A US House committee has rejected amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would have addressed data center energy permitting and offshore drilling, according to a report by E&E News.

The panel's decision removes both measures from the annual defense authorization bill as it advances through the House. For the offshore sector, the outcome means legislation touching drilling policy will not move forward inside the NDAA vehicle this cycle, leaving any future offshore leasing or permitting changes to stand-alone bills or appropriations riders.

What did the committee reject?

Two energy-related amendments failed to survive the markup:

• A measure addressing data centers, whose surging electricity demand has become a growing constraint on grid planning in producing and consuming states alike.
• An amendment concerning offshore drilling, the perennial flashpoint covering federal lease sales in the Gulf of America and along the Outer Continental Shelf.

E&E News, which first reported the committee action, identified both items as casualties of the NDAA markup process, where members routinely try to attach energy policy to must-pass defense legislation.

Why does the NDAA vehicle matter?

Energy amendments ride on the NDAA because the defense bill passes annually with broad support, giving otherwise stalled measures a route to the floor. When committees strip such amendments, the underlying policy questions return to committees of jurisdiction — for offshore drilling, that means the House Natural Resources Committee and, in the Senate, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

The rejection also narrows the legislative calendar. With each chamber operating on its own NDAA version, amendments cut at the committee stage generally require a floor vote or conference negotiation to reappear, and both routes demand majority support that the panel apparently could not deliver.

What is the watch item?

The watch item is the full House floor schedule for the NDAA, where lawmakers may revive stripped amendments through floor consideration, and the eventual House–Senate conference text. Offshore drilling provisions attached at either stage would directly affect the federal leasing program that anchors Gulf of America deepwater activity, so operators and service companies will track the conference report for any language that survives.