Sponsors
The bill directs federal and local resources to reduce oil‑theft, improve prosecutions, and enhance safety — benefiting affected communities and industry — but does so by increasing penalties and spending, reallocating grant funds, and raising risks of jurisdictional friction and civil‑liberty concerns.
Residents, energy companies, and local communities in the Permian Basin and similar areas will see more focused enforcement and prevention of oil theft, reducing theft-related disruptions, property damage, and safety hazards.
Local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement will have improved coordination and case-sharing for investigations and prosecutions, increasing the likelihood of successful enforcement across jurisdictions.
Local law enforcement agencies can use JAG funding to hire investigators and prevention staff focused on oil theft, increasing local capacity to detect and prevent illegal activity.
People convicted under the enhanced federal offenses face much longer maximum prison terms, increasing incarceration risk for defendants and social harms for their families and communities and worsening justice-system impacts.
Longer maximum sentences and expanded federal enforcement are likely to increase federal prison populations and related taxpayer costs for incarceration and post-conviction supervision.
Directing JAG funds to oil-theft programs will reduce grant money available for other local criminal-justice priorities (e.g., victim services, drug treatment, other crime prevention), potentially harming vulnerable populations who rely on those services.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Creates an FBI Permian Basin Oil Theft Task Force, raises certain federal theft sentence maxima, and lets Byrne JAG funds be used to prevent and investigate oil theft.
Introduced June 17, 2025 by Tony Gonzales · Last progress June 17, 2025
Creates a focused federal response to oil theft in the Permian Basin by authorizing the FBI to form a Permian Basin Oil Theft Task Force, increases maximum prison terms for certain theft and interstate transportation-of-stolen-goods offenses, and allows Byrne JAG grant funds to be used to prevent and investigate oil theft. The bill sets a small authorization range for task force funding, requires annual reporting to the President and specified congressional committees, and expands state/local grant eligibility for anti-theft activities.