Providing for Congressional Disapproval of the Rule Submitted By the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Relating to ``Protection of Marine Archaeological Resources''

Floor Speech

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Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S.J. Res. 11, which nullifies the Biden administration's politically driven rule to mandate all offshore oil and gas exploration and development projects complete costly and burdensome archeological surveys and reports. Over the past 4 years, the American people have seen the most anti-oil, antigas, anti-traditional energy, and antimining administration in this Nation's history.

When energy here in the United States and around the world is growing, as the chairman just said, rather than supporting an all-of- the-above energy strategy, Mr. Speaker, the Biden administration sought to stop traditional forms of energy like oil and gas.

Prior to the Biden administration's rule, oil and gas companies were only required to complete these reports when BOEM, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, had a reason to believe an archeological resource may be present.

Instead, the Biden administration made that archeological report mandatory, even when it was clearly unnecessary.

These unnecessary reports would lead to millions of dollars in additional compliance costs to complete the required survey work and deal with the additional red tape. This is in addition to the significant staff time reviewing these reports would eat up at BOEM, leading to further delays in important energy projects that we need to build for the American people.

It is clear the Biden administration's rule wasn't actually necessary. It was just another example of their death-by-a-thousand- paper-cuts agenda to crush our domestic oil and gas industry and raise energy prices for all Americans in the process.

After we pass this resolution today--and it will pass the House. It already passed the Senate, and President Trump will sign it. After it passes this House today and when it is overturned, these oil and gas projects won't be waived from historic preservation rules.

This resolution does nothing to weaken the National Historic Preservation Act. These developers will still be required to take necessary steps to ensure they do not harm historic properties or archeological sites.

As was the case before the Biden rule, BOEM will still have the authority to require operators to perform these additional surveys and reports when it is actually necessary and actually warranted, Mr. Speaker. This resolution will just return us to the previous process.

Mr. Speaker, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will argue this is necessary to preserve historic and archeological sites on the Outer Continental Shelf.

If that is the case, why did the Biden administration's rule only apply to oil and gas operations? Why didn't this rule apply to offshore wind development?

This was politically driven. I am not arguing we need these additional necessary requirements for offshore wind. I am just pointing out the blatant hypocrisy of the past administration. It is clear where their intentions were. Overturning this rule is good for our energy security and for our energy independence.

Mr. Speaker, a couple nights ago, the President of the United States addressed this House and the Senate. He talked about energy independence, energy dominance, critical mineral dominance, and a critical mineral powerhouse for our Nation.

It is crystal clear that the Biden administration wanted to diminish the tried and true respect of traditional energies we had and have because they didn't include wind in this. It is complete hypocrisy.

If you are going to do it for one, you do it for all. They tried to choose winners and losers. They tried to do it, but here in the House, we are going to follow the Senate's bipartisan passing of the CRA.

Today, it is going to pass in a bipartisan fashion in the House and very soon the President of the United States will sign this into law. It will change one of the many disasters of the prior administration, the prior administration, as I opened up, that was the most anti-oil, gas, and mining administration in the history of this country. I come from a rich mining State; biggest untapped copper-nickel find in the world.

The Biden administration banned mining in northeastern Minnesota. He took the mineral leases away that were in place since 1966. Yet, they want us to compete in defense, Nassau and other areas of our communities, with adversarial governments when we have to buy their minerals for the F-35s, the F-22s, the F-16s, our submarines.

Mr. Speaker, I am excited to vote on this CRA because it gives me one more opportunity, once again, to change the direction of this country that the previous administration was derelict in doing. I am very happy to stand here today with my Democrat and Republican colleagues in a bipartisan fashion to get this across the finish line.

The American people deserve it. The cost of energy and the need for our energy is going to be increasing. As the chairman just said, Mr. Speaker, we need to win the AI war, and that is going to mean we need energy to do it. We are going to need energy, Mr. Speaker, when these businesses come back to our country. When we reshore these manufacturing facilities, we are going to need the energy to do that. Now, we have an administration that understands it and will not be politically driven by just a few people.

Mr. Speaker, with my comments, I will say one last thing. Energy independence and critical mineral dominance is a Trump administration agenda. That is the America First agenda that is going to employ a lot of people.

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