HR 6285 United States House · 118th Congress

Alaska’s Right to Produce Act of 2023

HR 6285, the Alaska’s Right to Produce Act of 2023, requires the federal government to reissue canceled oil and gas leases on six specific tracts (16, 17, 24, 26, 27, and 30) in Alaska’s Coastal Plain. It mandates the Secretary of the Interior to accept the highest valid bids from January 2021 within 30 days and issue leases by December 2024, while blocking new environmental reviews for the program. The bill also nullifies federal actions that paused leasing, including a 2023 BLM rule and a 2021 Secretarial Order, and restricts judicial review of related approvals. This directly affects oil companies that bid on the canceled leases and the Bureau of Land Management, requiring them to proceed under the 2020 Record of Decision.

Issues: ✗ Energy ✗ Environment

Sub-Topics: Oil & Gas Coastal & Flood Protection Public Lands

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Nov 2023

Committee Review

May 2024

House Passage

May 2024

Senate Passage

President

Introduced Nov 8, 2023 Last action May 2, 2024

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced in House → Engrossed in House · 3 edits · May 1, 2024

MINOR

The engrossed version makes three substantive changes: it removes the word 'equally' from a congressional finding about balancing ecological values with petroleum production in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, it replaces a requirement to actively withdraw and block the NPRA management rule with a simpler provision that any final rule based on that proposal shall have no force or effect, and it adds an entirely new section (Section 7) that prohibits the Secretary from designating new Special Areas, adding resource values, or expanding existing Special Areas in NPRA without specific authorization from a future Act of Congress.

SCOPE

In Section 2(4)(B), the word 'equally' was removed from the congressional finding that BLM must balance ecological and cultural values with petroleum production in NPRA. This weakens the stated congressional intent by no longer requiring an equal balance.

New Section 7 prohibits the Secretary from designating new Special Areas, adding resource values to existing Special Areas, or expanding existing Special Areas in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska unless a future Act of Congress specifically authorizes it. This locks in the current boundaries and designations of Special Areas in NPRA against unilateral executive action.

ENFORCEMENT

Section 6(a) was rewritten. The original required the Secretary to actively withdraw the proposed NPRA rule and prohibited any action to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce it or any substantially similar rule. The new version simply states that any final rule based on that proposal shall have no force or effect, removing the active withdrawal requirement and the prohibition on substantially similar rules.

Floor votes · House May 1, 2024

How they voted

214–199

Passed · 16 other

Total votes 429

May 1, 2024

D Democratic212

5 Yea 198 Nay 9

93% Nay

I Independent1

1 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican216

208 Yea 1 Nay 7

96% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

May 2, 2024

Committee

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

upper

May 1, 2024

Lower · Passed

On passage Passed by recorded vote: 214 - 199, 2 Present (Roll no. 174). (text: CR H2804-2805)

lower

May 1, 2024

Lower · Passed

Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by recorded vote: 214 - 199, 2 Present (Roll no. 174). (text: CR H2804-2805)

lower

May 1, 2024

Lower · Passed

Ms. Castor (FL) moved to recommit to the Committee on Natural Resources. (text: CR H2813-2814)

lower

May 1, 2024

Introduced

DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 1173, the House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Stauber amendment No. 1.

lower

Apr 29, 2024

Lower · Passed

Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 1173 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 615, H.R. 2925, H.R. 3195, H.R. 764, H.R. 3397, H.R. 6285 and H.R. 6090. The rule provides for consideration of H.R. 615, H.R. 2925, H.R. 3195, H.R. 764, H.R. 3397, and H.R. 6090 under a closed rule, and H.R. 6285 under a structured rule. The rule provides for one hour of general debate and one motion to recommit on each bill.

lower

Apr 15, 2024

Lower · Passed

Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 118-463.

lower

Dec 6, 2023

Introduced

Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 24 - 17.

lower

Dec 6, 2023

Lower · Passed

Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

lower

Dec 6, 2023

Lower · Passed

Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Discharged

lower

Nov 29, 2023

Lower · Passed

Subcommittee Hearings Held

lower

Nov 28, 2023

Committee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.

lower

Nov 8, 2023

Committee

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

lower

Nov 8, 2023

Introduced

Introduced in House

lower

1 primary · 16 co-sponsors