year ago

U.S. legislators introduce bills to block Trump's offshore drilling push

While some lawmakers introduce bans, others like Rep. Clay Higgins have proposed the Offshore Lands Authorities Act to nullify Biden's protections. The bill would limit a president's ability to protect more than 500,000 total acres of ocean land without a specific vote from Congress.

Center