I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 923 
To prohibit the President from issuing moratoria on leasing and permitting 
energy and minerals on certain Federal land. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 9, 2023 
Ms. HAGEMAN (for herself, Mr. RESCHENTHALER, Mr. STAUBER, Mr. GOSAR, 
Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana, Ms. TENNEY, Mr. NEWHOUSE, Mr. FULCHER, 
Mr. NEHLS, Mr. ZINKE, Mr. WEBER of Texas, Mr. STEWART, Mr. 
OWENS, Mr. ROSENDALE, Mr. ROY, and Mr. OGLES) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, 
and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be sub-
sequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of 
such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To prohibit the President from issuing moratoria on leasing 
and permitting energy and minerals on certain Federal land. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protecting Our Wealth 
of Energy Resources Act of 2023’’ or the ‘‘POWER Act 
of 2023’’. 
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SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON MORATORIA OF NEW ENERGY 
LEASES ON CERTAIN FEDERAL LAND AND ON 
WITHDRAWAL OF FEDERAL LAND FROM EN-
ERGY DEVELOPMENT. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) FEDERAL LAND.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘‘Federal 
land’’ means— 
(i) National Forest System land; 
(ii) public lands (as defined in section 
103 of the Federal Land Policy and Man-
agement Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702)); 
(iii) the outer Continental Shelf (as 
defined in section 2 of the Outer Conti-
nental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331)); 
and 
(iv) land managed by the Secretary of 
Energy. 
(B) 
INCLUSION.—The 
term 
‘‘Federal 
land’’ includes land described in clauses (i) 
through (iv) of subparagraph (A) for which the 
rights to the surface estate or subsurface estate 
are owned by a non-Federal entity. 
(2) MINERAL.—The term ‘‘mineral’’ means any 
mineral subject to sections 2319 through 2344 of 
the Revised Statutes (commonly known as the ‘‘Min-
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ing Law of 1872’’) (30 U.S.C. 22 et seq.), and min-
erals located on ‘‘lands acquired by the United 
States’’ (as defined in section 2 of the Mineral Leas-
ing Act for Acquired Lands (30 U.S.C. 351)). 
(3) PRESIDENT.—The term ‘‘President’’ means 
the President or any designee, including— 
(A) the Secretary of Agriculture; 
(B) the Secretary of Energy; and 
(C) the Secretary of the Interior. 
(b) PROHIBITIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, the President shall not carry out 
any action that would prohibit or substantially delay 
the issuance of any of the following on Federal land, 
unless such an action has been authorized by an Act 
of Congress: 
(A) New oil and gas leases, drill permits, 
approvals, or authorizations. 
(B) New coal leases, permits, approvals, or 
authorizations. 
(C) New mineral patents, leases, permits, 
approvals, or authorizations. 
(2) PROHIBITION ON WITHDRAWAL.—Notwith-
standing any other provision of law, the President 
may not withdraw any Federal land from forms of 
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entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public 
land laws, location, entry, and patent under the min-
ing laws, or disposition under laws pertaining to 
mineral and geothermal leasing or mineral materials 
unless the withdrawal has been authorized by an Act 
of Congress. 
Æ 
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