WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) reintroduced the Protecting Our Wealth of Energy Resources (POWER) Act, legislation led by U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) that prohibits the president or his secretaries of the U.S. Departments of Interior, Agriculture (USDA), or Energy from blocking energy or mineral leasing and permitting on federal lands and waters without Congressional approval.
“Since Day One, the Biden administration has put a target on oil and gas industries, and continuously sidestepped Congress and enacted Executive Orders that kill American jobs. The administration has even enacted policies that prevent lithium mines from moving forward – a necessary component to advancing their electric vehicle agenda without reliance on critical minerals form China. Actions like these have further depleted our energy sectors, moving our country farther away from energy independence and threaten our national security. This legislation creates a needed check on the Executive Branch, and makes certain that decisions are subject to debate in Congress and not rashly signed into action,” Senator Capito said.
Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Ted Cruz (R-T.X.), John Hoeven (R-S.D.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) also cosponsored the legislation.