New House bills would release renewable energy from its mandated shackles to oil and gas on public lands
Tom Brewster
House Dems attempt to fix painful compromise made in the Inflation Reduction Act that tethered renewable energy growth to oil and gas leasing
WASHINGTON D.C. (July 26, 2023) -- Today, Representatives Kamlager-Dove, Grijalva, Ocasio-Cortez and Ross introduced two bills that would reverse the most egregious public lands tradeoff made in the Inflation Reduction Act, the shackling of renewable energy growth to mandates that lock in more fossil fuel leasing on public lands and waters. The CLEAN Energy Act and the NOW Act would untether wind and solar rights-of-way (onshore) and wind leasing (offshore) from oil and gas leasing, respectively.
The Wilderness Society issued the following statement about the bills:
“We need these bills to right the wrong of the unfortunate tradeoff in the IRA that tied renewable energy growth to oil and gas leasing for the next ten years,” said Justin Meuse, Director of Government Relations at The Wilderness Society. “We’re in an environmental justice and climate crisis now because for too long, public lands policies have skewed toward supporting an economy addicted to fossil fuels. Tying responsible renewable energy development on public lands to activities that perpetuate that toxic addiction only delays the just energy transition we so desperately need.”
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 was the biggest climate investment bill in U.S. history but also a compromise, including provisions that work at cross purposes with the goal of advancing a swift, just and equitable renewable energy transformation in the U.S.
If passed into law, the House bills introduced today would fix some of those failings on public lands and waters.
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The CLEAN Energy Act (Comprehensive Legislation for Expanding and Advancing Nonrestrictive Energy Act) would repeal paragraph (1) of Section 50265(b) of Public Law 117-169, ending the mandate that the Department of the Interior (DOI) hold an onshore oil and gas lease sale in the 120 days before a solar or wind right of way is issued.
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The NOW Act (Nonrestrictive Offshore Wind Act) would repeal paragraph (2) of Section 50265(b) of Public Law 117-169, ending the mandate that DOI hold an offshore oil and gas lease sale in the year prior to issuing an offshore wind lease.
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For more information, contact Tony Iallonardo at NewsMedia@tws.org.
