113 HR 1965 IH: Federal Lands Jobs and Energy Security Act
U.S. House of Representatives
2013-05-14
text/xml
EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
1.This Act may be cited as the
Federal Lands Jobs and Energy Security
Act
.
2.The table of contents
for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title.
Sec. 2. Table of contents.
Sec. 3. Policies regarding buying, building, and working for
America.
Title I—Onshore oil and gas permit streamlining
Sec. 101. Short title.
Subtitle A—Application for Permits to Drill Process
Reform
Sec. 111. Permit to drill application timeline.
Sec. 112. Solar and wind right-of-way rental
reform.
Subtitle B—Administrative Protest Documentation
Reform
Sec. 121. Administrative protest documentation
reform.
Subtitle C—Permit Streamlining
Sec. 131. Improve Federal energy permit
coordination.
Sec. 132. Administration of current law.
Subtitle D—Judicial Review
Sec. 141. Definitions.
Sec. 142. Exclusive venue for certain civil actions relating to
covered energy projects.
Sec. 143. Timely filing.
Sec. 144. Expedition in hearing and determining the
action.
Sec. 145. Standard of review.
Sec. 146. Limitation on injunction and prospective
relief.
Sec. 147. Limitation on attorneys’ fees.
Sec. 148. Legal standing.
Title II—Oil and gas leasing certainty
Sec. 201. Short title.
Sec. 202. Minimum acreage requirement for onshore lease
sales.
Sec. 203. Leasing certainty.
Sec. 204. Leasing consistency.
Sec. 205. Reduce redundant policies.
Title III—Oil shale
Sec. 301. Short title.
Sec. 302. Effectiveness of oil shale regulations, amendments to
resource management plans, and record of decision.
Sec. 303. Oil shale leasing.
3.Policies
regarding buying, building, and working for America
(a)It is the intent of the Congress that—
(1)this Act will
support a healthy and growing United States domestic energy sector that, in
turn, helps to reinvigorate American manufacturing, transportation, and service
sectors by employing the vast talents of United States workers to assist in the
development of energy from domestic sources;
(2)to ensure a robust onshore energy
production industry and ensure that the benefits of development support local
communities, under this Act, the Secretary shall make every effort to promote
the development of onshore American energy, and shall take into consideration
the socioeconomic impacts, infrastructure requirements, and fiscal stability
for local communities located within areas containing onshore energy resources;
and
(3)the Congress will
monitor the deployment of personnel and material onshore to encourage the
development of American technology and manufacturing to enable United States
workers to benefit from this Act through good jobs and careers, as well as the
establishment of important industrial facilities to support expanded access to
American resources.
(b)The
Secretary of the Interior shall when possible, and practicable, encourage the
use of United States workers and equipment manufactured in the United States in
all construction related to mineral resource development under this Act.
<enum>I</enum><header>Onshore oil and
gas permit streamlining</header>
<section id="H0D1AE63E1F754B0FA2CCD2A74A4CB92D" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>101.</enum><header>Short
title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This title may be cited
as the <quote><short-title>Streamlining Permitting of
American Energy Act of 2013</short-title></quote>.</text>
</section><subtitle id="H322F672990824F02A871AB98E2ECEC2E"><enum>A</enum><header>Application for
Permits to Drill Process Reform</header>
<section id="H86CA52D291CF4D52A722200E0DE6B7D4"><enum>111.</enum><header>Permit to drill
application timeline</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Section
17(p)(2) of the Mineral Leasing Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/30/226">30 U.S.C. 226(p)(2)</external-xref>) is amended to read as
follows:</text>
<quoted-block id="H8F5C29930A4B41EFB8A68985657188B6" style="OLC">
<paragraph id="H0CA1816D16E541CC929C1436E1DE7FFD"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Applications for
permits to drill reform and process</header>
<subparagraph id="H8A9615D4A59F4A29B29EAED729E18D9C"><enum>(A)</enum><header>Timeline</header><text>The
Secretary shall decide whether to issue a permit to drill within 30 days after
receiving an application for the permit. The Secretary may extend such period
for up to 2 periods of 15 days each, if the Secretary has given written notice
of the delay to the applicant. The notice shall be in the form of a letter from
the Secretary or a designee of the Secretary, and shall include the names and
titles of the persons processing the application, the specific reasons for the
delay, and a specific date a final decision on the application is
expected.</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="H9D590F2579444E65A74F47D36E169A18"><enum>(B)</enum><header>Notice of
reasons for denial</header><text>If the application is denied, the Secretary
shall provide the applicant—</text>
<clause id="HD30F8957FE1343A199DD83F07606CB2F"><enum>(i)</enum><text>in
writing, clear and comprehensive reasons why the application was not accepted
and detailed information concerning any deficiencies; and</text>
</clause><clause id="H12DBB0C4CEC04FE1B215F7AF72AF2C43"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>an opportunity to
remedy any deficiencies.</text>
</clause></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H51276337D55A41698962AD174EA7914B"><enum>(C)</enum><header>Application
deemed approved</header><text>If the Secretary has not made a decision on the
application by the end of the 60-day period beginning on the date the
application is received by the Secretary, the application is deemed approved,
except in cases in which existing reviews under the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 or Endangered Species Act of 1973 are incomplete.</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="HA1B2FC9C0D0A44CA8764654A9B81B2C5"><enum>(D)</enum><header>Denial of
permit</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">If the Secretary
decides not to issue a permit to drill in accordance with subparagraph (A), the
Secretary shall—</text>
<clause id="H6857D0A2690840758C981382A987D977"><enum>(i)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">provide to the applicant a description of
the reasons for the denial of the permit;</text>
</clause><clause id="HEC21463AA5954465A0DB71B09FD36000"><enum>(ii)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">allow the applicant to resubmit an
application for a permit to drill during the 10-day period beginning on the
date the applicant receives the description of the denial from the Secretary;
and</text>
</clause><clause id="H10ECD82E5A044AC6AE98873054CB3C11"><enum>(iii)</enum><text>issue or deny
any resubmitted application not later than 10 days after the date the
application is submitted to the Secretary.</text>
</clause></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H0656C66C52874FD19098168B6E45EFB4"><enum>(E)</enum><header>Fee</header>
<clause id="H3E049BD3D2364605B359855133540E77"><enum>(i)</enum><header>In
general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Notwithstanding any
other law, the Secretary shall collect a single $6,500 permit processing fee
per application from each applicant at the time the final decision is made
whether to issue a permit under subparagraph (A). This fee shall not apply to
any resubmitted application.</text>
</clause><clause id="H1450F0162F7346A5BACB1B2A3D7EA41B"><enum>(ii)</enum><header>Treatment of
permit processing fee</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Of all
fees collected under this paragraph, 50 percent shall be transferred to the
field office where they are collected and used to process protests, leases, and
permits under this Act subject to
appropriation.</text>
</clause></subparagraph></paragraph><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block>
</section><section id="H9571CEF91A7F4755B036A3BE7C92F2F5"><enum>112.</enum><header>Solar and wind
right-of-way rental reform</header>
<subsection id="H21417B4113AF4C8CB1794417566A318D"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In
general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Subject to subsection
(b), and notwithstanding any other provision of law, of fees collected each
fiscal year as annual wind energy and solar energy right-of-way authorization
fees required under section 504(g) of the Federal Land Policy and Management
Act of 1976 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/43/1764">43 U.S.C. 1764(g)</external-xref>)—</text>
<paragraph id="H7305A098286546189ADED712693E9A6F"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">no less than 25 percent shall be available,
subject to appropriation, for Department of the Interior field offices
responsible for the land where the fee was collected;</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H5C86B0F966614B3D97AB948DD981F0CD"><enum>(2)</enum><text>no less than 25
percent shall be available, subject to appropriation, for Bureau of Land
Management permit approval activities; and</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H80CD20651BEB4429A771F245A2C36394"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">no less than 25 percent shall be available,
subject to appropriation, to the Secretary of the Interior for department-wide
permitting activities.</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="H666BADD65382499282D082FB4CA701D8"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Limitation</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The amount used under subsection (a) each
fiscal year shall not exceed $10,000,000.</text>
</subsection></section></subtitle><subtitle id="H1F456B8875FE4649AFF51F934E176F4E"><enum>B</enum><header>Administrative
Protest Documentation Reform</header>
<section id="H5D407EAF8BF34915A7353FC0CEBCBFEE"><enum>121.</enum><header>Administrative
protest documentation reform</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Section 17(p) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30
U.S.C. 226(p)) is further amended by adding at the end the following:</text>
<quoted-block id="HD373020E75834AD9A044F21380888FC7" style="OLC">
<paragraph id="HC8EED03CC1AC43FCB9C113D257217C48"><enum>(4)</enum><header>Protest
fee</header>
<subparagraph id="H1EB7C7619084424FB22BD7C8AC922F29"><enum>(A)</enum><header>In
general</header><text>The Secretary shall collect a $5,000 documentation fee to
accompany each protest for a lease, right of way, or application for permit to
drill.</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="H5BA19D1B43334296B365F597FA509567"><enum>(B)</enum><header>Treatment of
fees</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Of all fees collected
under this paragraph, 50 percent shall remain in the field office where they
are collected and used to process protests subject to
appropriation.</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block>
</section></subtitle><subtitle id="HA06EAAB66DD54CD8BA737661C38C0ED8"><enum>C</enum><header>Permit
Streamlining</header>
<section id="HE0F21593FF194C579C50D0DC93880EC7"><enum>131.</enum><header>Improve Federal
energy permit coordination</header>
<subsection id="H9E2064FAD08840FB99EB3D14D7CF52C8"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Establishment</header><text>The
Secretary of the Interior (referred to in this section as the
<quote>Secretary</quote>) shall establish a Federal Permit Streamlining Project
(referred to in this section as the <quote>Project</quote>) in every Bureau of
Land Management field office with responsibility for permitting energy projects
on Federal land.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="HE68B95C7967645148F4CD9A56B9F27C8"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Memorandum of
understanding</header>
<paragraph id="H08C96285ABD040C3B7846BBE380CCE17"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In
general</header><text>Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Secretary shall enter into a memorandum of understanding for
purposes of this section with—</text>
<subparagraph id="H725B14199B654E08A8589EDAAA863AE8"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the Secretary of
Agriculture;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="HBD03AB3E1990473983E31CAEF4E1138C"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the Administrator
of the Environmental Protection Agency; and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="H1B9B781E1AC4476FB177E95FB7445017"><enum>(C)</enum><text>the Chief of the
Army Corps of Engineers.</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="H2B99EE2C7C88407193776F7790C52B9E"><enum>(2)</enum><header>State
participation</header><text>The Secretary may request that the Governor of any
State with energy projects on Federal lands to be a signatory to the memorandum
of understanding.</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="H975CF42A52584284AAB696E17B6D4CC8"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Designation of
qualified staff</header>
<paragraph id="H0A6969B74DED47488DE822609BEC26E6"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In
general</header><text>Not later than 30 days after the date of the signing of
the memorandum of understanding under subsection (b), all Federal signatory
parties shall, if appropriate, assign to each of the Bureau of Land Management
field offices an employee who has expertise in the regulatory issues relating
to the office in which the employee is employed, including, as applicable,
particular expertise in—</text>
<subparagraph id="HF17C9D64462F4DA2B92708066E286AAA"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the consultations
and the preparation of biological opinions under section 7 of the Endangered
Species Act of 1973 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/16/1536">16 U.S.C. 1536</external-xref>);</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="H4BD97D40ABE64C109B06A824E4C42E3B"><enum>(B)</enum><text>permits under
section 404 of Federal Water Pollution Control Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/33/1344">33 U.S.C. 1344</external-xref>);</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="HEF4085842D3442ED93C804FC72A9C72A"><enum>(C)</enum><text>regulatory matters
under the Clean Air Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/42/7401">42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.</external-xref>);</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="H2692232FF1014D1984EBBBB72179ACC3"><enum>(D)</enum><text>planning under the
National Forest Management Act of 1976 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/16/472a">16 U.S.C. 472a et seq.</external-xref>); and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="HAEDF410826044D9CA0163DF23278E131"><enum>(E)</enum><text>the preparation of
analyses under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq.).</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="H90473F5413484CBE80AE109AB8CDEE06"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Duties</header><text>Each
employee assigned under paragraph (1) shall—</text>
<subparagraph id="HA79B91A26C194ECC85AD3A3C59B44594"><enum>(A)</enum><text>not later than 90
days after the date of assignment, report to the Bureau of Land Management
Field Managers in the office to which the employee is assigned;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="H9EF5D1C307514457B4B7E747259E3949"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">be responsible for all issues relating to
the energy projects that arise under the authorities of the employee’s home
agency; and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="H144453E209F2498AB9B303B52ABBB22E"><enum>(C)</enum><text>participate as
part of the team of personnel working on proposed energy projects, planning,
and environmental analyses on Federal lands.</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="HE5594D57F56B400ABA6E6820087CD010"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Additional
personnel</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Secretary shall
assign to each Bureau of Land Management field office identified in subsection
(a) any additional personnel that are necessary to ensure the effective
approval and implementation of energy projects administered by the Bureau of
Land Management field offices, including inspection and enforcement relating to
energy development on Federal land, in accordance with the multiple use mandate
of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et
seq.).</text>
</subsection><subsection id="HF09DA7E4193E42C98838B7BD105DB513"><enum>(e)</enum><header>Funding</header><text>Funding
for the additional personnel shall come from the Department of the Interior
reforms identified in sections 101, 102, and 201.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="H9EAE030B99964EFEA063D3C148B76E0E"><enum>(f)</enum><header>Savings
provision</header><text>Nothing in this section affects—</text>
<paragraph id="HEE02E7BD82EF4EE6B0059CA83C4AA8FD"><enum>(1)</enum><text>the operation of
any Federal or State law; or</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H6DF5F0CAEEDA407D8D4D80F5B30C88A0"><enum>(2)</enum><text>any delegation of
authority made by the head of a Federal agency whose employees are
participating in the Project.</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="H2570C56BE3574558B7339E3D8E643743"><enum>(g)</enum><header>Definition</header><text>For
purposes of this section the term <term>energy projects</term> includes oil,
natural gas, coal, and other energy projects as defined by the
Secretary.</text>
</subsection></section><section id="H07D2611FBA2145C293C1757187F874AE"><enum>132.</enum><header>Administration
of current law</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Notwithstanding
any other law, the Secretary of the Interior shall not require a finding of
extraordinary circumstances in administering section 390 of the Energy Policy
Act of 2005.</text>
</section></subtitle><subtitle id="HC6A5FD93C82B4AB5B5C5DCE88B3FE1D5"><enum>D</enum><header>Judicial
Review</header>
<section id="HD660BABBC3564C9F95E8CF1A3BD2AA28"><enum>141.</enum><header>Definitions</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">In this subtitle—</text>
<paragraph id="H4F809F197C5F4323909CC51A9AD6CFAD"><enum>(1)</enum><text>the term
<term>covered civil action</term> means a civil action containing a claim under
<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/5/702">section 702</external-xref> of title 5, United States Code, regarding agency action (as defined
for the purposes of that section) affecting a covered energy project on Federal
lands of the United States; and</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H7038DCCABDB74192B3FC42F4C8C3BA87"><enum>(2)</enum><text>the term
<term>covered energy project</term> means the leasing of Federal lands of the
United States for the exploration, development, production, processing, or
transmission of oil, natural gas, wind, or any other source of energy, and any
action under such a lease, except that the term does not include any disputes
between the parties to a lease regarding the obligations under such lease,
including regarding any alleged breach of the lease.</text>
</paragraph></section><section id="H5EC98F6394EF4788A5F583B03001AF08"><enum>142.</enum><header>Exclusive venue
for certain civil actions relating to covered energy projects</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Venue for any covered civil action shall lie
in the district court where the project or leases exist or are proposed.</text>
</section><section id="H6EBE69C5CF834D079A8FD53335A7A216"><enum>143.</enum><header>Timely
filing</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">To ensure timely
redress by the courts, a covered civil action must be filed no later than the
end of the 90-day period beginning on the date of the final Federal agency
action to which it relates.</text>
</section><section id="HD03A1835D333498DB9959A49F26E056B"><enum>144.</enum><header>Expedition in
hearing and determining the action</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The court shall endeavor to hear and
determine any covered civil action as expeditiously as possible.</text>
</section><section id="H0612F920ACA449C4B3EE932796DDDD05"><enum>145.</enum><header>Standard of
review</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">In any judicial review
of a covered civil action, administrative findings and conclusions relating to
the challenged Federal action or decision shall be presumed to be correct, and
the presumption may be rebutted only by the preponderance of the evidence
contained in the administrative record.</text>
</section><section id="H6B235FEDA8CA401EB5BACE39095952AB"><enum>146.</enum><header>Limitation on
injunction and prospective relief</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">In a covered civil action, the court shall
not grant or approve any prospective relief unless the court finds that such
relief is narrowly drawn, extends no further than necessary to correct the
violation of a legal requirement, and is the least intrusive means necessary to
correct that violation. In addition, courts shall limit the duration of
preliminary injunctions to halt covered energy projects to no more than 60
days, unless the court finds clear reasons to extend the injunction. In such
cases of extensions, such extensions shall only be in 30-day increments and
shall require action by the court to renew the injunction.</text>
</section><section id="H9EBB978A0EE04032861C530A970C84F5"><enum>147.</enum><header>Limitation on
attorneys’ fees</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Sections 504
of title 5, United States Code, and 2412 of title 28, United States Code,
(together commonly called the Equal Access to Justice Act) do not apply to a
covered civil action, nor shall any party in such a covered civil action
receive payment from the Federal Government for their attorneys’ fees,
expenses, and other court costs.</text>
</section><section id="H72D31F13F08B4BF7A8CA105E27CB18A5"><enum>148.</enum><header>Legal
standing</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Challengers filing
appeals with the Department of the Interior Board of Land Appeals shall meet
the same standing requirements as challengers before a United States district
court.</text>
</section></subtitle><enum>II</enum><header>Oil
and gas leasing certainty</header>
<section id="H7211C09E85844FC1AA3F6B86A19FDBDD" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>201.</enum><header>Short
title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This title may be cited
as the <quote><short-title>Providing Leasing Certainty for
American Energy Act of 2013</short-title></quote>.</text>
</section><section id="H4B465B5CD648497B82F040C1B26348AB"><enum>202.</enum><header>Minimum acreage
requirement for onshore lease sales</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">In conducting lease sales as required by
section 17(a) of the Mineral Leasing Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/30/226">30 U.S.C. 226(a)</external-xref>), each year the
Secretary of the Interior shall perform the following:</text>
<paragraph id="H958CF1738CA044989B2D7502C3A9D7FE"><enum>(1)</enum><text>The Secretary
shall offer for sale no less than 25 percent of the annual nominated acreage
not previously made available for lease. Acreage offered for lease pursuant to
this paragraph shall not be subject to protest and shall be eligible for
categorical exclusions under section 390 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42
U.S.C. 15492), except that it shall not be subject to the test of extraordinary
circumstances.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="HEC253C613C17408F88D96D82AA83A0DA"><enum>(2)</enum><text>In administering
this section, the Secretary shall only consider leasing of Federal lands that
are available for leasing at the time the lease sale occurs.</text>
</paragraph></section><section id="H826912E0927548C18BB4AE3FEEC552CF"><enum>203.</enum><header>Leasing
certainty</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Section 17(a) of the
Mineral Leasing Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/30/226">30 U.S.C. 226(a)</external-xref>) is amended by inserting
<quote>(1)</quote> before <quote>All lands</quote>, and by adding at the end
the following:</text>
<quoted-block id="H242971C365E84B1E850B6CF62E076CAD" style="OLC">
<paragraph id="H02886BC189554DA881F39D4DE9D48E75" indent="up1"><enum>(2)</enum><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="yes-display-inline" id="H8147E3165A84413D947A3DDFD7E5A545"><enum>(A)</enum><text>The Secretary shall not
withdraw any covered energy project issued under this Act without finding a
violation of the terms of the lease by the lessee.</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="H0AA850E21EB54052892932193197117F" indent="up1"><enum>(B)</enum><text>The Secretary shall not infringe upon
lease rights under leases issued under this Act by indefinitely delaying
issuance of project approvals, drilling and seismic permits, and rights of way
for activities under such a lease.</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HB958BC0C9172410CB332509C8A650215" indent="up1"><enum>(C)</enum><text>No later than 18 months after an area
is designated as open under the current land use plan the Secretary shall make
available nominated areas for lease under the criteria in section 2.</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="HA533583DC0164036A78C615B8346B708" indent="up1"><enum>(D)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Notwithstanding any other law, the
Secretary shall issue all leases sold no later than 60 days after the last
payment is made.</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="HCD073788935942DE9F2DAFA78BAB49C6" indent="up1"><enum>(E)</enum><text>The Secretary shall not cancel or
withdraw any lease parcel after a competitive lease sale has occurred and a
winning bidder has submitted the last payment for the parcel.</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="HC934098CE1BC4DDEA16D1A763E463749" indent="up1"><enum>(F)</enum><text>Not later than 60 days after a lease
sale held under this Act, the Secretary shall adjudicate any lease protests
filed following a lease sale. If after 60 days any protest is left unsettled,
said protest is automatically denied and appeal rights of the protestor
begin.</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="H6BA3C933890044A892681A8ECABAC2FA" indent="up1"><enum>(G)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">No additional lease stipulations may be
added after the parcel is sold without consultation and agreement of the
lessee, unless the Secretary deems such stipulations as emergency actions to
conserve the resources of the United
States.</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block>
</section><section id="H0F362539C2E443B2BD1200284F8A8BE8"><enum>204.</enum><header>Leasing
consistency</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Federal land
managers must follow existing resource management plans and continue to
actively lease in areas designated as open when resource management plans are
being amended or revised, until such time as a new record of decision is
signed.</text>
</section><section id="HB201EAE732464E3081F641390388BE7A"><enum>205.</enum><header>Reduce
redundant policies</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Bureau of
Land Management Instruction Memorandum 2010–117 shall have no force or
effect.</text>
</section><enum>III</enum><header>Oil
shale</header>
<section id="H2506632D6FA5478B81E5DB8F987B12EB" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>301.</enum><header>Short
title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This title may be cited
as the <quote><short-title>Protecting Investment in Oil
Shale the Next Generation of Environmental, Energy, and Resource Security
Act</short-title></quote> or the <quote><short-title>PIONEERS Act</short-title></quote>.</text>
</section><section id="HE7F5A36F692240F8AE49E74091F01483"><enum>302.</enum><header>Effectiveness
of oil shale regulations, amendments to resource management plans, and record
of decision</header>
<subsection id="H6927848C32574A1BBF8DF7571C90C9E5"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Regulations</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Notwithstanding any other law or regulation
to the contrary, the final regulations regarding oil shale management published
by the Bureau of Land Management on November 18, 2008 (73 Fed. Reg. 69,414) are
deemed to satisfy all legal and procedural requirements under any law,
including the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et
seq.), the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/16/1531">16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.</external-xref>), the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/42/4321">42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.</external-xref>), and the
Energy Policy Act of 2005 (<external-xref legal-doc="public-law" parsable-cite="pl/109/58">Public Law 109–58</external-xref>), and the Secretary of the
Interior shall implement those regulations, including the oil shale leasing
program authorized by the regulations, without any other administrative action
necessary.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="H673DFCC7FA894AA9B7668207BBEA075E"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Amendments to
resource management plans and record of decision</header><text>Notwithstanding
any other law or regulation to the contrary, the November 17, 2008 U.S. Bureau
of Land Management Approved Resource Management Plan Amendments/Record of
Decision for Oil Shale and Tar Sands Resources to Address Land Use Allocations
in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement are deemed to satisfy all legal and procedural requirements under any
law, including the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C.
1701 et seq.), the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/16/1531">16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.</external-xref>), the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/42/4321">42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.</external-xref>), and the
Energy Policy Act of 2005 (<external-xref legal-doc="public-law" parsable-cite="pl/109/58">Public Law 109–58</external-xref>), and the Secretary of the
Interior shall implement the oil shale leasing program authorized by the
regulations referred to in subsection (a) in those areas covered by the
resource management plans amended by such amendments, and covered by such
record of decision, without any other administrative action necessary.</text>
</subsection></section><section id="H54A7317C266E41CAB0E308DF89C07248"><enum>303.</enum><header>Oil shale
leasing</header>
<subsection id="HD833E54B579C4B38B960945853ED4F76"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Additional
research and development lease sales</header><text>The Secretary of the
Interior shall hold a lease sale within 180 days after the date of enactment of
this Act offering an additional 10 parcels for lease for research, development,
and demonstration of oil shale resources, under the terms offered in the
solicitation of bids for such leases published on January 15, 2009 (74 Fed.
Reg. 10).</text>
</subsection><subsection id="HF7BA7546D51643979D369F80540352B8"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Commercial lease
sales</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">No later than January
1, 2016, the Secretary of the Interior shall hold no less than 5 separate
commercial lease sales in areas considered to have the most potential for oil
shale development, as determined by the Secretary, in areas nominated through
public comment. Each lease sale shall be for an area of not less than 25,000
acres, and in multiple lease blocs.</text>
</subsection></section>