The House on Wednesday passed two bills promoting oil and gas drilling: one that would support fracking and another that would lower costs to drill on public lands.
The bills are a part of the GOP’s “energy week.” While Republicans said the effort was meant to highlight “the value of American energy,” most Democrats dismissed the proceedings as unserious.
The House passed H.R. 1121, the “Protecting American Energy Production Act,” from senior Energy and Commerce Republican Jeff Duncan of South Carolina.
The bill would prohibit an administration from banning fracking and give more power to states. Fifteen Democrats, mostly from major energy producing states, supported the bill.