What Congress' leadership turmoil means for energy
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Changing faces atop Capitol Hill GOP leadership and the top ranks of the Interior Department could bring shifts in posture.
Driving the news: Tommy Beaudreau is stepping down from the number 2 role at Interior, which regulates energy development on huge swaths of public lands and waters.
Why it matters: He's seen as a relatively moderate voice on oil and gas who deeply understands the industry.
- Beaudreau was confirmed in a bipartisan, 88-9 Senate vote in 2021, and also spent years in senior roles in the Obama-era Interior.
What's next: While the White House holds sway on big decisions, watch how his absence may affect leasing, permitting and more.
Meanwhile, there are energy implications in the race to replace ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
State of play: Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana is a strong backer of oil and gas drilling — and made that clear in announcing he wants to replace McCarthy.
- His letter to colleagues touts this year's House passage of legislation to expand leasing and pare back Biden climate policies.
- His main competition for now is Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, who's also very conservative but less of a known quantity on energy.
Quick take: Via my Axios Pro: Energy Policy colleagues, a major congressional permitting deal may now be even less likely.
Zoom in: A speaker tight with the oil and gas industry, like Scalise, could place even greater emphasis on changing environmental laws key to permitting.
Subscribe for Pro's deeper look at the post-McCarthy era and vital Capitol Hill coverage every week.
