119th Congress Energy
H.R. 1194: Federal Lands and Waters Leasing Transparency Act
Introduced
- Introduced (completed)
- Passed House (not reached)
- Passed Senate (not reached)
- To the President (not reached)
- Became law (not reached)
Summary
This bill directs the Department of the Interior to provide explanations to the highest bidders when it rejects their bids for certain offshore oil and gas leases. The bill also prohibits courts from invalidating or delaying certain onshore and offshore oil and gas leases.
When Interior determines that the federal government will not receive the fair market value for offshore lease tracts on submerged lands of the Outer Continental Shelf from the highest bidder, then Interior must provide a report to the bidder that explains the basis for the determination. If the bid was subject to a resource and economic evaluation, the report must include information on how the bid compares to specified valuation metrics. These requirements apply to lease sales in which Interior received at least one bid and did not issue a lease to the highest bidder.
Additionally, courts may not prevent Interior from issuing certain onshore oil and gas leases by a 60-day statutory deadline unless the lease would violate federal law.
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Further, the bill prohibits civil actions that challenge certain offshore oil and gas lease sales from (1) invalidating leases issued under such sales; and (2) delaying the consideration of plans, documents, or applications for a federal authorization or approval of activities for a lease. If a court finds that the sale was not carried out in compliance with federal law, the court must (1) remand the matter to Interior, and (2) direct Interior to correct the noncompliance.
Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.
Roll calls
No roll call votes have been held on this bill.
Amendments
No amendments were offered to this bill.
Cosponsors
- Harriet Hageman R-WYOriginal
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History
- Introduced in the House by Clay Higgins.
Show the full action history (2 actions)
- Introduced in House
- Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, 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.