Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that establishes a minimum percentage of federal lands that must be available for oil and gas leasing, increases oil and gas lease sales in Alaska and off the coast of Virginia, and delays implementation of certain environmental regulations.

Highlights:

• Requires the Secretary of the Interior to annually offer for sale at least 25 percent of federal lands that are currently available for oil and gas leasing but have not yet been offered for sale and that are located within known oil or gas fields or special tar sands areas (Sec. 402).

• Prohibits any individual or entity from protesting the sale of oil and gas leases on federal lands that are located within known oil and gas fields or special tar sands areas (Sec. 402).

• Requires the Secretary of the Interior to include certain areas on the outer continental shelf off the coast of Virginia in the outer continental shelf oil and gas leasing program for 2012-2017 and in every 5-year program after 2017 (Sec. 903).

• Requires the Secretary of the Interior to sell oil and gas leases for areas on the outer continental shelf off the coast of Virginia within 1 year (Sec. 903).

• Requires the Secretary of the Interior to sell at least 1 oil or gas lease every year from 2011-2021 for areas within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska that are “most likely” to produce commercial quantities of oil and natural gas (Sec. 603).

• Requires the Environmental Protection Agency to consider feasibility and cost when revising or amending any national ambient air quality standards for ozone (Sec. 206).

• Establishes a Transportation Fuels Regulatory Committee to analyze and report the impact of Environmental Protection Agency regulations on the national, state, or local prices of gasoline, diesel fuel, and natural gas (Sec. 202). 

• Requires the Transportation Fuels Regulatory Committee to conduct analyses for calendar years 2016 and 2020 that estimate the impact of  “covered rules” by the Environmental Protection Agency on certain economic phenomenon including, but not limited to, the following (Sec. 203):
• National, state, or regional prices for gasoline, diesel fuel, or natural gas;
• The global economic competitiveness of the United States and any loss of domestic refining capacity;
• Employment associated with changes in gasoline, diesel fuel, or natural gas prices and facility closures; and
• Any matters affecting the growth, stability, or sustainability of the nation's oil and gas industries, particularly relative to those of other nations.

• Defines “covered rules” as any of the following (Sec. 203):
• Motor vehicle emission and fuel standards;
• Performance or emissions standards for petroleum refineries that were proposed after March 15, 2012;
• Rules for implementation of the Renewable Fuel Program that were proposed after March 15, 2012 ; or
• National ambient air quality standards for ozone.

• Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from finalizing any covered rules until 6 months after the Transportation Fuels Regulatory Committee submits their final report (Sec. 205).

• Specifies that if the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency does not approve or deny a request for a waiver of fuel standards within 3 days, the request is considered approved (Sec. 207).

• Repeals the effective designation by the Environmental Protection Agency of the Colville River Delta as an Aquatic Resource of National Importance (Sec. 607).

• Specifies that if the Secretary of the Interior does not decide on an application for a permit to drill within 60 days after the application is received, the application is considered approved (Sec. 511).

• Establishes a $6,500 application fee for any application for a permit to drill (Sec. 511).

• Establishes a $5,000 documentation fee for each administrative protest of a lease, right-of-way, or application for a permit to drill (Sec. 521).

• Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from indefinitely delaying the issuance of any project approvals, permits, or rights-of-way for activities on an oil or gas lease (Sec. 403).

• Requires the Secretary of Interior to adjudicate any lease protests that were filed following a lease sale within 60 days of that sale, and specifies that any protest left unsettled after 60 days is automatically denied (Sec. 403).

• Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to identify additional federal lands that can be leased to meet domestic oil and gas production objectives and to take all “necessary actions” to achieve those production objectives unless prohibited by the President (Sec. 302).

• Increases the amount of revenue from oil and gas production on the outer continental shelf that is distributed to the states from $500 million to $750 million for fiscal years 2023-2055 (Sec. 902).

• Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to conduct onshore lease sales over the internet (Sec. 702).

Full Bill Text

Full Bill Text