U.S. House overturns BLM energy restrictions resolution protects North Dakota resources
MCF Newsroom Reports
The U.S. House of Representatives passed Rep. Julie Fedorchak’s (R-N.D.) resolution to overturn a Biden administration plan would severely restrict North Dakota’s energy production.
The Bureau of Land Management’s Resource Management Plan (RMP), finalized in the final week of President Joe Biden’s term, would bar leasing on nearly 99 percent of North Dakota’s federal coal acreage and 44 percent of federally owned oil and gas acreage. Critics argue the move would cripple responsible energy development in the state.
Fedorchak introduced the measure, H.J. Res. 105, under the Congressional Review Act to reverse the plan. “At a time when energy demand is reaching record highs and Americans want to pay less for everything, locking up responsible energy development is the exact opposite of what we need,” she said following the vote.
North Dakota leaders have long opposed the BLM plan, calling it an overreach that ignores the state’s record of balancing energy production with environmental stewardship. The state filed a lawsuit shortly after the rule was finalized, claiming it would shutter vast amounts of coal, oil, and gas development.
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