Protect Domestic Oil and Gas Small Business Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- H.R. 8990
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Environmental Protection
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-05-21: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Last Updated
- 2026-07-10T08:05:54Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose This legislation amends the Clean Air Act to exempt low-production ("marginal") oil and natural gas wells from certain federal emission standards and related requirements, with the stated goal of reducing regulatory burdens on small domestic energy producers.
Key Provisions
- Adds a new subsection (k) to Section 111 of the Clean Air Act that prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from applying standards of performance, monitoring, reporting, leak detection, or other requirements to marginal wells or their owners and operators.
- Prevents the EPA from requiring state implementation plans to include standards applicable to marginal wells.
- Requires the EPA to approve, disapprove, or partially act on state plan revisions that remove marginal well standards within 180 days, with automatic approval if the agency misses the deadline.
- Defines a marginal well as an oil well site averaging 15 barrels of oil (or oil equivalent) per day or less, or a natural gas well site averaging 90,000 cubic feet per day or less, based on the prior calendar year's average.
- Defines "well site" to include associated equipment such as separators, tanks, compressors, and meters up to the point of custody transfer.
- Directs the EPA to update its regulations and guidance within 180 days of enactment.
- Requires termination of any pending enforcement actions against marginal wells under the affected standards.
Significant Changes to Existing Law The bill creates a broad statutory exemption from Clean Air Act Section 111 requirements that previously applied to all stationary sources, including oil and gas operations. It shifts authority to states by allowing them to exclude marginal wells from their plans without standard federal review timelines and mandates automatic approval of such changes.
Potential Impacts
- Government agencies: Reduces EPA oversight and enforcement workload for marginal wells while requiring the agency to revise existing rules and guidance.
- Citizens and businesses: Lowers compliance costs for owners of low-production wells but may result in fewer controls on emissions from those sites.
- International relations: No direct effects are addressed in the legislation.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Small oil and natural gas producers operating marginal wells.
- The EPA, which must implement the exemptions and update regulations.
- State environmental agencies responsible for Clean Air Act implementation plans.
- Owners and operators of associated equipment at well sites.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications The measure establishes a new federal carve-out from nationwide performance standards, potentially affecting the balance between federal and state authority under the Clean Air Act. It also includes an automatic approval mechanism for state revisions that bypasses full federal review.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Pfluger, August [R-TX-11]
Cosponsors (18)
Rep. Arrington, Jodey C. [R-TX-19], Rep. Weber, Randy K. Sr. [R-TX-14], Rep. Latta, Robert E. [R-OH-5], Rep. Ellzey, Jake [R-TX-6], Rep. Goldman, Craig A. [R-TX-12], Rep. Fedorchak, Julie [R-ND-At Large], Rep. Balderson, Troy [R-OH-12], Rep. Williams, Roger [R-TX-25], Rep. Evans, Gabe [R-CO-8], Rep. Mann, Tracey [R-KS-1], Rep. Estes, Ron [R-KS-4], Rep. Carey, Mike [R-OH-15], Rep. Crenshaw, Dan [R-TX-2], Rep. Langworthy, Nicholas A. [R-NY-23], Rep. Bice, Stephanie I. [R-OK-5], Rep. Hunt, Wesley [R-TX-38], Rep. Lucas, Frank D. [R-OK-3], Rep. Moran, Nathaniel [R-TX-1]
Recent Actions
- 2026-05-21: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- 2026-05-21: Introduced in House
- 2026-05-21: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Protect Domestic Oil and Gas Small Business Act of 2026 — issued 2026-05-21 — PDF (4 pages)