RIGED Act of 2025

This bill aims to keep offshore oil and gas work from stalling when key federal permits or wildlife reviews expire. It tells federal agencies to let companies keep operating under the same rules of an expired permit until a new one is finished, and to work together so there’s no gap in coverage. This includes water discharge permits that cover many similar operators, where the old terms would stay in place for both current and new operators until the updated permit is ready . For the Gulf’s federal oil and gas program, following the 2020 (amended 2021) federal wildlife review counts as meeting Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act requirements until a new review is approved, which helps avoid delays while a replacement is written.

Agencies can set up joint working groups to coordinate and keep permits continuous, and must tell Congress and the President within 15 days when such a group is formed, including who’s on it, its goals, and how long it will last.

• Who is affected: Offshore oil and gas companies and the federal agencies that issue and enforce offshore permits.
• What changes: Expired permit terms stay in effect for current and new operators; agencies coordinate through working groups; existing Gulf wildlife review remains valid until a new one replaces it; similar water permits keep the same terms during updates .
• When: These stopgaps last until the new permit or new wildlife review is issued; working group notices are due within 15 days of creation.