REFUSE PUTIN Act
Bill: H.R.6960 | Sponsor: Rep. McKinley, David B. (R-WV)
Policy area: Energy

Summary:
Regaining Energy Freedom and Undeniable SEcurity and Preserving U.S. Trade Interests Now Act or the REFUSE PUTIN Act
This bill addresses U.S. energy security and independence, the importation and exportation of fossil fuels, and drawdowns from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Specifically, the bill directs the President to prohibit the importation of fossil fuels from Russia. While the prohibition is in effect, the President may not ban the export of crude oil.
The President must also rescind certain orders, including specified environmental executive orders relating to climate change. Further, agencies must repeal any regulations that have the intent or effect of substantially reducing U.S. energy independence.
In addition, the bill grants the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission the exclusive authority to approve or deny applications for facilities, such as liquefied natural gas terminals, to export natural gas from the United States to foreign countries or import natural gas from foreign countries.
Additionally, the Department of Energy may not drawdown petroleum in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve until it develops a plan to increase the percentage of federal lands leased for oil and gas production.
Finally, the bill also approves the TransCanada Keystone Pipeline in Phillips County, Montana for the import of oil from Canada to the United States.

To prohibit the importation of fossil fuels from the Russian 
                  Federation, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Regaining Energy Freedom and 
Undeniable SEcurity and Preserving U.S. Trade Interests Now Act'' or 
the ``REFUSE PUTIN Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDING; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Finding.--Congress finds that exports of liquefied natural gas 
from the United States to Europe have a lifecycle emissions profile 
that is 41 percent lower than natural gas that is exported from the 
Russian Federation to Europe.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) any prohibition on the importation of fossil fuels, 
        including crude oil, petroleum, petroleum products, liquefied 
        natural gas, and coal, from the Russian Federation must be 
        offset by an increase in the production of those fossil fuels 
        in the United States;
            (2) United States allies in Europe should take similar 
        steps to prohibit the importation of Russian fossil fuels so 
        that the Russian Federation cannot benefit from production of 
        those fossil fuels; and
            (3) energy independence is critical to national security 
        and should include the production, use, and export of all 
        available energy sources, including coal, natural gas, oil, 
        nuclear, and renewables, as well as strategic minerals critical 
        to electric vehicles and other clean energy sources.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON THE IMPORTATION OF FOSSIL FUELS, INCLUDING CRUDE 
              OIL, PETROLEUM, PETROLEUM PRODUCTS, LIQUEFIED NATURAL 
              GAS, AND COAL, FROM THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
effective beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
President shall prohibit the importation of any fossil fuels, including 
crude oil, petroleum, petroleum products, liquefied natural gas, and 
coal, from the Russian Federation.
    (b) Exception.--The prohibition under subsection (a) shall not 
apply with respect to fossil fuels, including crude oil, petroleum, 
petroleum products, liquefied natural gas, and coal, that are loaded 
for transit or in transit to the United States on the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
    (c) Requirements or Other Restrictions on the Export of Crude 
Oil.--During any time in which the prohibition under subsection (a) is 
in effect, the President may not use the authority under section 101(d) 
of division O of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (42 U.S.C. 
6212a(d)) to impose a ban on the export of crude oil from the United 
States.

SEC. 4. EXECUTIVE AND AGENCY ACTION.

    On the date of enactment of this Act, the President shall--
            (1) rescind the following executive and secretarial orders:
                    (A) Executive Order 14008 (86 Fed. Reg. 7619; 
                relating to tackling the climate crisis at home and 
                abroad);
                    (B) Executive Order 13990 (86 Fed. Reg. 7037; 
                relating to protecting public health and the 
                environment and restoring science to tackle the climate 
                crisis); and
                    (C) Secretarial Order 3395 (relating to temporary 
                suspension of delegated authority); and
            (2) direct each Federal agency (including the Council on 
        Environmental Quality) to, not later than 120 days after the 
        date of enactment of this Act--
                    (A) identify and repeal any regulation promulgated 
                by the Federal agency that has the intent or effect of 
                substantially reducing the energy independence of the 
                United States; and
                    (B) issue regulations and guidance to--
                            (i) reduce the regulatory burden for energy 
                        producers in the United States; and
                            (ii) increase the energy output by those 
                        producers.

SEC. 5. INCREASING UNITED STATES PRODUCTION FOR ALLIES.

    (a) Applications for the Export of Liquefied Natural Gas.--Section 
3 of the Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717b) is amended--
            (1) by striking subsections (a) through (c);
            (2) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as subsections 
        (a) and (b), respectively;
            (3) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (c), and 
        moving such subsection after subsection (b), as so 
        redesignated;
            (4) in subsection (a), as so redesignated, by amending 
        paragraph (1) to read as follows: ``(1) The Commission shall 
        have the exclusive authority to approve or deny an application 
        for the siting, construction, expansion, or operation of a 
        facility to export natural gas from the United States to a 
        foreign country or import natural gas from a foreign country, 
        including an LNG terminal. Except as specifically provided in 
        this Act, nothing in this Act is intended to affect otherwise 
        applicable law related to any Federal agency's authorities or 
        responsibilities related to facilities to import or export 
        natural gas, including LNG terminals.''; and
            (5) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d)(1) Nothing in this Act limits the authority of the President 
under the Constitution, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act 
(50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 
et seq.), part B of title II of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act 
(42 U.S.C. 6271 et seq.), the Trading With the Enemy Act (50 U.S.C. 
4301 et seq.), or any other provision of law that imposes sanctions on 
a foreign person or foreign government (including any provision of law 
that prohibits or restricts United States persons from engaging in a 
transaction with a sanctioned person or government), including a 
country that is designated as a state sponsor of terrorism, to prohibit 
imports or exports of natural gas.
    ``(2) In this subsection, the term `state sponsor of terrorism' 
means a country the government of which the Secretary of State 
determines has repeatedly provided support for acts of international 
terrorism pursuant to--
            ``(A) section 1754(c)(1)(A) of the Export Control Reform 
        Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4318(c)(1)(A));
            ``(B) section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
        (22 U.S.C. 2371);
            ``(C) section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 
        2780); or
            ``(D) any other provision of law.''.
    (b) Strategic Petroleum Reserve.--Section 161 of the Energy Policy 
and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6241) is amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection:
    ``(k) Plan.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except in the case of a severe energy 
        supply interruption described in subsection (d), the Secretary 
        may not execute the first drawdown of petroleum products in the 
        Reserve after the date of enactment of this subsection, whether 
        through sale, exchange, or loan, until the Secretary has 
        developed a plan to increase the percentage of Federal lands 
        (including submerged lands of the Outer Continental Shelf) 
        under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Agriculture, the 
        Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of the Interior, and the 
        Secretary of Defense leased for oil and gas production by the 
        same percentage as the percentage of petroleum in the Strategic 
        Petroleum Reserve that is to be drawn down in that first and 
        subsequent drawdowns, subject to the limitation under paragraph 
        (2).
            ``(2) Limitation.--The plan required by paragraph (1) shall 
        not provide for a total increase in the percentage of Federal 
        lands described in paragraph (1) leased for oil and gas 
        production in excess of 10 percent.
            ``(3) Consultation.--The Secretary shall prepare the plan 
        required by paragraph (1) in consultation with the Secretary of 
        Agriculture, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary 
        of Defense.''.
    (c) Keystone XL Pipeline.--
            (1) Authorization.--TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, L.P. may 
        construct, connect, operate, and maintain the pipeline 
        facilities at the international border of the United States and 
        Canada at Phillips County, Montana, for the import of oil from 
        Canada to the United States as described in the Presidential 
        Permit of March 29, 2019 (84 Fed. Reg. 13101 (April 3, 2019)).
            (2) Presidential permits.--No Presidential permit or any 
        other Executive order shall be required for the construction, 
        connection, operation, or maintenance of the pipeline 
        facilities described in paragraph (1).
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