(WO) – The Energy Workforce and Technology Council issued a statement welcoming HR 4821, the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2024. That bill passed 213 to 203.

The legislation includes provisions brought forward by the Energy Workforce, including curbs on abuses of the Endangered Species Act. Endangered species-specific provisions include a ban on listing both the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard and the Lesser Prairie Lizard.

“The passage of HR 4821 is a clear win for landowners’ rights and America’s energy security,” said Tim Tarpley, president of the Energy Workforce and Technology Council. “As energy demand continues to grow, we must fight for policies that favor American oil and gas, allowing us to increase production to meet global demand.” We are seriously concerned that listing the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard and Lesser Prairie Chicken could be used as a tool to limit US energy production. We cannot allow bureaucratic management to jeopardize the well-being of the Permian Basin.

In addition, the package would see the Secretary of the Interior sell offshore oil and gas leases on a quarterly basis, in direct response to the administration’s recently announced five-year leasing plan. The administration’s new plan reduces the number of offshore lease sales from eleven to three over five years. The U.S. Gulf of Mexico boasts about half the carbon intensity of other manufacturing regions and supports 375,000 American jobs.

“The oil and gas produced in the Gulf is some of the cleanest energy produced anywhere in the world,” Tarpley said. “The recently announced five-year offshore lease plan is not enough to meet US energy needs. This new appropriations package will require the sale of at least 20 leases, allowing oil and gas companies to continue offshore production, ensuring America’s energy security and saving thousands of jobs.