President Donald Trump signed into law legislation cosponsored by Louisiana Sen. John N. Kennedy that rolled back an archeological rule in the oilfield, part of a broader push by Republicans to undo restrictions the Biden Administration placed on the oil and gas industry.
“Burdensome regulations hurt oil and gas producers’ ability to provide affordable energy and jobs to Americans,” Kennedy said in statement announcing Trump's signature.
The rule required offshore lessees and operators to “submit an archaeological report with any oil and gas exploration or development plan” to drill or lay pipelines. The Biden Administration said the purpose was to standardize the reporting to create a database of the reports that could be used for future surveys.
Oil and gas interests, however, argued that the Biden administration rule effectively required a survey for every project when reports previously were only necessary if there was a “reason to believe” that sunken ships, submerged settlements or other archaeological findings were on the seafloor.
Kennedy cosponsored the resolution with Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Mississippi.
“President Trump promised to restore America’s energy might and by signing these resolutions of disapproval he helps Congress reset policy in a way that encourages offshore oil and gas production,” Hyde-Smith said.