CORE Act of 2025

The CORE Act of 2025 proposes to enhance national security and energy independence by directing the federal government to conduct more comprehensive and accurate assessments of offshore energy resources. The bill would require the Department of the Interior to update its inventories and analyses of undiscovered offshore oil and gas reserves, as well as non-energy mineral resources like sand, gravel, and critical minerals. These assessments would be reviewed periodically in consultation with industry groups and engineering organizations, with the first review required within one year of enactment and subsequent reviews at least every ten years.

Additionally, the bill would require the Secretaries of Interior and State to jointly submit a report within 18 months identifying existing and potential transboundary hydrocarbon reservoirs that cross international maritime boundaries. The report would analyze legal frameworks established by maritime boundary treaties and assess how counterparty nations have adopted these provisions. Supporters argue the bill would provide greater certainty for offshore energy development and increase domestic oil production, while critics have raised concerns about potential environmental impacts on marine ecosystems and the need for consultation with tribal nations whose coastal resources could be affected.