TAPP American Resources Act
Latest action. Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 18.
Transparency, Accountability, Permitting, and Production of American Resources Act or the TAPP American Resources Act
This bill provides for the exploration and development of energy resources (e.g., oil, gas, and minerals), including by (1) requiring additional federal oil and gas leasing, (2) expediting energy projects, (3) eliminating or reducing certain fees related to the development of federal energy resources, and (4) requiring certain revenue from energy development to be shared with states.
The Department of the Interior must conduct sales for the leasing of oil and gas resources on federal lands and waters as specified by the bill. For example, Interior must
immediately resume quarterly sales of leases of onshore federal land for oil and gas development,
conduct a minimum of four oil and gas lease sales in each state with land available for oil and gas leasing under mineral leasing law,
issue a five-year oil and gas leasing program under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act for 2023-2028, and
approve each subsequent five-year oil and gas offshore leasing program no later than 180 days before the expiration of the previous program.
Additionally, the bill expedites the development of energy resources, including by (1) limiting the scope of review of major federal actions under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969; and (2) expediting the environmental review of mineral exploration and production activities, such as coal mining.
The bill also reduces royalties for oil and gas development on federal land.
Finally, the bill increases the amount of revenue from energy development that is shared with coastal states.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to House, Part I" stage on March 23, 2023. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on March 23, 2023: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 18.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Bruce Westerman (R-AR) introduced it on March 3, 2023, and 2 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 2 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on March 3, 2023, 1287 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 1267 days ago, on March 23, 2023.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 118th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2025 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers