[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7375 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7375

     To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to improve the assessment of 
          expression of interest fees, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 15, 2024

 Ms. Hageman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to improve the assessment of 
          expression of interest fees, 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. FEE FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST.

    (a) Deadline To Issue Lease.--Section 17(b)(1)(A) of the Mineral 
Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226(b)(1)(A)) is amended by striking ``the 
remainder of the bonus bid, if any,'' and inserting ``, as applicable, 
the remainder of the bonus bid, the fee for the expression of interest 
under subsection (q)(2)(B),''.
    (b) Expressions of Interest.--Section 17(q) of the Mineral Leasing 
Act (30 U.S.C. 226(q)) is amended--
            (1) in the heading, by striking ``Fee for'';
            (2) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (3);
            (3) by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows:
            ``(1) Submission of expression of interest.--A person may, 
        in accordance with procedures established by the Secretary to 
        carry out this subsection, submit an expression of interest in 
        leasing land available for disposition under this section for 
        exploration for, and development of, oil or gas.
            ``(2) Assessment of fees.--
                    ``(A) No bid.--If land covered by an expression of 
                interest submitted under paragraph (1) is offered at a 
                lease sale and no bid is received for such land, the 
                Secretary shall assess at the time of the sale a fee 
                for the expression of interest against the person that 
                submitted the first expression of interest for the 
                land.
                    ``(B) Successful bid.--If land covered by an 
                expression of interest submitted under paragraph (1) 
                receives a successful bid at a lease sale, the 
                Secretary shall assess a fee for the expression of 
                interest against the successful bidder.'';
            (4) in paragraph (3), as so redesignated, by striking 
        ``paragraph (1)'' and inserting ``paragraph (2)''; and
            (5) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) Term.--An expression of interest submitted under this 
        section shall remain active for a term of not less than 5 years 
        unless the land covered by the expression of interest is 
        offered at a lease sale.''.
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