[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6758 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6758

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to promptly commence an oil and 
   gas leasing program for public lands within the Coastal Plain of 
                    Alaska, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 31, 2008

   Mr. Rogers of Alabama (for himself, Mr. Bonner, Mr. Everett, Mr. 
  Aderholt, Mr. Bachus, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Hayes, Mr. Knollenberg, Mr. 
  Wamp, Mr. Westmoreland, Mrs. Schmidt, Mr. McCrery, Mr. Rehberg, Mr. 
Alexander, Mr. Shadegg, Mr. Boustany, Mr. Price of Georgia, Mr. Bishop 
  of Utah, Mr. Pearce, Mr. Deal of Georgia, Mr. Broun of Georgia, Mr. 
     Conaway, Mrs. Musgrave, Mr. Goode, Mr. Nunes, Mr. Turner, Mr. 
Radanovich, Mr. Dent, and Mr. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida) introduced 
  the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
   Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to promptly commence an oil and 
   gas leasing program for public lands within the Coastal Plain of 
                    Alaska, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Furthering Renewable Energy and 
Exploration Act'' or the ``FREE Act''.

SEC. 2. OPENING OF COASTAL PLAIN OF ALASKA TO OIL AND GAS LEASING.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding section 1002(i) of the Alaska 
National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (16 U.S.C. 3142(i)), 
the Secretary of the Interior shall promptly commence an oil and gas 
leasing program, pursuant to the mineral leasing laws, for public lands 
within the Coastal Plain of Alaska. Such leasing program, including 
subsequent development and production under leases issued under such 
program, is deemed to be a compatible use for purposes of the National 
Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd et 
seq.).
    (b) Coastal Plain of Alaska.--For purposes of this section, the 
term ``Coastal Plain of Alaska'' means that area described in appendix 
I to part 37 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations.
    (c) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Section 1003 of the Alaska National Interest Lands 
        Conservation Act of 1980 (16 U.S.C. 3143) is repealed.
            (2) The table of contents in section 1 of such Act is 
        amended by striking the item relating to section 1003.

SEC. 3. TREATMENT OF REVENUES.

    (a) Establishment of Account.--There is established in the Treasury 
a separate account which shall be known as the Energy Independence 
Trust Fund (in this section referred to as the ``Fund'').
    (b) Deposits.--There shall be deposited into the Fund--
            (1) an amount equal to the amount of rental payments and 
        royalties received by the United States each fiscal year under 
        leases issued under section 2; and
            (2) an amount equal to the amount of Federal income tax 
        received by the United States each fiscal year attributable to 
        sales of oil and gas produced under leases under section 2.
    (c) Use.--Of the amounts deposited into the Fund each fiscal year--
            (1) 50 percent shall be paid to the State of Alaska; and
            (2) the remainder shall be available to the Secretary of 
        Agriculture, of which--
                    (A) 50 percent shall be used to provide business 
                and industry loan guarantees under section 310B(a)(1) 
                of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act in 
                the then succeeding fiscal year; and
                    (B) 50 percent shall be used for the Biomass 
                Research and Development Initiative established under 
                section 9008(e) of the Farm Security and Rural 
                Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8108(e)) in the then 
                succeeding fiscal year.
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