Offshore Lands Authorities Act of 2025

Key Points

• The bill would cancel eight past presidential orders that blocked oil and gas drilling in federal offshore waters, including protected areas in the Arctic, Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico.
• Future presidential withdrawals of offshore land would be capped at 150,000 acres per withdrawal, could last no longer than 20 years, and no president could withdraw more than 500,000 acres total without Congressional approval.
• Before protecting any new offshore area, the government would have to complete mineral resource assessments and studies on lost federal revenue, energy value, and national security implications.
• The bill creates a fast-track process for Congress to vote down any new presidential offshore withdrawal, including expedited Senate procedures with limited debate time.
• A withdrawal that Congress votes to disapprove cannot be reissued in substantially the same form unless a future law specifically authorizes it, creating a strong barrier against repeated attempts to protect the same waters.