(1) recognizes that Venezuela has been im-
pacted by hyperinflation, rampant crime, and signifi-
cant government corruption; 
(2) condemns the totalitarian Maduro regime 
and calls for the return of constitutional democratic 
government to Venezuela similar to the form of gov-
ernment that existed in the country from 1959 to 
1999; and 
(3) calls on President Joseph Biden to use rel-
evant constitutional and statutory authorities that 
grant emergency powers to waive unnecessary envi-
ronmental permitting requirements until the United 
States can reliably produce enough oil and natural 
gas to recapture America’s global energy dominance. 
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
It shall be the policy of the United States— 
(1) to support the desire of the people of Ven-
ezuela for freedom and democracy; 
(2) to promote its national security interests by 
prohibiting the importation of petroleum products 
from Venezuela in the midst of the ongoing Russian 
attack on Ukraine; 
(3) to stress the importance of American energy 
independence, particularly from countries such as 
Russia and Venezuela; and 
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(4) to implement America-first energy policies 
that contradict President Biden’s overall energy pol-
icy approach. 
SEC. 4. PROHIBITION ON IMPORTATION OF PETROLEUM 
PRODUCTS FROM VENEZUELA. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall prohibit the 
importation of all petroleum products (as such term is de-
fined in section 3 of the Energy Policy and Conservation 
Act (42 U.S.C. 6202)) originating from Venezuela into the 
customs territory of the United States (as such term is 
defined in General Note 2 of the Harmonized Tariff 
Schedule). 
(b) MODIFICATION OR REMOVAL OF PROHIBITION.— 
The President may modify or remove the prohibition 
under subsection (a) with respect to some or all petroleum 
products described in such subsection only if the Presi-
dent— 
(1) reimplements and maintains the sanctions 
imposed against Petro´leos de Venezuela, S.A. 
(PDVSA); 
(2) directs the Executive Office of the President 
to conduct and submit to the appropriate congres-
sional committees and leadership a study that— 
(A) outlines the impacts and implications 
of Executive Order 13990 of January 20, 2021 
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(86 Fed. Reg. 7037; relating to protecting pub-
lic health and the environment and restoring 
science to tackle the climate crisis), specifically 
pertaining to the decision to revoke— 
(i) Executive Order 13766 of January 
24, 2017 (82 Fed. Reg. 8657; relating to 
expediting environmental review and ap-
provals for high priority infrastructure 
projects); 
(ii) Executive Order 13778 of Feb-
ruary 28, 2017 (82 Fed. Reg. 12497; re-
lating to restoring the rule of law, fed-
eralism, and economic growth by reviewing 
the ‘‘Waters of the United States’’ rule); 
(iii) Executive Order 13783 of March 
28, 2017 (82 Fed. Reg. 16093; relating to 
promoting energy independence and eco-
nomic growth); 
(iv) Executive Order 13792 of April 
26, 2017 (82 Fed. Reg. 20429; relating to 
review of designations under the Antiq-
uities Act); 
(v) Executive Order 13795 of April 
28, 2017 (82 Fed. Reg. 20815; relating to 
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implementing an America-first offshore en-
ergy strategy); 
(vi) Executive Order 13868 of April 
10, 2019 (84 Fed. Reg. 15495; relating to 
promoting energy infrastructure and eco-
nomic growth); and 
(vii) Executive Order 13807 of Au-
gust 15, 2017 (82 Fed. Reg. 40463; relat-
ing to establishing discipline and account-
ability in the environmental review and 
permitting 
process 
for 
infrastructure 
projects); 
(B) provides the necessary and appropriate 
recommendations for the President to reimple-
ment an America-first offshore energy strategy, 
as in effect on January 19, 2020; 
(C) reports on the effects of President 
Biden’s— 
(i) decision to institute a moratorium 
on offshore and onshore oil and gas leasing 
on Federal land, including the directive to 
the Department of the Interior to pause all 
oil and gas lease sales on Federal lands; 
(ii) actions that threaten to raise roy-
alty rates for any onshore and offshore 
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projects relating to the oil and gas indus-
try; 
(iii) statements that create significant 
regulatory uncertainty, including the Presi-
dent’s threats of implementing new exces-
sive and burdensome regulations on the oil 
and gas industry; 
(iv) decision to stop the lease sales in 
the Coastal Plain (as defined in section 
20001(a)(1) of the Public Law 115–97 (16 
U.S.C. 668dd note(a)(1))) of the Arctic 
National Wildlife Refuge and the National 
Petroleum Reserve-Alaska; 
(v) directive to the Department of En-
ergy to delay the review of certain liquified 
natural gas export licenses; 
(vi) allocation of authority to the Fed-
eral Energy Regulatory Commission to 
change its certificate policy statement gov-
erning interstate natural gas pipeline re-
views; 
(vii) decision to shut down critical 
mining projects, such as Twin Metals cop-
per-nickel mine in Minnesota; 
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(viii) guidance to the Department of 
the Treasury that prevents the Depart-
ment of Energy, the United States Agency 
for International Development, and the 
Department of State from investing in 
loans or grants for fossil fuel projects 
abroad; 
(ix) refusal to permit mining projects, 
such as Resolution Copper in Arizona; 
(x) decision to reinstitute National 
Monuments, including Bears Ears Na-
tional Monument and Grand Staircase- 
Escalante National Monument, to prevent 
the development of fossil fuel projects; and 
(xi) response to the Bureau of Land 
Management’s ongoing backlog of pending 
applications for permits to drill on Federal 
land; 
(D) includes supplemental background in-
formation pertaining to the President’s decision 
to implement a temporary moratorium on all 
Federal activities relating to the implementation 
of the Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Pro-
gram (as established by the Record of Decision 
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signed August 17, 2020) in the Arctic National 
Wildlife Refuge; and 
(E) describes the potential impacts of 
pausing all new discretionary regulatory policy 
that would negatively impact the oil and gas 
sector, including— 
(i) the proposed rule titled ‘‘Standards 
of Performance for New, Reconstructed, 
and Modified Sources and Emissions 
Guidelines for Existing Sources: Oil and 
Natural Gas Sector Climate Review’’ and 
published on November 15, 2021 (86 Fed. 
Reg. 63110); 
(ii) the Environmental Protection 
Agency’s decision to reconsider the pre-
vious Administration’s decision to retain, 
without revision, the National Ambient Air 
Quality Standards for particulate matter 
and ozone; 
(iii) the development by the Environ-
mental Protection Agency of a new defini-
tion of the term ‘‘waters of the United 
States’’ for any purpose that affects the oil 
and gas sector; and 
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(iv) the modification by the Corps of 
Engineers of nationwide permit (NWP) 
regulations under section 404 of the Fed-
eral Water Pollution Control Act (33 
U.S.C. 1344) and section 10 of the Act of 
March 3, 1899 (33 U.S.C. 403); 
(3) renews the authorization of the Keystone 
XL pipeline for the purpose of importing oil from 
Canada to the United States, as described in the 
Presidential permit of March 29, 2019 (84 Fed. 
Reg. 13101); 
(4) resumes oil and gas leasing on Federal 
land; and 
(5) notifies the appropriate congressional com-
mittees and leadership that, in the determination of 
the President, such modification or removal is ap-
propriate given the situation in Ukraine, and in-
cludes with such notification— 
(A) an explanation of the rationale for 
such modification or removal; and 
(B) if the modification does not result in 
the full removal of the prohibition, a description 
of the criteria to be met by Venezuela for fur-
ther modification or removal of remaining ele-
ments of the prohibition. 
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(c) PENALTIES.—The President is authorized to use 
appropriate authorities to impose such civil or criminal 
penalties as may be necessary to enforce the prohibition 
under subsection (a). 
(d) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMITTEES 
AND LEADERSHIP DEFINED.—For purposes of this sec-
tion, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional committees and 
leadership’’ means— 
(1) the Speaker of the House of Representa-
tives and the President pro tempore of the Senate; 
(2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 
Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce, the Committee on Armed 
Services, and the Permanent Select Committee on 
Intelligence of the House of Representatives; and 
(3) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the 
Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources, the Committee on 
Armed Services, and the Select Committee on Intel-
ligence of the Senate. 
Æ 
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