AUSTIN Legislation by State Rep. Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa, to stop the implementation of any overreaching new federal regulations on oil and gas production in Texas passed out of the Texas House on Tuesday. House Bill 1683, dubbed the “Texas Energy Independence Act,” passed with the support of 110 out of 150 Texas state representatives.
“I filed HB 1683 to protect the livelihood of my fellow West Texans, the hardest working men and women on the face of the earth,” Landgraf stated in a news release. “But, as is often the case, what is good for the Permian Basin is good for the state as a whole. The Texas Energy Independence Act ensures taxpayer dollars collected on the state level will not be expended to enforce unnecessary federal oil and gas regulations.”
House Bill 1683 prohibits Texas state agencies and officials from contracting with or providing assistance to any federal agency or official regarding the enforcement of a federal statute, order, rule, or regulation regulating oil and gas operations if the regulation is not already in existing state law.
“Our way of life is under attack. But those who wish to stifle production fail to recognize the micro and macro importance of what we do out here. So many things that are necessary to daily life, including everything from baby diapers and children’s toys to car tires and cell phones, are a direct result of the hydrocarbons we pull from the ground. HB 1683 protects Texas jobs and American freedoms. It really is as simple as that,” Landgraf stated in the press release.
