House Republicans voted Tuesday to reject an amendment introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) that would have required the collection of more public health data before drilling on federal lands, citing the need for U.S. energy independence.

The amendment failed to clear the Republican-led House Natural Resources Committee as members convened Tuesday to draft their working plan for the 118th Congress.

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In the document, lawmakers outlined priorities for the coming year, including examining the lack of federal lands leased for oil and gas development under the Biden administration. Members noted that under Biden, the United States has “leased fewer acres for oil and gas production offshore and on federal land” than any presidential administration in its early stages since World War II.

The committee vowed to examine the lack of U.S. oil and gas production in months ahead and said it would investigate actions from the administration that might have contributed to permitting delays or would otherwise disincentive oil and gas production.

Ahead of the document's release, Ocasio-Cortez, the top Democrat on the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee, introduced an amendment that would have required members of the committee to collect “public health data and other impacts of new drilling on federal lands" before authorizing new oil and gas development.

"There is a failure to acknowledge the disproportionate impact that these changes have on communities of color and other front-line communities," Ocasio-Cortez told committee members, adding that there should be "no objection to gathering better data on the health impact of these policies."

She stressed her amendment would be neutral and allow for studies that consider both the positive and negative impacts of drilling.

It was rejected from inclusion in the working document by a party-line vote of 15 to 21.

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House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) said the panel would be overstepping into the jurisdiction of other House committees if it opted to include Ocasio-Cortez's amendment.

"The gentlelady almost had me with this amendment," Westerman said, adding that ultimately, “we all care about public health. We all care about safety.”