The House approved legislation Friday to prevent the president from enacting a moratorium on hydraulic fracking for oil and gas.
H.R. 26, the “Protecting American Energy Production Act,” passed in a 226-188 vote, with 16 Democrats joining Republicans in advancing the bill.
The measure, sponsored by Texas Republican August Pfluger, would prohibit presidents from declaring a moratorium on fracking without congressional authorization and declares a “sense of Congress” that states regulate the oil and gas drilling practice.
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The legislation is largely symbolic, as President Donald Trump is near certain to protect fracking. President Joe Biden was also a supporter of the practice.
