Akron Reporter

Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-OH-13) voted against H.R. 26, the Protecting American Energy Production Act, which passed the House in February, 2025, according to the Clerk’s official vote. President Trump publicly supported the bill as part of his energy agenda.

House Republicans have advanced the Protecting American Energy Production Act that prohibits the President from declaring a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing unless Congress authorizes such a ban, according to Congress.gov.

Reuters reported the House Committee on Natural Resources considering a proposal to expand oil and gas drilling on federal lands and offshore waters to be included in the reconciliation bill. H.R. 26 is also expected to be included in reconciliation. Framed as a centerpiece of the GOP’s energy agenda in 2025, the legislation reflects former President Donald Trump's push to unleash American energy dominance, boost domestic fossil fuel output, and slash regulatory red tape that began under the Biden administration.

The committee’s proposal mandates 30 lease sales in the Gulf of America over the next 15 years and requires the Department of the Interior to hold regular lease auctions in both onshore Alaska and offshore Arctic waters, according to Reuters. It includes provisions to reduce royalty rates for oil and gas producers, reopen areas previously restricted under climate-focused executive orders, and direct 90% of future leasing revenues in Alaska back to the state starting in 2035. Supporters say the bill could generate up to $15 billion in new federal revenues while creating thousands of jobs in the energy sector.

As of early May, H.R. 26 has cleared the House Natural Resources Committee and is expected to be folded into the broader 2025 budget reconciliation package, which would allow Republicans to bypass the Senate filibuster and pass it with a simple majority. "The House Committee on Natural Resources is answering President Trump's call to unleash American energy dominance through commonsense, science-based, and economically sound provisions in budget reconciliation," the committee's Republican staff said in a memo dated May 4, according to Reuters.

The bill has unified GOP backing and Trump’s public support. The White House said in a February 6 statement, “This Administration will continue to put America First and will guard United States national security through energy independence. For these reasons, the Administration strongly supports House passage of H.R. 26.”

Emilia Sykes, a Democrat from Ohio, was elected to Congress in 2022 after serving as the minority leader in the Ohio House of Representatives, according to her House website.