[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3538 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3538

 To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to reduce impediments to the prompt 
     development of natural gas and oil resources on Federal lands.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 19, 2001

  Mrs. Cubin (for herself and Mr. Carson of Oklahoma) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to reduce impediments to the prompt 
     development of natural gas and oil resources on Federal lands.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Mineral Leasing Act Revision of 
2001''.

SEC. 2. EXCLUSION OF PRODUCING ACREAGE FROM LIMITATION ON TAKING, 
              HOLDING, OWNING, AND CONTROLLING FEDERAL OIL AND GAS 
              LEASES.

    Section 27(d) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 184(d)(1)) is 
amended--
            (1) by striking ``(d)(1)'' and inserting ``(d) Limitations 
        on Taking, Holding, Owning, and Controlling Leases and Lease 
        Options.--(1)(A)''; and
            (2) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) by striking ``: Provided, however, That'' and 
                inserting ``. Producing acreage and''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(B) For purposes of this paragraph, the term `producing acreage' 
means, with respect to a calendar year, any oil or gas lease--
            ``(i) for which minimum royalty, royalty, royalty in kind, 
        or compensatory royalty was paid during the calendar year;
            ``(ii) with respect to which the Secretary of the Interior, 
        under section 39, waived the obligation to pay any of those 
        forms of royalty during the calendar year; or
            ``(iii) all or a portion of which is subject during the 
        calendar year to a cooperative or unit plan of development or 
        operation or communitization agreement under section 17(m).''.

SEC. 3. SEPARATE APPLICATION OF LIMITATIONS ON TAKING, HOLDING, OWNING, 
              AND CONTROLLING LEASES AND LEASE OPTIONS.

    Section 27(d) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 184(d)) is 
further amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(3)(A) In applying paragraph (1) or (2) to leases or options for 
public land that are taken, held, owned, or controlled by an entity, 
the Secretary shall not consider leases or options, respectively, for 
acquired land that are taken, held, owned, or controlled by the entity.
    ``(B) In applying paragraph (1) or (2) to leases or options for 
acquired land that are taken, held, owned, or controlled by an entity, 
the Secretary shall not consider leases or options, respectively, for 
public land that are taken, held, owned, or controlled by the entity.
    ``(C) In this paragraph--
            ``(i) the term `acquired land' has the meaning given the 
        term acquired lands' in section 2 of the Mineral Leasing Act 
        for Acquired Lands (30 U.S.C. 351); and
            ``(ii) the term `entity' means a person, association, or 
        corporation.''.
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