Offshore Lands Authorities Act of 2025

The Offshore Lands Authorities Act of 2025 would nullify several previous executive orders and presidential memoranda that withdrew approximately 625 million acres of offshore federal lands from oil and gas leasing. These withdrawn areas include parts of the Arctic (Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea), the North Aleutian Basin, and the Northern Bering Sea. If enacted, the bill would make these areas available for future energy development. The bill would also amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to establish new limits on presidential authority to withdraw unleased offshore lands in the future. Under the proposed changes, future presidential withdrawals would be limited to no more than 150,000 acres and could last no longer than 20 years. Additionally, the bill would require the President to notify Congress of any withdrawal and would allow Congress to disapprove withdrawals through a joint resolution process. The bill is currently under consideration in the House Committee on Natural Resources and has not yet been voted on by the full House.