The House of Representatives has decided to limit the use of the American strategic petroleum reserve

The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved a bill that limits the Department of Energy’s ability to use strategic petroleum reserves without developing plans to increase the area of ​​federal lands on which oil and gas drilling is possible.The House approved the bill by a narrow margin of 221 to 205 and almost strictly to the party line: All Republicans and only one Democratic congressman were in favor. Earlier this week, the White House said President Joe Biden would veto the bill if it passed Congress. The document is expected to be hotly debated in the Senate, which, unlike the House of Representatives, is controlled by Biden’s fellow Democrats.The bill would require the Secretary of Energy to develop a plan to expand federal oil and gas leases to include undersea areas of the outer continental shelf before using reserves from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SNR ). That won’t stop the president from using CHP in emergencies, like hurricanes, that could shut down oil production.Republican supporters of the bill said the Biden administration was reckless in selling 180 million barrels from the reserve last year. Because of this and other Biden-approved withdrawals, the CHP fell to its lowest level since 1983.The Biden administration said it was selling oil to bring down gasoline prices, which have averaged $5 a gallon (about 3.8 liters) nationwide and fueled U.S. inflation the higher for decades.Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told reporters at the White House this week that Biden “will not allow the American people to suffer because of the backward agenda that Republicans in the House of Representatives are implementing.”