[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9024 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9024
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to submit a report and maintain
publicly available data on expressions of interests, applications for
permits to drill, and offshore geological and geophysical survey
licenses, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 28, 2022
Mr. Tiffany (for himself and Mr. Westerman) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in
addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to submit a report and maintain
publicly available data on expressions of interests, applications for
permits to drill, and offshore geological and geophysical survey
licenses, 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 ``Directing Responsibility to Interior
for Leases and Licenses Act'' or the ``DRILL Act''.
SEC. 2. EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST; APPLICATIONS FOR PERMITS TO DRILL;
OFFSHORE GEOLOGICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY LICENSING.
(a) Report.--Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of
this section, the Secretary of the Interior shall submit to the
Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report that
describes--
(1) the status of nominated parcels for future onshore oil
and gas lease sales, including--
(A) the number of expressions of interest that the
Bureau of Land Management has not taken any action to
review, or not completed review of, as of the date of
enactment of this section; and
(B) how long such expressions of interest have been
pending;
(2) the status of each pending application for a permit to
drill, including the number of applications received, in each
Bureau of Land Management State office as of the date of
enactment of this section, including--
(A) a description of the cause of delay for pending
applications, including as a result of staffing
shortages, technical limitations, incomplete
applications, and incomplete review pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.) or other applicable laws;
(B) the number of days an application has been
pending in violation of section 17(p)(2) of the Mineral
Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226(p)(2)); and
(C) steps the office is taking to come into
compliance with the requirements of section 17(p)(2) of
the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226(p)(2));
(3) the number of permits to drill issued by each Bureau of
Land Management State office as of the date of enactment of
this section;
(4) the status of each pending application for a license
for offshore geological and geophysical surveys, including the
number of applications received, in each Bureau of Ocean Energy
management regional office, including--
(A) a description of any cause of delay for pending
applications, including as a result of staffing
shortages, technical limitations, incomplete
applications, and incomplete review pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.) or other applicable laws;
(B) the number of days an application has been
pending; and
(C) steps the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is
taking to complete review of each application;
(5) the number of licenses for offshore geological and
geophysical surveys issued by each Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management regional office as of the date of enactment of this
section;
(6) the status of each pending application for a permit to
drill, including the number of applications received, in each
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement regional office,
including--
(A) a description of any cause of delay for pending
applications, including as a result of staffing
shortages, technical limitations, incomplete
applications, and incomplete review pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.) or other applicable laws;
(B) the number of days an application has been
pending; and
(C) steps the Bureau of Safety and Environmental
Enforcement is taking to complete review of each
application;
(7) the number of permits to drill issued by each Bureau of
Safety and Environmental Enforcement regional office as of the
date of enactment of this section;
(8) how, as applicable, the Bureau of Land Management, the
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the Bureau of Safety and
Environmental Enforcement determines whether to--
(A) issue a license for geological and geophysical
surveys;
(B) issue a permit to drill; and
(C) issue, extend, or suspend an oil and gas lease;
(9) when determinations described in paragraph (8) are sent
to the national office of the Bureau of Land Management, the
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or the Bureau of Safety and
Environmental Enforcement for final approval;
(10) the degree to which Bureau of Land Management, Bureau
of Ocean Energy Management, and Bureau of Safety and
Environmental Enforcement field, State, and regional offices
exercise discretion on such final approval;
(11) the number of auctioned leases receiving accepted bids
that have not been issued to winning bidders and the number
days such leases have not been issued; and
(12) a description of the uses of application for permit to
drill fees paid by permit holders over the previous 5-year
period.
(b) Pending Applications for Permits To Drill.--Not later than 30
days after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary of the
Interior shall issue all pending applications for a permit to drill
that meet the requirements of section 17(p)(2) of the Mineral Leasing
Act (30 U.S.C. 226(p)(2)).
(c) Public Availability of Data.--
(1) Mineral leasing act.--Section 17 of the Mineral Leasing
Act (30 U.S.C. 226) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(s) Public Availability of Data.--
``(1) Expressions of interest.--Not later than 30 days
after the date of enactment of this subsection, and each month
thereafter, the Secretary shall publish on the website of the
Department of the Interior the number of pending, approved, and
not approved expressions of interest in nominated parcels for
future onshore oil and gas lease sales in the preceding month.
``(2) Applications for permits to drill.--Not later than 30
days after the date of enactment of this subsection, and each
month thereafter, the Secretary shall publish on the website of
the Department of the Interior the number of pending and
approved applications for permits to drill in the preceding
month in each State office.
``(3) Past data.--Not later than 30 days after the date of
enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall publish on
the website of the Department of the Interior, with respect to
the 5-year period ending on the date of enactment of this
subsection--
``(A) the number of approved and not approved
expressions of interest for onshore oil and gas lease
sales during such 5-year period; and
``(B) the number of approved and not approved
applications for permits to drill during such 5-year
period.''.
(2) Outer continental shelf lands act.--Section 8 of the
Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1337) is amended
by adding at the end the following:
``(q) Public Availability of Data.--
``(1) Offshore geological and geophysical survey
licenses.--Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment
of this subsection, and each month thereafter, the Secretary
shall publish on the website of the Department of the Interior
the number of pending and approved applications for licenses
for offshore to geological and geophysical surveys in the
preceding month.
``(2) Applications for permits to drill.--Not later than 30
days after the date of enactment of this subsection, and each
month thereafter, the Secretary shall publish on the website of
the Department of the Interior the number of pending and
approved applications for permits to drill on the outer
Continental Shelf in the preceding month in each regional
office.
``(3) Past data.--Not later than 30 days after the date of
enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall publish on
the website of the Department of the Interior, with respect to
the 5-year period ending on the date of enactment of this
subsection--
``(A) the number of approved applications for
licenses for offshore geological and geophysical
surveys; and
``(B) the number of approved applications for
permits to drill on the outer Continental Shelf.''.
(d) Requirement To Submit Documents and Communications.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of
enactment of this section, the Secretary of the Interior shall
submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the
Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of
Representatives all documents and communications relating to
the comprehensive review of Federal oil and gas permitting and
leasing practices required under section 208 of Executive Order
14008 (86 Fed. Reg. 7624; relating to tackling the climate
crisis at home and abroad).
(2) Inclusions.--The submission under paragraph (1) shall
include all documents and communications submitted to the
Secretary of the Interior by members of the public in response
to any public meeting or forum relating to the comprehensive
review described in that paragraph.
SEC. 3. STAFF PLANNING REPORT.
The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture
shall each annually submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate a report on the staffing capacity of each
respective agency with respect to issuing oil, gas, coal, and renewable
energy leases, rights-of-way, easements, and permits. Each such report
shall include--
(1) the number of staff assigned to oil, gas, coal, and
renewable energy leasing and permitting, respectively; and
(2) a description of how many staff are needed to meet
statutory requirements for such leasing and permitting and how,
as applicable, the Department of the Interior or the Department
of Agriculture plans to address staffing shortfalls for such
leasing and permitting.
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