A Democratic bill with 19 Democratic cosponsors · See all 19 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill is called the Taxpayer Relief from Big Oil Act. It focuses on reforming how royalty relief is handled for oil and gas production. The bill repeals specific royalty relief provisions for the Gulf of Mexico and modifies royalty relief rules for Alaska. It also requires the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to provide annual reports on royalty relief applications and outcomes. Additionally, it directs the Secretary of the Interior to create standardized transportation allowances for calculating royalties.
Yes· 3 of 7
- Scored +6
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?
Requires detailed annual reporting on royalty relief applications and outcomes.
- Scored +4
Does this raise the taxes companies pay?
Repealing royalty relief increases the financial obligations of oil and gas corporations to the government.
- Scored +4
Does this better protect public land such as parks and forests?
Increases transparency and standardization in the management of public land and water resources.
The opposite· 3 of 5
- Scored -6
Would business owners be better off under this?
Oil and gas production companies face higher costs due to the removal of royalty relief.
- Scored -3
Would people with substantial wealth be better off under this?
Investors in energy companies may see lower returns due to increased operational costs.
- Scored -3
Would the very wealthiest people be better off under this?
Owners of large oil interests will face higher payments to the government.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Transparency: Section 2(c) requires annual reports detailing the number of royalty relief applications, approvals, denials, and the resulting revenue differences, which allows for better oversight of oil and gas royalty relief.
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Standardized Royalty Calculations: Section 3(a) mandates the establishment of standardized transportation allowances for the calculation of oil and gas royalties in Bureau of Land Management boundaries and Outer Continental Shelf planning areas.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Loss of Financial Relief for Producers: Section 2(a)(1) repeals Section 344 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, removing royalty relief for the Gulf of Mexico.
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Changes to Alaska Production: Section 2(b) amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976, which removes certain provisions relating to planning areas offshore Alaska and the naval petroleum reserve in Alaska.
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Limits on Transportation Deductions: Section 3(b) caps standardized transportation allowances at either 30 percent of the total value of produced oil and gas or the actual reasonable costs, whichever is lesser.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would business owners be better off under this? — Oil and gas production companies face higher costs due to the removal of royalty relief. Would billionaires be better off under this? — Impacts the profitability of large-scale oil and gas operations. Would people with substantial wealth be better off under this? — Investors in energy companies may see lower returns due to increased operational costs. Would the very wealthiest people be better off under this? — Owners of large oil interests will face higher payments to the government.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this raise the taxes companies pay? — Repealing royalty relief increases the financial obligations of oil and gas corporations to the government. Does this make the government pay for what it commits to? — Standardizing transportation allowances and reporting royalty relief improves fiscal oversight. Does this reduce what the federal government owes? — Increasing royalty collections from oil and gas production increases federal revenue.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — Requires detailed annual reporting on royalty relief applications and outcomes. Does this give the federal government more power? — Strengthens federal oversight and reporting requirements for oil and gas royalties.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this better protect public land such as parks and forests? — Increases transparency and standardization in the management of public land and water resources. Does this reduce how much oil, gas and coal is produced? — Removing royalty relief may slightly disincentivize some marginal fossil fuel production. Is this likely to lower the price at the pump? — Increased costs for producers could potentially lead to higher energy prices.
- 9/3/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
- 19 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
Yassamin AnsariDemocrat · Arizona
Suzanne BonamiciDemocrat · Oregon
Julia BrownleyDemocrat · California
Steve CohenDemocrat · Tennessee
Adelita GrijalvaDemocrat · Arizona
Jared HuffmanDemocrat · California
Raja KrishnamoorthiDemocrat · Illinois
Mike LevinDemocrat · California
Sam LiccardoDemocrat · California
Betty McCollumDemocrat · Minnesota
Kevin MullinDemocrat · California
Dave MinDemocrat · California
Eleanor NortonDemocrat · District of Columbia
Emily RandallDemocrat · Washington
Andrea SalinasDemocrat · Oregon
Lateefah SimonDemocrat · California
Paul TonkoDemocrat · New York
Shri ThanedarDemocrat · Michigan
Juan VargasDemocrat · California