[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3408 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3408

   To set clear rules for the development of United States oil shale 
 resources, to promote shale technology research and development, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 14, 2011

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To set clear rules for the development of United States oil shale 
 resources, to promote shale technology research and development, 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 ``Protecting Investment in Oil Shale 
the Next Generation of Environmental, Energy, and Resource Security 
Act'' or the ``PIONEERS Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that oil shale resources located within the United 
States--
            (1) total almost 2 trillion barrels of oil in place;
            (2) are a strategically important domestic resource that 
        should be developed on an accelerated basis to reduce our 
        growing reliance on politically and economically unstable 
        sources of foreign oil imports;
            (3) are one of the best resources available for advancing 
        American technology and creating American jobs; and
            (4) will be a critically important component of the 
        Nation's transportation fuel sector in particular, by providing 
        a secure domestic source of aviation fuel for both commercial 
        and military uses.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVENESS OF OIL SHALE REGULATIONS, AMENDMENTS TO RESOURCE 
              MANAGEMENT PLANS, AND RECORD OF DECISION.

    (a) Regulations.--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 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 
(Public Law 109-58), 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.
    (b) Amendments to Resource Management Plans and Record of 
Decision.--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 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
seq.), the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq.), and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-58), 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.

SEC. 4. OIL SHALE LEASING.

    (a) Additional Research and Development Lease Sales.--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).
    (b) Commercial Lease Sales.--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.
    (c) Reduced Payments To Ensure Production.--The Secretary of the 
Interior may temporarily reduce royalties, fees, rentals, bonus, or 
other payments for leases of Federal lands for the development and 
production of oil shale resources as necessary to incentivize and 
encourage development of such resources, if the Secretary determines 
that the royalties, fees, rentals, bonus bids, and other payments 
otherwise authorized by law are hindering production of such resources.
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