ODESSA, Texas — State Representative Brooks Landgraf has filed a new bill to stop overreaching federal regulations on oil and gas in Texas.
House bill 1683, or the "Texas Energy Independence Act", does not allow for any Texas state agencies to provide assistance to any federal agencies when it comes to regulating oil and gas operations if the regulation is not already existed in law.
“This is about protecting jobs in the Permian Basin,” Landgraf said. “Like no other time in history, American energy operations are being threatened and Texas must be prepared to resist overreach in the oilpatch. I filed HB 1683 to defend our oil fields, to defend Texas jobs and businesses from the tentacles of federal bureaucracy," Landgraf said.
The bill also prohibits any political subdivision in Texas from receiving grant funding if this subdivision adopts these new regulations on oil and gas.
“The oil and gas industry provides billions of dollars in revenue that helps fund construction of highways and bridges all over the state, along with public education and a hundred other state services over the years,” Landgraf said. “The Texas Energy Independence Act will serve as a bulwark against overreaching federal policies that value the opinions of a vocal minority over the livelihood of hardworking Texans."
Lastly, the bill also gives an opportunity to any Texan to be able to report a complaint to the Texas Attorney General about any subdivision that might enforce a federal regulation on oil and gas despite it not being a state law.
