[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4389 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4389

  To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to ensure fair returns for Federal 
                     onshore oil and gas resources.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 13, 2016

 Mr. Lowenthal (for himself and Mr. Grijalva) introduced the following 
     bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to ensure fair returns for Federal 
                     onshore oil and gas resources.

    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 ``Ensuring the Taxpayer a Fair Return 
for Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Resources Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. ADJUSTMENT OF MINIMUM BIDS AND ANNUAL RENTALS FOR OIL AND GAS 
              AND TAR SANDS LEASES TO REFLECT INFLATION.

    (a) In General.--Section 17 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 
226) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)(1)(B), by striking ``$2 per acre'' 
        and inserting ``$4 per acre'';
            (2) in subsection (b)(2)(C), by striking ``$2 per acre'' 
        and inserting ``$5 per acre'';
            (3) in subsection (d)--
                    (A) by striking ``$1.50 per acre'' and inserting 
                ``$3 per acre''; and
                    (B) by striking ``$2 per acre'' and inserting ``$4 
                per acre''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(q) Inflation Adjustment.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) by regulation, at least once every 4 years, 
                adjust each of the dollar amounts that applies under 
                subsections (b)(1)(B), (b)(2)(C), and (d) by the cost-
                of-living adjustment; and
                    ``(B) publish each such regulation in the Federal 
                Register.
            ``(2) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Cost-of-living adjustment.--The term `cost-
                of-living adjustment' means the percentage (if any) for 
                a dollar amount by which--
                            ``(i) the Consumer Price Index for the 
                        month of June of the calendar year preceding 
                        the adjustment, exceeds
                            ``(ii) the Consumer Price Index for the 
                        month of June of the calendar year in which the 
                        dollar amount was last set or adjusted pursuant 
                        to law.
                    ``(B) Consumer price index.--The term `Consumer 
                Price Index' means the Consumer Price Index for all 
                urban consumers published by the Department of 
                Labor.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 17(b)(1)(B) of the Mineral 
Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226(b)(1)(B)) is amended beginning in the first 
sentence by striking ``for a period'' and all that follows through 
``Thereafter, the'' and inserting ``. The''.

SEC. 3. AMENDMENT OF ROYALTY RATES.

    (a) Royalty Rates.--Section 17 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 
U.S.C. 226) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``12.5'' each place such term appears and 
        inserting ``18.75''; and
            (2) by striking ``12\1/2\'' each place such term appears 
        and inserting ``18.75''.
    (b) Application.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall apply 
only to new leases issued on or after the date of enactment of this 
Act.

SEC. 4. ON-SHORE FEDERAL OIL AND GAS ROYALTY SHARING.

    (a) In General.--Section 35 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 
191) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Sec. 35. (a)'' and all that follows 
        through ``50 per centum thereof'' and inserting the following:

``SEC. 35. ON-SHORE OIL AND GAS ROYALTY SHARING.

    ``(a) Royalty Sharing.--
            ``(1) In general.--Of the amounts received by the United 
        States from sales, bonuses, and royalties, including interest 
        charges collected under the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty 
        Management Act of 1982, and from rentals of the public lands in 
        Alaska under the provisions of this Act and the Geothermal 
        Steam Act of 1970--
                    ``(A) 33.33 percent shall be used as described in 
                paragraph (2); and
                    ``(B) the remainder shall be used as described in 
                paragraph (3).
            ``(2) Distribution of 33.33 percent.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Of the amount referred to in 
                paragraph (1)(A)--
                            ``(i) 30 percent, but not to exceed 
                        $50,000,000 per fiscal year, shall be 
                        transferred by the Secretary of the Treasury to 
                        the Bureau of Land Management for use for oil 
                        and gas inspection and enforcement;
                            ``(ii) 15 percent, but not to exceed 
                        $25,000,000 per fiscal year, shall be available 
                        to the Secretary of the Interior to remediate, 
                        reclaim, and properly plug and abandon orphan 
                        oil and gas wells on Federal lands;
                            ``(iii) 45 percent shall be paid by the 
                        Secretary of the Treasury to the State within 
                        the boundaries of which the leased land is 
                        located or the deposits were derived, for use 
                        by such State in accordance with paragraph (3); 
                        and
                            ``(iv) the remainder shall be deposited 
                        into the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts.
                    ``(B) Administration.--Amounts to be paid or 
                available under clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) of 
                subparagraph (A) shall--
                            ``(i) be available without further 
                        appropriation; and
                            ``(ii) remain available until expended.
            ``(3) Distribution of remainder.--Of the amount referred to 
        in paragraph (1)(B), and subject to subsection (b), 50 per 
        centum thereof''; and
            (2) in subsection (a), by striking ``All moneys received'' 
        and inserting the following:
            ``(4) General provisions.--All moneys received''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 35(c)(1) of the Mineral Leasing 
Act (30 U.S.C. 191(c)(1)) is amended by striking ``the first sentence 
of''.
    (c) Limitations on Application.--The amendments made by subsection 
(a)--
            (1) shall apply only to amounts received by the United 
        States under new leases issued on or after the date of 
        enactment of this Act; and
            (2) shall not affect the application of section 35(a) of 
        the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 191(a)) to amounts received 
        by the United States before the first fiscal year beginning 
        after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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