H.R. 408 explained · 119th Congress · Pending in Congress
To nullify the Presidential memoranda on the withdrawal of certain areas of the outer Continental Shelf from oil or natural gas leasing.
Cosponsors: none · per Congress.gov, 2026-10-12
Introduced: 2025-01-15
Latest action (2025-01-15): Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
What H.R. 408 does, in plain terms
This bill nullifies two presidential memoranda that were published on January 6, 2025, including (1) the Memorandum on the Withdrawal of Certain Areas of the United States Outer Continental Shelf from Oil or Natural Gas Leasing, relating to the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic, and Pacific areas of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS); and (2) the Memorandum on the Withdrawal of Certain Areas of the United States Outer Continental Shelf from Oil or Natural Gas Leasing, relating to the Bering Sea areas of the OCS. The memoranda prohibited the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) from issuing offshore leases for the exploration, development, or production (i.e., offshore drilling) of oil or natural gas in those areas. This bill reverses the withdrawal to allow BOEM to issue leases in those areas.
Official summary by the Congressional Research Service, via Congress.gov.
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