{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://black.house.gov/press-release/video-rep-black-testifies-her-bill-promote-energy-security-expand-states%E2%80%99-rights", "VIDEO: Rep. Black Testifies On Her Bill to Promote Energy Security, Expand States Rights", "2016-11-15", "2016", "2016-11", "Republican", "House", "TN", "Diane Black", "B001273", "black.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "To watch Rep. Black\u2019s testimony, click HERE or the image above\u00a0\nWashington, D.C.\u00a0\u2013 \u00a0Today Congressman Diane Black (R-TN-06) testified at a hearing held by the House Committee on Natural Resources\u2019 Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources on her legislation, H.R. 866, the Federal Land Freedom Act (FLFA). The bill would delegate the leasing and permitting process for energy exploration on federal lands to the states. To watch a video of her remarks, click\u00a0here. A full transcript is provided below:\nThank you Mr. Chairman and members of the committee for allowing me the opportunity to speak today. As has already been said, I am the proud sponsor of H.R. 866, the Federal Land Freedom Act. I appreciate the opportunity to discuss this urgently needed legislation, as well as the larger need to expand states\u2019 rights when it comes to the issue of public lands.\nI truly believe the resurgence in oil and natural gas development underway in our country is an opportunity for us to achieve true American energy security. But too often, the heavy-handed federal government \u2013 particularly under this Administration \u2013 hinders that progress instead of helping to move it along.\nFirst, the federal government is notorious for tying up the permitting process for energy exploration in bureaucratic red tape. In 2014, states took 30 days on average to approve these permits, while the federal government took an average of 228 days. This means states were churning out permits in a month, while the federal government took over half a year.\nSecond, states are able to harness regional expertise to regulate energy exploration in a safe and environmentally conscious manner on private and state lands. This is in stark contrast to the federal government, which imposes weeping, one-size-fits-all regulations across all federal lands from Alaska to Florida.\nThird, the percentage of federal lands deemed \u201coff limits\u201d from energy development has increased drastically over the last 30 years. Today, the federal government owns 279 million acres of land, but 60 percent of this land is closed to development because of administration decisions of executive actions. So it shouldn\u2019t be a surprise that, last year, the Congressional Research Service released a report showing that, from 2010 to 2014 energy exploration on state and private lands increased dramatically while production decreased on federal lands.\nIncreases in domestic energy production in recent years have been almost exclusively through the permitting process operated by the states. Imagine if we could harness the effectiveness of our states to replicate this success on federal lands?\nFor these reasons, I introduced the Federal Land Freedom Act alongside Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma. Our bill will finally loosen the federal government\u2019s chokehold on energy development of public lands by giving states full authority to administer the leasing, permitting, and regulatory programs for energy development on federal lands within their borders.\nUnder this legislation, each state\u00a0 would have the option to set up their own state-based programs. And, importantly, this bill would keep in place protections for our national treasures by exempting national parks, the national wildlife refuge system, and national wilderness areas from development.\nThe fact is, the federal government was never meant to own and control the vast amount of land that it does today, or the energy resources underneath it. It\u2019s time for us to return federalism to our national energy discussion and honor the states\u2019 Tenth Amendment rights to develop and regulate these resources.\nI\u2019m pleased to tell you that my bill has the support of 23 cosponsors and the backing of several outside organizations including the American Energy Alliance, The R Street Institute, the American Legislative Exchange Council, and the Heritage Foundation \u2013 among others.\nI am grateful for the committee\u2019s interest in this critical piece of legislation and ask for your help in ensuring its timely passage. Thank you. I yield back the remainder of my time.\u00a0\nBackground:  Natural Resources Committee Press Release: Federal Land Freedom Act Empowers State Energy Development  Rep. Black Introduces Legislation to Promote Energy Security, Expand States\u2019 Rights  \n\t\u00a0\n\u00a0\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://black.house.gov/press-release/video-rep-black-testifies-her-bill-promote-energy-security-expand-states%E2%80%99-rights"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8798399940133095, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}