[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 16 (Wednesday, January 27, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S257-S258]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2958. Mr. HATCH submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 2012, to provide for the modernization of the energy 
policy of the United States, and for other purposes; which was ordered 
to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. ___. PRIORITIZATION OF CERTAIN FEDERAL REVENUES.

       Section 35 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 191) is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking the section designation and all that 
     follows through ``All money received'' in the first sentence 
     of subsection (a) and inserting the following:

     ``SEC. 35. DISPOSITION OF MONEY RECEIVED.

       ``(a) Disposition.--
       ``(1) In general.--All money received''; and
       (2) in subsection (a)--
       (A) in the second sentence, by striking ``All moneys 
     received'' and inserting the following:
       ``(2) Amounts to miscellaneous receipts.--
       ``(A) In general.--All money received'';
       (B) in the third sentence, by striking ``Payments to 
     States'' and inserting the following:
       ``(3) Deadlines.--Payments to States''; and
       (C) in paragraph (2) (as designated by subparagraph (A)), 
     by adding at the end the following:
       ``(B) Prioritization of revenues.--
       ``(i) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
     this Act, if, after the date of enactment of this 
     subparagraph, the Secretary or Congress increases a royalty 
     rate under this Act (as in effect on the day before the date 
     of enactment of this subparagraph), of the amount described 
     in clause (ii), there shall be deposited annually in a 
     special account in the Treasury only such funds as are 
     necessary to fulfill the staffing requirements of the 
     agencies responsible for activities relating to--

       ``(I) coordinating or permitting Federal oil and gas 
     leases;
       ``(II) permits to drill and applications for permits to 
     drill (APDs);
       ``(III) compliance with the National Environmental Policy 
     Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); and
       ``(IV) any other aspect of oil and gas permitting or 
     leasing under this Act.

       ``(ii) Description of amount.--The amount referred to in 
     clause (i) is an amount equal to the difference between--

       ``(I) the amounts credited to miscellaneous receipts under 
     paragraph (1), taking into account the increased royalty rate 
     under this Act, as described in clause (i); and
       ``(II) the amounts credited to miscellaneous receipts under 
     paragraph (1), as in effect on the day before the effective 
     date of such an increased royalty rate.

       ``(iii) Memoranda of understanding.--To carry out the 
     staffing requirements prioritized under clause (i), the 
     Director of the Bureau of Land Management may enter into 
     memoranda of understanding for the provision of support work 
     with--

       ``(I) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
     Agency;
       ``(II) the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief 
     of Engineers;
       ``(III) the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife 
     Service;
       ``(IV) the Chief of the Forest Service;
       ``(V) Indian tribes and tribal organizations; and
       ``(VI) Governors of the States.''.

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