On May 23, 2024, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources conducted an oversight hearing to review the Fiscal Year 2025 budget requests for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), and the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR). Subcommittee Chairman Pete Stauber (R-Minn.) provided a statement addressing concerns over these agencies' performance under the Biden Administration.
"Under the Biden Administration, Department of the Interior agencies like the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management have proven themselves to be ineffective stewards of our resources," Stauber stated. "One of the most obvious examples of their dereliction of duty was their failure to release a timely five-year National Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing Program. Not only did this delay leave America without a plan for managing its offshore resources, but the plan they eventually did release is completely insufficient. The paltry three lease sales put forward by BOEM will raise prices at the pump, destroy good-paying jobs in Gulf Coast communities, and put us at the mercy of countries like Iran, Russia, and China."
Stauber emphasized that as part of examining budget requests for Fiscal Year 2025, he welcomed questioning BOEM, BSEE, and ONRR directors regarding policies he believes have burdened Americans and threatened national security.
For context, this marks the first time since 1980 that the Department of the Interior has failed to release a timely five-year National Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing Program. This delay has left the U.S. without a strategic plan for managing offshore energy resources. The forthcoming three-sale offshore leasing plan from BOEM is scheduled to take effect in July 2024 but is criticized as inadequate for meeting national energy needs while compromising security and independence.
The Biden administration's policies are viewed by critics as antagonistic towards American energy production—a sector considered vital for economic stability and security interests. In contrast, Republican-led initiatives such as H.R. 1 (the Lower Energy Costs Act) sponsored by U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), and H.R. 5616 (the BRIDGE Production Act) sponsored by U.S. Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.), propose strategies aimed at enhancing energy security, ensuring resource sustainability, and securing federal and state revenues.
Additionally, environmental litigation surrounding new energy development has been cited as another obstacle under current administration policies—specifically causing delays in projects like Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Lease Sale 261.
The hearing provided subcommittee members with an opportunity to question agency directors about these issues while conducting oversight on their actions and proposed budgets.
