[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3482 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3482

To make renewable energy production a priority on certain public lands 
 for the purpose of responsibly producing clean, affordable power for 
                          the American people.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 31, 2009

  Mr. Heller introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To make renewable energy production a priority on certain public lands 
 for the purpose of responsibly producing clean, affordable power for 
                          the American people.

    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 ``Renewable Energy Development Act''.

SEC. 2. DEVELOPING RENEWABLE ENERGY ON FEDERAL LANDS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior shall carry out in 
accordance with this section a program for the leasing of Federal lands 
for the advancement, development, assessment, installation, and 
operation of commercial renewable solar, wind, and geothermal energy 
systems.
    (b) Identification of Lands for Leasing.--
            (1) Lands selection.--The Secretary of the Interior, acting 
        through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management and in 
        consultation with the Secretary of Energy, shall--
                    (A) identify lease sites comprising a total of 
                6,400,000 acres of Federal lands under the jurisdiction 
                of the Bureau of Land Management in the States of 
                Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New 
                Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming 
                that are suitable and feasible for the installation and 
                operation of solar, wind, or geothermal energy systems, 
                subject to valid existing rights; and
                    (B) incorporate renewable energy development into 
                the relevant agency land use and resource management 
                plans or equivalent plans for the lands identified 
                under subparagraph (A).
            (2) Minimum and maximum acreage of sites.--Each individual 
        lease site identified under paragraph (1)(A), other than under 
        a lease for a geothermal energy system, shall be a minimum of 
        1,280 acres and shall not exceed 12,800 acres.
            (3) Lands released for leasing.--The Secretary shall 
        release for leasing under this section lease sites identified 
        under paragraph (1), in acreages that meet the following annual 
        milestones:
                    (A) By 2010, 79,012 acres.
                    (B) By 2011, 316,049 acres.
                    (C) By 2012, 711,111 acres.
                    (D) By 2013, 1,300,000 acres.
                    (E) By 2014, 2,000,000 acres.
                    (F) By 2015, 2,800,000 acres.
                    (G) By 2016, 3,700,000 acres.
                    (H) By 2017, 4,650,000 acres.
                    (I) By 2018, 5,800,000 acres.
                    (J) By 2019, 6,400,000 acres.
            (4) Lands not included.--The following Federal lands shall 
        not be included within a renewable energy lands leasing program 
        under this Act:
                    (A) Components of the National Landscape 
                Conservation System.
                    (B) Wilderness and Wilderness Study Areas.
                    (C) Wild and Scenic Rivers.
                    (D) Federally designated National Scenic and 
                Historic Trails.
                    (E) Monuments.
                    (F) Resource Natural Areas.
                    (G) Lands requested by Governor of State to be 
                removed from consideration for renewable energy 
                development.
    (c) Competitive Lease Sale Requirements Leasing Procedures.--
            (1) Nominations.--The Secretary shall accept at any time 
        nominations of land identified under subsection (b) for leasing 
        under this Act, from any qualified person.
            (2) Competitive lease sale required.--
                    (A) In general.--Except as otherwise specifically 
                provided by this Act, all land to be leased under this 
                Act that is not subject to leasing under paragraph (3) 
                shall be leased to the highest responsible qualified 
                bidder, as determined by the Secretary.
                    (B) Annual sales required.--The Secretary shall 
                hold a competitive lease sale under this Act at least 
                once every year for land in a State with respect to 
                which there is a nomination pending under paragraph (1) 
                of land otherwise available for leasing.
            (3) Noncompetitive leasing.--The Secretary shall make 
        available for a period of 2 years for noncompetitive leasing 
        any tract for which a competitive lease sale is held under 
        paragraph (2), but for which the Secretary does not receive any 
        bids in such sale.
            (4) Pending lease applications.--It shall be a priority for 
        the Secretary to ensure timely completion of administrative 
        actions and process applications for leasing of Federal lands 
        described in subsection (b)(1)(A) for installation and 
        operation of renewable energy systems, that are pending on the 
        date of enactment of this subsection.
    (d) Leasing Time Period.--Any lease of lands under this section 
shall be effective for a period of 30 years, with an option to renew 
once for an additional period of 30 years.

SEC. 3. PROGRAMMATIC ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, in accordance with section 102(2)(C) of the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)), the 
Secretary of the Interior shall complete a programmatic environmental 
impact statement for the renewable energy leasing program under section 
2.
    (b) Final Regulation.--Not later than 6 months after the completion 
of the programmatic environmental impact statement under this section, 
the Secretary shall publish a final regulation implementing this 
section.

SEC. 4. DEPOSIT AND USE OF GEOTHERMAL LEASE REVENUES.

    Section 234 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15873) is 
amended--
            (1) in the section heading, by striking ``for 5 fiscal 
        years''; and
            (2) in subsection (a), by striking ``in the first 5 fiscal 
        years beginning after the date of enactment of this Act''.

SEC. 5. STUDY.

    Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of the Interior shall complete a study of--
            (1) barriers to additional access to Federal lands for 
        transmission of energy produced under leases awarded under the 
        renewable energy leasing program under this Act; and
            (2) the need for energy transmission corridors on public 
        lands to address identified congestion or constraints.
                                 <all>