Who it affects
- Oil and gas companies
- Bureau of Land Management
Became lawOverturns a ruleEnergyPublic lands
Arctic refuge oil and gas leasing
H.J.Res. 131 · Resolution · Introduced Oct. 10, 2025
This bill would open public land in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for leasing by oil and gas companies by canceling a 2024 federal decision.
At a glance
Where it stands
Passed the House 217 to 209 on Nov. 19.
Passed the Senate 49 to 45 on Dec. 4.
How South Carolina voted
Lobbying and money
7 groups lobbied on it: advocacy group or nonprofit, trade group.
Top link: Nfib (National Federation of Independent Business) lobbied on it and gave $0 via PACs; $2,000 via lobbyists; $0 via employees to 2 SC members.
See who gave to whom ↓What it would do
- The bill would cancel the Bureau of Land Management’s December 9, 2024, decision on oil and gas leasing.
- That decision replaced a 2020 decision making approximately 1.6 million acres available for oil and gas leasing.
- The 2024 decision barred leasing or exploration on approximately 1.2 million acres.
- It required at least 400,000 acres to be offered for oil and gas leasing, with operating conditions.
- Current law requires those acres to have the highest potential for finding oil and gas.
Written with AI from the official summary by Congress's research office.
How South Carolina voted
House vote coverage is incomplete for 2025–2026. Vote and flagged-bill counts reflect imported records only; missing votes don't mean a member didn't vote.
House vote
Vote to pass
Nov. 19, 2025 · Passed 217 to 209
- Republicans
- 214 yes
- 1 no
- Democrats
- 3 yes
- 208 no
Senate vote
Vote to pass
Dec. 4, 2025 · Passed 49 to 45
- Republicans
- 49 yes
- 1 no
- Democrats
- 0 yes
- 42 no
- Independents
- 0 yes
- 2 no
Groups that lobbied on it and gave to SC's members
PAC, lobbyist campaign and qualifying employee money this election, shown separately and never added together. Lobbying reports name the bills a group worked on, not which side it took.
| Group | What it is | Gave SC members | Members |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nfib (National Federation of Independent Business) | Trade group | Lobbyists: $2,000 | 2 |
See all groups, by member
Members without a final recorded vote are grayed out and excluded from totals. Events and honors are not campaign money and aren't included. Matches use exact organization names.
| Organization | Darline GrahamNo vote | Lindsey GrahamDidn't vote | Tim ScottYes | Jim ClyburnNo | Joe WilsonYes | Nancy MaceYes | Ralph NormanYes | Russell FryYes | Sheri BiggsYes | William TimmonsYes | Members |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nfib (National Federation of Independent Business) | – | Lobbyists: $3,000 | – | – | – | – | – | Lobbyists: $1,000 | Lobbyists: $1,000 | – | 2 |
Official record
Official title, sponsor and status
- Official title
- Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Bureau of Land Management relating to "Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program Record of Decision".
- Sponsor
- Rep. Begich, Nicholas J. (R-AK)
- Introduced
- Oct. 10, 2025
- Cosponsors
- 0
- Committees
- House Natural Resources Committee
- Latest action
- Dec. 11, 2025 · Became Public Law No: 119-52.
Official summary from the Congressional Research Service
This joint resolution opens public land for oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Specifically, the joint resolution nullifies the record of decision (ROD) issued by the Bureau of Land Management on December 9, 2024, for the program that leases, develops, produces, and transports oil and gas in and from the Coastal Plain program area within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The 2024 ROD that is being nullified by this resolution replaced the 2020 ROD that made all of the approximately 1.6 million acres of the program area available for oil and gas leasing. The 2024 ROD made approximately 1.2 million acres unavailable for leasing or exploration in order to protect and conserve resources and certain uses in these areas. However, the 2024 ROD requires the statutory minimum of 400,000 acres to be made available for oil and gas leasing in a specified lease sale, subject to certain stipulations and operating procedures. Under current law, those acres must be located in the areas with the highest potential for the discovery of hydrocarbons.
Summary on Congress.gov ↗Everyone who lobbied on this bill (7 groups)
8 reports. Fees cover each report's whole lobbying effort, not just this bill.
Businesses and trade groups (2)
- American Petroleum Institute ↗Energy · 1 report
- Nfib (National Federation of Independent Business) ↗1 report
Labor unions (0)
None.
Advocacy groups and nonprofits (5)
- League of Conservation Voters ↗1 report
- Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions ↗1 report
- World Wildlife Fund, Inc. ↗1 report
- Defenders of Wildlife ↗1 report
- Alaska Wilderness League Action ↗2 reports
Not classified (0)
None.
Lobbying firms (7)
- American Petroleum Institute ↗Energy · 1 report
- Nfib (National Federation of Independent Business) ↗1 report
- League of Conservation Voters ↗1 report
- Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions ↗1 report
- World Wildlife Fund, Inc. ↗1 report
- Defenders of Wildlife ↗1 report
- Alaska Wilderness League Action ↗2 reports
We sorted these groups by name and industry. The labels are ours, not legal categories.