IB 

Union Calendar No. 144 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1964 

[Report No. 113–197] 

To amend the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 to direct 

the Secretary of the Interior to conduct an expeditious program of 

competitive leasing of oil and gas in the National Petroleum Reserve 

in Alaska, including at least one lease sale in the Reserve each year 

in the period 2013 through 2023, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 14, 2013 

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington (for himself and Mr. YOUNG of Alaska) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 

Resources 

SEPTEMBER 10, 2013 

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union 

and ordered to be printed 


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A BILL 

To amend the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act 

of 1976 to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct 

an expeditious program of competitive leasing of oil and 

gas in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, including at least one lease sale in the Reserve each year 

in the period 2013 through 2023, and for other purposes. 


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1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This bill shall be called the ‘‘National Petroleum Re5 serve Alaska Access Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS AND REAFFIRMING NATIONAL 

7 POLICY FOR THE NATIONAL PETROLEUM RE8 SERVE IN ALASKA. 

9 It is the sense of Congress that— 

10 (1) the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska 

11 remains explicitly designated, both in name and legal 

12 status, for purposes of providing oil and natural gas 

13 resources to the United States; and 

14 (2) accordingly, the national policy is to actively 

15 advance oil and gas development within the Reserve 

16 by facilitating the expeditious exploration, produc17 tion, and transportation of oil and natural gas from 

18 and through the Reserve. 

19 SEC. 3. NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE IN ALASKA: 

20 LEASE SALES. 

21 Section 107(a) of the Naval Petroleum Reserves Pro22 duction Act of 1976 (42 U.S.C. 6506a(a)) is amended to 

23 read as follows: 

24 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct an 

25 expeditious program of competitive leasing of oil and gas 


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1 in the reserve in accordance with this Act. Such program 

2 shall include at least one lease sale annually in those areas 

3 of the reserve most likely to produce commercial quantities 

4 of oil and natural gas each year in the period 2013 

5 through 2023.’’. 

6 SEC. 4. NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE IN ALASKA: PLAN7 NING AND PERMITTING PIPELINE AND ROAD 

8 CONSTRUCTION. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi10 sion of law, the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation 

11 with other appropriate Federal agencies, shall facilitate 

12 and ensure permits, in a timely and environmentally re13 sponsible manner, for all surface development activities, 

14 including for the construction of pipelines and roads, nec15 essary to— 

16 (1) develop and bring into production any areas 

17 within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska 

18 that are subject to oil and gas leases; and 

19 (2) transport oil and gas from and through the 

20 National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska in the most 

21 direct manner possible to existing transportation or 

22 processing infrastructure on the North Slope of 

23 Alaska. 


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1 (b) TIMELINE.—The Secretary shall ensure that any 

2 Federal permitting agency shall issue permits in accord3 ance with the following timeline: 

4 (1) Permits for such construction for transpor5 tation of oil and natural gas produced under existing 

6 Federal oil and gas leases with respect to which the 

7 Secretary has issued a permit to drill shall be ap8 proved within 60 days after the date of enactment 

9 of this Act. 

10 (2) Permits for such construction for transpor11 tation of oil and natural gas produced under Federal 

12 oil and gas leases shall be approved within 6 months 

13 after the submission to the Secretary of a request 

14 for a permit to drill. 

15 (c) PLAN.—To ensure timely future development of 

16 the Reserve, within 270 days after the date of the enact17 ment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall submit 

18 to Congress a plan for approved rights-of-way for a plan 

19 for pipeline, road, and any other surface infrastructure 

20 that may be necessary infrastructure that will ensure that 

21 all leasable tracts in the Reserve are within 25 miles of 

22 an approved road and pipeline right-of-way that can serve 

23 future development of the Reserve. 


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1 SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF A NEW INTEGRATED ACTIVITY PLAN 

2 AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT. 

3 (a) ISSUANCE OF NEW INTEGRATED ACTIVITY

4 PLAN.—The Secretary of the Interior shall, within 180 

5 days after the date of enactment of this Act, issue— 

6 (1) a new proposed integrated activity plan 

7 from among the non-adopted alternatives in the Na8 tional Petroleum Reserve Alaska Integrated Activity 

9 Plan Record of Decision issued by the Secretary of 

10 the Interior and dated February 21, 2013; and 

11 (2) an environmental impact statement under 

12 section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 

13 Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)) for 

14 issuance of oil and gas leases in the National Petro15 leum Reserve-Alaska to promote efficient and max16 imum development of oil and natural gas resources 

17 of such reserve. 

18 (b) NULLIFICATION OF EXISTING RECORD OF DECI19 SION, IAP, AND EIS.—Except as provided in subsection 

20 (a), the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska Integrated 

21 Activity Plan Record of Decision issued by the Secretary 

22 of the Interior and dated February 21, 2013, including 

23 the integrated activity plan and environmental impact 

24 statement referred to in that record of decision, shall have 

25 no force or effect. 


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1 SEC. 6. DEPARTMENTAL ACCOUNTABILITY FOR DEVELOP2 MENT. 

3 The Secretary of the Interior shall issue regulations 

4 not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 

5 this Act that establish clear requirements to ensure that 

6 the Department of the Interior is supporting development 

7 of oil and gas leases in the National Petroleum Reserve8 Alaska. 

9 SEC. 7. DEADLINES UNDER NEW PROPOSED INTEGRATED 

10 ACTIVITY PLAN. 

11 At a minimum, the new proposed integrated activity 

12 plan issued under section 5(a)(1) shall— 

13 (1) require the Department of the Interior to 

14 respond within 5 business days to a person who sub15 mits an application for a permit for development of 

16 oil and natural gas leases in the National Petroleum 

17 Reserve-Alaska acknowledging receipt of such appli18 cation; and 

19 (2) establish a timeline for the processing of 

20 each such application, that— 

21 (A) specifies deadlines for decisions and 

22 actions on permit applications; and 

23 (B) provide that the period for issuing 

24 each permit after submission of such an appli25 cation shall not exceed 60 days without the con26 currence of the applicant. 


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1 SEC. 8. UPDATED RESOURCE ASSESSMENT. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior shall 

3 complete a comprehensive assessment of all technically re4 coverable fossil fuel resources within the National Petro5 leum Reserve in Alaska, including all conventional and un6 conventional oil and natural gas. 

7 (b) COOPERATION AND CONSULTATION.—The re8 source assessment required by subsection (a) shall be car9 ried out by the United States Geological Survey in co10 operation and consultation with the State of Alaska and 

11 the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. 

12 (c) TIMING.—The resource assessment required by 

13 subsection (a) shall be completed within 24 months of the 

14 date of the enactment of this Act. 

15 (d) FUNDING.—The United States Geological Survey 

16 may, in carrying out the duties under this section, coop17 eratively use resources and funds provided by the State 

18 of Alaska. 


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Union Calendar No. 144 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1964 

[Report No. 113–197] 

A BILL 

To amend the Naval Petroleum Reserves Producriod 2013 through 2023, and for other purposes. one lease sale in the Reserve each year in the pe- Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, including at least competitive leasing of oil and gas in the National Interior to conduct an expeditious program of tion Act of 1976 to direct the Secretary of the 

SEPTEMBER 10, 2013 

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 

State of the Union and ordered to be printed 


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