[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8224 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8224
To require the Secretary of the Interior to carry out certain offshore
oil and gas lease sales and finalize the next offshore oil and gas
leasing program, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 24, 2022
Mrs. Boebert (for herself, Mr. Rosendale, Mr. Tiffany, Mr. Gohmert, Mr.
Gosar, Mr. Nehls, Mr. Biggs, and Mr. Perry) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of the Interior to carry out certain offshore
oil and gas lease sales and finalize the next offshore oil and gas
leasing program, 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. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Fueling American Prosperity Act''.
SEC. 2. DEADLINE FOR CERTAIN OFFSHORE LEASE SALES.
(a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, by not
later than June 30, 2022, the Secretary of the Interior shall hold the
following lease sales, as provided under the 2017-2022 Outer
Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Final Program (November
2016):
(1) Lease Sale 258, relating to the Cook Inlet Planning
Area.
(2) Lease Sales 259 and 261, relating to the Gulf of Mexico
Region.
(b) NEPA Exemption.--Any lease sale held under this section shall
not be considered a major Federal action under section 102(2)(C) of the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)).
SEC. 3. DEADLINE TO FINALIZE OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS LEASING PROGRAM.
(a) Deadline.--Not later than June 30, 2022, the Secretary of the
Interior shall, under section 18 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands
Act (43 U.S.C. 1344), finalize an offshore oil and gas leasing program
for 2022 through 2027.
(b) Lease Sales.--The program finalized under subsection (a) shall
provide for at least 11 oil and gas lease sales.
(c) NEPA Exemption.--The finalization of an offshore oil and gas
leasing program under this section shall not be considered a major
Federal action under section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)).
SEC. 4. ONSHORE OIL AND GAS LEASING.
(a) Requirement To Immediately Resume Onshore Oil and Gas Lease
Sales.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of the Interior shall
immediately resume onshore oil and gas lease sales in
compliance with the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 181 et
seq.).
(2) Requirement.--The Secretary of the Interior shall
ensure that any oil and gas lease sale pursuant to paragraph
(1) is conducted immediately on completion of all applicable
scoping, public comment, and environmental analysis
requirements under the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 181 et
seq.) and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
(b) Annual Lease Sales.--
(1) In general.--In accordance with the Mineral Leasing Act
(30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.), beginning in fiscal year 2022, the
Secretary of the Interior shall annually conduct a minimum of
four oil and gas lease sales in each of the following States:
(A) Wyoming.
(B) New Mexico.
(C) Colorado.
(D) Utah.
(E) Montana.
(F) North Dakota.
(G) Oklahoma.
(H) Nevada.
(I) Any other State in which there is land
available for oil and gas leasing under the Mineral
Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.) or any other
mineral leasing law.
(2) Requirement.--In conducting a lease sale under
paragraph (1) in a State described in that paragraph, the
Secretary of the Interior shall offer all parcels eligible for
oil and gas exploration, development, and production under the
resource management plan in effect for the State.
(3) Replacement sales.--If, for any reason, a lease sale
under paragraph (1) for a fiscal year is canceled, delayed, or
deferred, including for a lack of eligible parcels, the
Secretary of the Interior shall conduct a replacement sale
during the same fiscal year.
(c) Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Delays.--Section 17 of the Mineral
Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(q) Unreasonable Delays.--
``(1) In general.--The President shall not, through
Executive order or any other administrative procedure,
unreasonably pause, cancel, delay, defer, or otherwise impede
or circumvent any Federal energy mineral leasing processes
under this Act, or a related rulemaking process required by
subchapter II of chapter 5, and chapter 7, of title 5, United
States Code (commonly known as the `Administrative Procedure
Act'), without congressional approval.
``(2) Rebuttable presumption.--There shall be a rebuttable
presumption that any attempt by the President to pause, cancel,
delay, defer, or otherwise impede or circumvent any Federal
energy mineral leasing process, or a related rulemaking
process, described in paragraph (1), without congressional
approval, is considered unreasonable for purposes of paragraph
(1).''.
SEC. 5. EFFECT OF GASOLINE PRICE INCREASES ON ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS.
(a) Deadline for Certain Environmental Reviews.--During any period
of time in which the national average price of a gallon of gas is
greater than $3.99 per gallon (as determined by the Energy Information
Administration)--
(1) any environmental assessment required pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq.) during such period of time shall be finalized by not
later than 1 year after the date on which a Federal agency
begins preparing such environmental assessment; and
(2) any environmental impact statement required pursuant to
the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321
et seq.) during such period of time shall be finalized by not
later than 2 years after the date on which a Federal agency
begins preparing such environmental impact statement.
(b) Effect of Deadline on NEPA.--If an environmental assessment or
environmental impact statement described in subsection (a) is not
finalized by the applicable deadline provided in such subsection, then
the major Federal action that is the subject of the environmental
assessment or environmental impact statement shall not be subject to
the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
(c) Applicability of Requirement.--This section shall not apply to
any environmental assessment or environmental impact statement
finalized before the date of enactment of this section.
SEC. 6. HIRING FREEZE AND OTHER LIMITATIONS.
(a) In General.--If each of the requirements under sections 2, 3,
and 4(a) of this Act are not met on or before June 30, 2022, during the
period beginning on July 1, 2022, and ending on the date that each of
such requirement is met--
(1) no individual may be appointed to any position within
the Department of the Interior;
(2) no new position may be established at the Department;
(3) no officer or employee of the Department on July 1,
2022, may be assigned any duties not assigned to that employee
on that date; and
(4) except as provided in subsection (b), no officer or
employee of the Department may be transferred to a duty station
other than the duty station applicable to such officer or
employee on July 1, 2022.
(b) Exception.--During the period any limitation on transfer is in
effect under subsection (a)(4), an officer or employee of the Bureau of
Land Management whose duty station is in Washington, DC, may be
transferred to a duty station in Grand Junction, Colorado.
(c) Limitation on Funds.--No Federal funds may be obligated or
expended to pay the salaries or expenses of any individual appointed,
assigned duties, or transferred in contravention of subsections (a) and
(b).
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