[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1647 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1647

 To recognize States' authority to regulate oil and gas operations and 
    promote American energy security, development, and job creation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 26, 2015

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To recognize States' authority to regulate oil and gas operations and 
    promote American energy security, development, and job creation.

    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 States' Rights to Promote 
American Energy Security Act''.

SEC. 2. STATE AUTHORITY FOR HYDRAULIC FRACTURING REGULATION.

    The Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.) is amended by 
redesignating section 44 as section 45, and by inserting after section 
43 the following:

``SEC. 44. STATE AUTHORITY FOR HYDRAULIC FRACTURING REGULATION.

    ``(a) In General.--The Department of the Interior shall not enforce 
any Federal regulation, guidance, or permit requirement regarding 
hydraulic fracturing, or any component of that process, relating to 
oil, gas, or geothermal production activities on or under any land in 
any State that has regulations, guidance, or permit requirements for 
that activity.
    ``(b) State Authority.--The Department of the Interior shall 
recognize and defer to State regulations, permitting, and guidance, for 
all activities related to hydraulic fracturing, or any component of 
that process, relating to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities 
on Federal land.
    ``(c) Transparency of State Regulations.--
            ``(1) In general.--Each State shall submit to the Bureau of 
        Land Management a copy of its regulations that apply to 
        hydraulic fracturing operations on Federal land.
            ``(2) Availability.--The Secretary of the Interior shall 
        make available to the public State regulations submitted under 
        this subsection.
    ``(d) Transparency of State Disclosure Requirements.--
            ``(1) In general.--Each State shall submit to the Bureau of 
        Land Management a copy of any regulations of the State that 
        require disclosure of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing 
        operations on Federal land.
            ``(2) Availability.--The Secretary of the Interior shall 
        make available to the public State regulations submitted under 
        this subsection.
    ``(e) Hydraulic Fracturing Defined.--In this section the term 
`hydraulic fracturing' means the process by which fracturing fluids (or 
a fracturing fluid system) are pumped into an underground geologic 
formation at a calculated, predetermined rate and pressure to generate 
fractures or cracks in the target formation and thereby increase the 
permeability of the rock near the wellbore and improve production of 
natural gas or oil.''.

SEC. 3. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE STUDY.

    (a) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
conduct a study examining the economic benefits of domestic shale oil 
and gas production resulting from the process of hydraulic fracturing. 
This study will include identification of--
            (1) State and Federal revenue generated as a result of 
        shale gas production;
            (2) jobs created both directly and indirectly as a result 
        of shale oil and gas production; and
            (3) an estimate of potential energy prices without domestic 
        shale oil and gas production.
    (b) Report.--The Comptroller General shall submit a report on the 
findings of such study to the Committee on Natural Resources of the 
House of Representatives within 30 days after completion of the study.

SEC. 4. TRIBAL AUTHORITY ON TRUST LAND.

    The Department of the Interior shall not enforce any Federal 
regulation, guidance, or permit requirement regarding the process of 
hydraulic fracturing (as that term is defined in section 44 of the 
Mineral Leasing Act, as amended by section 2 of this Act), or any 
component of that process, relating to oil, gas, or geothermal 
production activities on any land held in trust or restricted status 
for the benefit of Indians except with the express consent of the 
beneficiary on whose behalf such land is held in trust or restricted 
status.

SEC. 5. REVIEW OF STATE ACTIVITIES.

    The Secretary of the Interior shall annually review and report to 
Congress on all State activities relating to hydraulic fracturing.
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