US oil and gas producers urge the House to pass a crucial permitting bill to revive America's energy industry.

A group of U.S. oil and gas producers are urging House Speaker Mike Johnson to expedite the passage of a major permitting reform bill, emphasizing in a letter the importance of this legislation for attracting new investments in domestic oil and gas projects, enhancing national energy security, and revitalizing other stalled energy infrastructure projects.

The coalition of U.S. oil and gas groups, representing 80% of domestic fossil fuel production, urged House Republicans to quickly pass the Energy Permitting Reform Act or the 2024 bill authored by Sens. Joe Manchin and John Barrasso. They emphasized the importance of this legislation in helping producers under the second Trump administration.

The bill is the first step towards comprehensive permitting reform in the country, but we believe that passing the package now, at the end of the 118th, and then advancing additional National Environmental Policy Act reforms, will help America get back on track as quickly as possible.

The 118th session of Congress is coming to an end, and there is increasing pressure on Johnson and House Republicans to pass the bill. Some have suggested that the bill's chances of passage may increase if it is combined with NEPA reform, which could gain more support from House Republicans.

More than half a dozen major oil and gas industry groups, including the Gulf Energy Alliance, the U.S. Oil & Gas Association, and the Independent Petroleum Association, signed the statement.

The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's analysis revealed that the average time for new U.S. energy infrastructure projects to go from receiving their first permit to becoming fully operational has increased from two years in 2000 to more than five years today.

"These delays discourage investment in these projects and threaten our energy security," they said. "Many projects take even longer or are ultimately canceled as funding is lost or companies simply give up."

"The Energy Permitting Reform Act is an urgent priority that must be addressed, according to National Ocean Industries Association President Erik Milito, who stated this in a Planet Chronicle Digital interview. With the upcoming transition to a new Congress and administration, this legislation is critical for establishing a robust national energy and permitting policy framework that will drive federal support for American offshore energy into the future."

"Trump's campaign promise to "unleash" U.S. energy production, including oil and gas production, and to "frack, frack, frack" has been met with criticism from environmentalists who fear the negative impacts on the environment."

Donald Trump, the newly elected president, accused the Biden administration of failing in U.S. oil and gas production and used his campaign speeches to criticize the administration's focus on electric vehicles, the closure of old power plants, and the rise in energy prices, which increased by up to 50% in Pennsylvania.

Speaker Johnson's office has been contacted by Planet Chronicle Digital for comment on the letter.