Last week, the House voted on 78 (!!!) amendments and passed legislation that would tie nonemergency use of the strategic petroleum reserve to increased fossil fuel development on public lands. The bill is unlikely to become law, however the exercise shows that Congress will be operating differently during the next two years.

The bill introduced by Energy and Commerce Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., would require that for each percentage point of crude oil taken from the strategic petroleum reserve, the Energy Department must develop a plan to increase production by an equal percentage. The bill stands little chance of passage in the Senate, and the Biden administration has already promised to veto the legislation. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm criticized the bill in a letter to congressional leaders and at a White House press conference, and said it “would significantly weaken this critical energy security tool.” By bringing the bill to the House floor, Republicans gave themselves an opportunity to criticize the administration's energy policies and force Democratic lawmakers to record votes regarding those policies.

rollcall.com/...