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Congress·In Committee·H.R. 8990

Protect Domestic Oil and Gas Small Business Act of 2026

Oil and Gas: Exempting Small Wells from EPA Rules

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being sent to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for review. It is considered active, but no further meetings or votes have been scheduled at this time. There is no companion bill currently linked to this proposal.

Legislative Progress

House
Senate
President
Law
Unlikely to pass

This bill is supported only by Republicans and would likely face a veto or be blocked in a divided Congress because it removes environmental protections.

Key Points

  • This bill would stop the EPA from enforcing air quality rules on small oil and gas wells that produce very little fuel. These are often called marginal wells because they are near the end of their lives or just do not produce much.
  • Owners of these small wells would no longer have to follow federal rules for checking for leaks, keeping records of pollution, or reporting their emissions to the government. This includes equipment like storage tanks and pipes at the well site.
  • Supporters say these rules are too expensive for small businesses and could force them to shut down. By removing these requirements, the bill aims to keep these small operations running and protect local jobs.
  • If this becomes law, any current legal actions or fines against these small wells for breaking these specific air rules would be canceled immediately.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
May 21, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

May 21, 2026

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.

News

No related news coverage found for this legislation yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Protect Domestic Oil and Gas Small Business Act of 2026

Bill NumberHR 8990
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(13)
R: 13

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.