Zero-Based Regulatory Budgeting to Unleash American Energy Act of 2025

Key Points

• This bill would require agencies like the Department of Energy and the Bureau of Land Management to put "expiration dates" on their rules. Instead of lasting forever, these regulations would automatically end unless the government takes specific steps to keep them active.
• For rules that are already in place, agencies would have only one year to review them before they expire. For new rules created in the future, the limit would generally be five years. This is designed to force the government to regularly "clean house" and remove old or unhelpful requirements.
• To keep a rule active, an agency would have to ask the public for input on whether the rule's benefits are worth the cost. They could then extend the rule for another five years. However, rules that are specifically meant to cut down on regulation could be exempt from these strict deadlines.
• If an agency fails to renew a rule by its deadline, that rule would become void and could no longer be enforced. This would apply to rules regarding nuclear energy, public lands, offshore drilling, and natural gas pipelines.
• The goal of the policy is to reduce the total number of federal regulations to help increase American energy production. A potential trade-off is that if an agency is too busy to complete a review, important safety or environmental rules could accidentally disappear.

Votes

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