BGOV Bill Analysis: S. J. Res. 80, Repeal Alaska Drilling Restrictions

A Biden administration leasing plan for the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska would be repealed using the Congressional Review Act under S. J. Res. 80.

The Bureau of Land Management plan adopted more restrictions for oil and gas leases over an approximately 23-million-acre area on Alaska’s North Slope. The Government Accountability Office on July 24 determined that the BLM plan — issued as a record of decision in April 2022 — meets the definition of a rule under the CRA, allowing lawmakers to block it using the law’s expedited procedures.

Roughly 11.8 million acres, or 52%, of the NPR-A’s ...