The bill, titled the “Protecting American Energy Production Act,” passed by a vote of 226 to 188. The legislation would prohibit a president from declaring a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing—commonly known as fracking—unless such a ban is authorized by Congress.

Republican lawmakers voted unanimously in favor of the measure, while 118 Democrats opposed the bill.

The legislation comes after actions taken by former President Joe Biden near the end of his term, when his administration banned future oil and gas drilling across 625 million acres of coastal and offshore waters and introduced additional energy-related regulations.

Republican Lawmakers Cite Energy Security Concerns

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. August Pfluger of Texas, said the legislation was driven by concerns that federal policies under the Biden administration could lead to broader restrictions on fracking.

“When President Biden took office, his administration took a ‘whole of government’ approach to wage war on American energy production, pandering to woke environmental extremists and crippling this thriving industry,” Pfluger said in a statement following the vote.

“My legislation that passed today is a necessary first step in reversing Biden’s war on energy by preventing the federal government from banning the use of hydraulic fracturing,” he added.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly pledged to expand U.S. energy production as part of his campaign message often summarized by the phrase “drill, baby, drill.”

Meanwhile, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum has launched internal reviews of agency policies believed to burden domestic energy development. Those reviews target climate policies and restrictions on oil leasing introduced during the Biden administration.

House Moves to Limit DOE Appliance Regulations

In a separate move, the House also passed another bill last week aimed at limiting the Department of Energy’s authority to impose energy efficiency standards on household appliances.

That measure passed by a 217-190 vote, largely along party lines.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Rick Allen of Georgia, would amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act by removing the Department of Energy’s requirement to regularly update appliance efficiency standards. Instead, the department would only be allowed to revise those standards when necessary.

Supporters say the proposal is intended to prevent what they view as excessive federal regulation affecting everyday household appliances such as dishwashers, stoves, and washing machines.

The legislation would also establish a process allowing the public to petition for specific energy standards and introduce new criteria requiring any standards to be economically justified and technologically feasible.

• Ending the mandatory periodic updates to energy conservation standards

Distribution transformers play a critical role in the power grid, and stricter efficiency rules for them could affect electricity reliability and costs.

Additional Energy Legislation Expected

The House is also expected to vote on the “Homeowner Energy Freedom Act,” introduced by Rep. Craig Goldman of Texas.

The proposal would repeal several provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, including funding for a high-efficiency electric home rebate program, grants for training home energy efficiency contractors, and federal assistance to states implementing updated building energy codes.

Together, the measures represent a broader effort by House Republicans to challenge energy and climate policies enacted during the previous administration and reshape federal energy regulations.