House Committee on Natural Resources passes bill to add ecommerce for gas lease sales

The House Committee on Natural Resources passed the Innovation in Offshore Leasing Act, H.R. 5577, on Tuesday by voice vote to add an ecommerce option for oil and natural gas lease sales across the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.

“Making government work better for people – the way it’s supposed to – is a primary goal in everything we do up here, and this bill is designed with that in mind,” U.S. Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA), who co-sponsored the bill, said. “From industry, flood protection and traffic to national security and the balancing the budget, we’re working to make the government better leverage the technology that we all use in our private lives to do its work better, quicker and at a lower cost to taxpayers.”

Graves and U.S. Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) co-sponsored the bill, which is expected to enhance the efficacy and transparency of gas lease purchases in the nation.

“This bill brings much needed modernization to our antiquated offshore leasing processes,” House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) said. “Even though the current Administration seeks to eliminate all of the Outer Continental Shelf from exploration, what is available in the restrictive Five-Year Plan will benefit immensely from Rep. Graves’ innovative framework. Despite what fringe-left special interests keep saying, this bipartisan bill expands both public access and transparency.”