19–006 

112TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 112–530 

PLANNING FOR AMERICAN ENERGY ACT OF 2012 

JUNE 15, 2012.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of 

the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington, from the Committee on Natural 

Resources, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

together with 

DISSENTING VIEWS 

[To accompany H.R. 4381] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 4381) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish 

goals for an all-of-the-above energy production plan strategy on a 

4-year basis on all onshore Federal lands managed by the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service, having considered the 

same, report favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill as amended do pass. 

The amendment is as follows: 

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Planning for American Energy Act of 2012’’. 

SEC. 2. ONSHORE DOMESTIC ENERGY PRODUCTION STRATEGIC PLAN. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—The Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.) is amended by 

redesignating section 44 as section 45, and by inserting after section 43 the following: 

‘‘SEC. 44. QUADRENNIAL STRATEGIC FEDERAL ONSHORE ENERGY PRODUCTION STRATEGY. 

‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 

‘‘(1) The Secretary of the Interior (hereafter in this section referred to as ‘Secretary’), in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture with regard to lands 

administered by the Forest Service, shall develop and publish every 4 years a 

Quadrennial Federal Onshore Energy Production Strategy. This Strategy shall 

direct Federal land energy development and department resource allocation in 

order to promote the energy security of the United States. 


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‘‘(2) In developing this Strategy, the Secretary shall consult with the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration on the projected energy demands of the United States for the next 30-year period, and how energy derived 

from Federal onshore lands can put the United States on a trajectory to meet 

that demand during the next 4-year period. The Secretary shall consider how 

Federal lands will contribute to ensuring national energy security, with a goal 

for increasing energy independence and production, during the next 4-year period. 

‘‘(3) The Secretary shall determine a domestic strategic production objective 

for the development of energy resources from Federal onshore lands. Such objective shall be— 

‘‘(A) the best estimate, based upon commercial and scientific data, of the 

expected increase in domestic production of oil and natural gas from the 

Federal onshore mineral estate, with a focus on lands held by the Bureau 

of Land Management and the Forest Service; 

‘‘(B) the best estimate, based upon commercial and scientific data, of the 

expected increase in domestic coal production from Federal lands; 

‘‘(C) the best estimate, based upon commercial and scientific data, of the 

expected increase in domestic production of strategic and critical energy 

minerals from the Federal onshore mineral estate; 

‘‘(D) the best estimate, based upon commercial and scientific data, of the 

expected increase in megawatts for electricity production from each of the 

following sources: wind, solar, biomass, hydropower, and geothermal energy 

produced on Federal lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service; 

‘‘(E) the best estimate, based upon commercial and scientific data, of the 

expected increase in unconventional energy production, such as oil shale; 

and 

‘‘(F) the best estimate, based upon commercial and scientific data, of the 

expected increase in domestic production of oil, natural gas, coal, and other 

renewable sources from tribal lands for any federally recognized Indian 

tribe that elects to participate in facilitating energy production on its lands. 

‘‘(4) The Secretary shall consult with the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration regarding the methodology used to arrive at its estimates for purposes of this section. 

‘‘(5) The Secretary has the authority to expand the energy development plan 

to include other energy production technology sources or advancements in energy on Federal lands. 

‘‘(b) TRIBAL OBJECTIVES.—It is the sense of Congress that federally recognized Indian tribes may elect to set their own production objectives as part of the Strategy 

under this section. The Secretary shall work in cooperation with any federally recognized Indian tribe that elects to participate in achieving its own strategic energy 

objectives designated under this subsection. 

‘‘(c) EXECUTION OF THE STRATEGY.—The relevant Secretary shall have all necessary authority to make determinations regarding which additional lands will be 

made available in order to meet the production objectives established by strategies 

under this section. The Secretary shall also take all necessary actions to achieve 

these production objectives unless the President determines that it is not in the national security and economic interests of the United States to increase Federal domestic energy production and to further decrease dependence upon foreign sources 

of energy. In administering this section, the relevant Secretary shall only consider 

leasing Federal lands available for leasing at the time the lease sale occurs. 

‘‘(d) STATE, FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED INDIAN TRIBES, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AND

PUBLIC INPUT.—In developing each strategy, the Secretary shall solicit the input of 

affected States, federally recognized Indian tribes, local governments, and the public. 

‘‘(e) REPORTING.—The Secretary shall report annually to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and 

Natural Resources of the Senate on the progress of meeting the production goals set 

forth in the strategy. The Secretary shall identify in the report projections for production and capacity installations and any problems with leasing, permitting, siting, 

or production that will prevent meeting the goal. In addition, the Secretary shall 

make suggestions to help meet any shortfalls in meeting the production goals. 

‘‘(f) PROGRAMMATIC ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT.—Not later than 12 

months after the date of enactment of this section, in accordance with section 

102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)), 

the Secretary shall complete a programmatic environmental impact statement. This 

programmatic environmental impact statement will be deemed sufficient to comply 


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with all requirements under that Act for all necessary resource management and 

land use plans associated with the implementation of the strategy. 

‘‘(g) CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW.—At least 60 days prior to publishing a proposed 

strategy under this section, the Secretary shall submit it to the President and the 

Congress, together with any comments received from States, federally recognized Indian tribes, and local governments. Such submission shall indicate why any specific 

recommendation of a State, federally recognized Indian tribe, or local government 

was not accepted.’’. 

(b) FIRST QUADRENNIAL STRATEGY.—Not later than 18 months after the date of 

enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall submit to Congress the 

first Quadrennial Federal Onshore Energy Production Strategy under the amendment made by subsection (a). 

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

For purposes of this Act, the term ‘‘strategic and critical energy minerals’’ means 

those that are necessary for the Nation’s energy infrastructure including pipelines, 

refining capacity, electrical power generation and transmission, and renewable energy production and those that are necessary to support domestic manufacturing, 

including but not limited to, materials used in energy generation, production, and 

transportation. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 4381, as ordered reported, is to direct the 

Secretary of the Interior to establish goals for an all-of-the-above 

energy production plan strategy on a 4-year basis on all onshore 

Federal lands managed by the Department of the Interior and the 

Forest Service. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

Under current law, every five years the Administration must 

write and submit to Congress a ‘‘5-year plan’’ that will be the basis 

for the federal offshore oil and gas leasing program over the next 

five years. It identifies the areas to be leased during that period 

and establishes the schedule for individual lease sales. While this 

has been effective in ensuring a continuous forward path for offshore energy development, plans for definitive onshore energy development have been largely ignored. 

Historically, there has been no clear path towards increasing energy production on public land or ensuring production advances to 

meet the energy needs of the United States. Despite having an 

abundance of natural resources, and with emerging technologies 

providing a variety of new sources of energy, the Department of the 

Interior has failed to harness these resources into a firm plan for 

securing America’s energy needs and advancing the production of 

energy on public lands. Furthermore, irregular leasing programs, 

permitting backlogs, sky-rocketing costs and unreliable and inconsistent development policies have significantly stifled companies’ 

ability to produce energy on federal land. 

The Obama Administration has made energy and mineral development on federal lands so burdensome and so undesirable that 

companies consistently seek out state and private lands for development or go overseas rather than deal with the lengthy and uncertain federal regulatory process—with some companies developing exclusively on private land. The Administration has consistently taken steps to delay and halt production on federal lands— 

such as delaying the issuing of a permit by months or even years, 

removing swaths of land from previously announced lease sales, restricting areas prospective for solar and wind energy development, 

and withdrawing areas prospective for economic mineral deposits 


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from mineral entry. As a result, federal onshore production has 

been decreasing every year. 

The Department of the Interior is to promote a ‘‘multiple use policy’’ for federal lands. This policy allows federal lands to be enjoyed 

by all citizens and used for a variety of purposes—recreation, hunting, ranching, grazing, and energy development. These land uses 

have historically been compatible on public lands and this legislation does not impact the multiple land use policy under the Federal 

Land Management and Policy Act (FLPMA). It gives the Secretary 

of the Interior the flexibility under FLPMA to continue to manage 

federal lands in a way that accommodates all activities Americans 

have come to enjoy on these lands. 

ONSHORE OIL AND NATURAL GAS

Recent numbers show that the harmful effect of the Administration’s energy policies as total fossil fuel production has dropped by 

7 percent since President Obama took office and 13 percent since 

2003. From 2010 to 2011, total federal onshore oil and natural gas 

production is down 13 percent and 10 percent, respectively. While 

the Administration claims that production is increasing, this is attributed to increased production on state and private lands. Since 

2000, oil production on private and state lands has risen by 11 percent and natural gas production has risen by 40 percent. 

Each year, thousands of acres of federal land are nominated for 

energy development. It is the responsibility of the Administration 

to lease those lands consistent with the goal of expanding American energy production. The current Administration has consistently leased decreasing numbers of acres for development—in some 

states choosing to lease zero acres for new development. 

The Administration continues to take other steps to decrease energy development on public lands. It has proposed and implemented multiple sets of burdensome and duplicative regulations 

and withdrawn leases after they have been sold and paid for. 

Delays and backlogs continue to stifle development, sometimes by 

years. 

Additionally, with fluctuating gas prices that have nearly 

reached five dollars a gallon, the Administration has not announced a plan to increase American oil and natural gas production to decrease our dependence on foreign oil and ease gas prices 

for Americans. 

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Solar 

The United States has some of the most promising areas for 

solar energy development in the world. More than 100,000 Americans work in the solar energy industry, double the number in 2009. 

Currently, solar power in the U.S. exceeds 3,650 megawatts, 

enough to power 730,000 American homes. Despite this growth, industrial scale solar projects are stifled by bureaucratic delays, conflicting agency decisions, and unclear regulations. Recently, in an 

attempt to ‘‘clarify’’ areas available for solar energy development, 

the Bureau of Land Management proposed seventeen solar energy 

zones in six western states where solar energy development would 

ideally be directed with minimal environmental impact. Many in 


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the solar energy industry have expressed concerns regarding the 

limitations these zones place on solar energy development and the 

transmission that is required to support solar energy deployment. 

While opponents argue that the Obama Administration has 

opened wide swaths of land for renewable energy development, in 

reality, the exact opposite is true. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is responsible for 245 million acres of surface estate. 

However, the solar energy zones encompass .1 percent of BLM 

land—or 285,000 acres. Although the BLM contends there is the 

potential for 20 million acres of solar energy development outside 

of the solar energy zones—a mere 8 percent—significant questions 

remain regarding permitting times, transmission availability and 

obstacles in the development process outside BLM’s proposed solar 

energy zones. 

Wind 

The U.S. wind industry currently totals 48,611 MW of capacity 

through the end of the first quarter of 2012. In the past five years, 

the wind industry added over 35 percent of all new generating capacity in the United States, and U.S. wind power capacity represents more than 20 percent of the world’s installed wind power. 

Unfortunately, due to unstable and unreliable policies, while the 

capacity of wind farms has almost doubled, since 2009 the wind industry has lost 10,000 jobs according to a recent report by Reuters. 

Industrial wind farms have faced additional obstacles, from landuse laws to airspace regulations and competition with other uses 

for the land whose uses may be more highly valued than electricity 

generation. Regulatory uncertainty, unpredictability with the Endangered Species Act, and continuous lawsuits filed against 

projects highlight the impacts and unpredictability of development 

on public lands, which is discouraging developers from investing in 

such projects. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 4381 was introduced on April 18, 2012, by Congressman 

Scott Tipton (R–CO). The bill was referred to the Committee on 

Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee 

on Energy and Mineral Resources. On April 26, 2012, the Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On May 16, 2012, the Full 

Natural Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources was discharged by 

unanimous consent. Congressman Tipton offered amendment designated #1 to the bill; the amendment was adopted by voice vote. 

Congressman Rau ́l Grijalva (D–AZ) offered amendment designated 

.001 to the bill; the amendment was not adopted by a bipartisan 

roll call vote of 16 to 22, as follows: 


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Congressman Rush Holt (D–NJ) offered amendment designated 

.002 to the bill; the amendment was not adopted by a bipartisan 

roll call vote of 14 to 24, as follows: 


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Congressman Edward Markey (D–MA) offered amendment designated .003 to the bill; the amendment was not adopted by a bipartisan roll call vote of 14 to 24, as follows: 


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The bill, as amended, was then adopted and ordered favorably 

reported to the House of Representatives by a bipartisan roll call 

vote of 24 to 14, as follows: 


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SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short title 

The title of the bill is the ‘‘Planning for American Energy Act of 

2012.’’ 

Section 2. Onshore domestic energy production strategic plan 

Section 2 requires the Secretary of the Interior to develop and 

publish a comprehensive onshore energy production strategy every 

four years. The Secretary will consider energy demand, national security, and energy dependence in creating this strategy and provide 

estimates of expected increases in oil, natural gas, coal, mineral, 

and renewable energy production. The Secretary has the authority 

to expand the plan to include other emerging energy technologies 

and will ensure proper amounts of land will be available to ensure 

increasing energy production. The Secretary will report to Congress 

prior to publishing the strategy. 

Section 3. Definitions 

Section 3 provides definitions for terms used in the bill. 

COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII 

of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee on 

Natural Resources’ oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in the body of this report. 

COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII 

1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of 

the House of Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(2)(B) of that rule provides 

that this requirement does not apply when the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Under clause 

3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 

section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has received the following cost estimate for this bill from the 

Director of the Congressional Budget Office: 

H.R. 4381—Planning for American Energy Act of 2012 

H.R. 4381 would require the Secretary of the Interior to develop 

an onshore energy production strategy every four years. The bill 

also would require the Secretary to develop a national programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) for all onshore 

minerals. Based on information provided by the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM), CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would cost $15 million over the 2013–2017 period, assuming 

appropriation of the necessary amounts. Enacting the bill would 

not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. 


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H.R. 4381 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would 

not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments. 

The bill would require the Secretary to develop and publish every 

four years a strategy for the development of onshore federal energy 

and mineral resources. The bill would direct the Secretary to establish production objectives for oil, natural gas, coal, oil shale, and 

certain other minerals, as well as energy from wind, solar, biomass, 

hydropower, and geothermal resources. Based on information provided by the Department of the Interior about the cost of similar 

reports, CBO estimates that developing the four-year strategy 

would cost $7 million over the 2014–2015 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. 

The bill also would direct the Secretary to complete a PEIS for 

any activities associated with energy production on federal lands. 

Based on information from the affected agencies, CB0 expects that 

those agencies would continue to conduct site-specific environmental impact statements (EIS); however, we expect that analyses 

completed as part of the PEIS could result in some small savings 

when agencies prepare future EIS reports. Based on information 

provided by BLM regarding the cost of similar analyses, CBO estimates that completing the PEIS would cost $8 million over the 

2013–2014 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary 

amounts. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeff LaFave. The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director 

for Budget Analysis. 

2. Section 308(a) of Congressional Budget Act. As required by 

clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, 

this bill does not contain any new budget authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in revenues or tax expenditures. 

Based on information provided by the Bureau of Land Management 

(BLM), CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would 

cost $15 million over the 2013–2017 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. Enacting the bill would not affect 

direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do 

not apply. 

3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by 

clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or objective 

of this bill, as ordered reported, is to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish goals for an all-of-the-above energy production 

plan strategy on a 4-year basis on all onshore Federal lands managed by the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service. 

EARMARK STATEMENT

This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks, limited 

tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined under clause 9(e), 

9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives. 

COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104–4 

This bill contains no unfunded mandates. 


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PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW

This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or tribal law. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by the bill, 

as reported, are shown as follows (existing law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is printed in italic, 

existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman): 

MINERAL LEASING ACT 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 44. QUADRENNIAL STRATEGIC FEDERAL ONSHORE ENERGY PRODUCTION STRATEGY. 

(a) IN GENERAL.— (1) The Secretary of the Interior (hereafter in this section referred to as ‘‘Secretary’’), in consultation with the Secretary of 

Agriculture with regard to lands administered by the Forest 

Service, shall develop and publish every 4 years a Quadrennial 

Federal Onshore Energy Production Strategy. This Strategy 

shall direct Federal land energy development and department 

resource allocation in order to promote the energy security of the 

United States. 

(2) In developing this Strategy, the Secretary shall consult 

with the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration on the projected energy demands of the United States for 

the next 30-year period, and how energy derived from Federal 

onshore lands can put the United States on a trajectory to meet 

that demand during the next 4-year period. The Secretary shall 

consider how Federal lands will contribute to ensuring national 

energy security, with a goal for increasing energy independence 

and production, during the next 4-year period. 

(3) The Secretary shall determine a domestic strategic production objective for the development of energy resources from 

Federal onshore lands. Such objective shall be— 

(A) the best estimate, based upon commercial and scientific data, of the expected increase in domestic production 

of oil and natural gas from the Federal onshore mineral estate, with a focus on lands held by the Bureau of Land 

Management and the Forest Service; 

(B) the best estimate, based upon commercial and scientific data, of the expected increase in domestic coal production from Federal lands; 

(C) the best estimate, based upon commercial and scientific data, of the expected increase in domestic production 

of strategic and critical energy minerals from the Federal 

onshore mineral estate; 

(D) the best estimate, based upon commercial and scientific data, of the expected increase in megawatts for electricity production from each of the following sources: wind, 

solar, biomass, hydropower, and geothermal energy produced on Federal lands administered by the Bureau of 

Land Management and the Forest Service; 


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(E) the best estimate, based upon commercial and scientific data, of the expected increase in unconventional energy production, such as oil shale; and 

(F) the best estimate, based upon commercial and scientific data, of the expected increase in domestic production 

of oil, natural gas, coal, and other renewable sources from 

tribal lands for any federally recognized Indian tribe that 

elects to participate in facilitating energy production on its 

lands. 

(4) The Secretary shall consult with the Administrator of the 

Energy Information Administration regarding the methodology 

used to arrive at its estimates for purposes of this section. 

(5) The Secretary has the authority to expand the energy development plan to include other energy production technology 

sources or advancements in energy on Federal lands. 

(b) TRIBAL OBJECTIVES.—It is the sense of Congress that federally 

recognized Indian tribes may elect to set their own production objectives as part of the Strategy under this section. The Secretary shall 

work in cooperation with any federally recognized Indian tribe that 

elects to participate in achieving its own strategic energy objectives 

designated under this subsection. 

(c) EXECUTION OF THE STRATEGY.—The relevant Secretary shall 

have all necessary authority to make determinations regarding 

which additional lands will be made available in order to meet the 

production objectives established by strategies under this section. 

The Secretary shall also take all necessary actions to achieve these 

production objectives unless the President determines that it is not 

in the national security and economic interests of the United States 

to increase Federal domestic energy production and to further decrease dependence upon foreign sources of energy. In administering 

this section, the relevant Secretary shall only consider leasing Federal lands available for leasing at the time the lease sale occurs. 

(d) STATE, FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED INDIAN TRIBES, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AND PUBLIC INPUT.—In developing each strategy, the Secretary shall solicit the input of affected States, federally recognized 

Indian tribes, local governments, and the public. 

(e) REPORTING.—The Secretary shall report annually to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the 

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate on the 

progress of meeting the production goals set forth in the strategy. 

The Secretary shall identify in the report projections for production 

and capacity installations and any problems with leasing, permitting, siting, or production that will prevent meeting the goal. In addition, the Secretary shall make suggestions to help meet any shortfalls in meeting the production goals. 

(f) PROGRAMMATIC ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT.—Not 

later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this section, in 

accordance with section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 

Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)), the Secretary shall complete a programmatic environmental impact statement. This programmatic environmental impact statement will be deemed sufficient to comply with all requirements under that Act for all necessary resource management and land use plans associated with the 

implementation of the strategy. 


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(g) CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW.—At least 60 days prior to publishing 

a proposed strategy under this section, the Secretary shall submit 

it to the President and the Congress, together with any comments 

received from States, federally recognized Indian tribes, and local 

governments. Such submission shall indicate why any specific recommendation of a State, federally recognized Indian tribe, or local 

government was not accepted. 

SEC. ø44.¿ 45. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Mineral Leasing Act’’. 


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DISSENTING VIEWS 

We oppose H.R. 4381 because it would overturn the multiple-use 

principle established in the Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act of 1976 (FLPMA). By elevating energy production above hunting, fishing, recreation, grazing, conservation and the many other 

ways that the American people enjoy our public lands, H.R. 4381 

seeks to undermine the basic principal which has guided management of public lands for 35 years. 

In 2010, more than 58 million people visited BLM lands, generating $7.4 billion dollars to the economy. Nationwide it is estimated 

that 1.2 million jobs are provided annually by the outdoor industry, 

many hunting and fishing related. Yet, the plan that would be 

mandated by this bill would threaten that tremendous economic 

engine. The Interior Department submitted testimony stating that 

H.R. 4381 ‘‘would override the BLM’s statutory direction that the 

public lands be managed for multiple uses . . . H.R. 4381 would 

direct Federal land managers to manage lands for the primary purpose of energy development rather than make thoughtful decisions 

on multiple use management through a public process based on 

site specific analysis and consideration.’’ 

Moreover, it is not necessary to elevate energy production above 

these other uses of federal lands when the U.S. produced more oil 

from federal lands onshore last year than at any point going back 

to 2003. The Department of the Interior has approved more permits to drill, and industry has begun drilling more wells in the first 

three years of the Obama Administration than during the first 

three years of the Bush Administration. Yet oil and gas companies 

still hold more than 25 million acres of public land onshore—an 

area roughly the size of the state of Kentucky—on which they are 

not producing oil or gas. These companies are sitting on nearly 

6,700 drilling permits that have been approved by the Interior Department that they are not using. It is not the Obama administration that is holding up production on these leases; it is oil and gas 

companies who are not using these thousands of approved drilling 

permits. 

The Majority rejected an amendment from Parks, Forests and 

Public Lands Subcommittee Ranking Member Grijalva (D–AZ) 

largely along party lines that would have ensured that nothing in 

the bill affects the multiple use requirements of FLPMA. The Majority also rejected an amendment from Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee Ranking Member Holt (D–NJ) that would 

have required the Secretary, as part of the plan established under 

the bill, to reduce the number of leases oil companies already have 

on public land on which they are not producing oil or gas. Finally, 

the Majority rejected an amendment from Ranking Member Markey (D–MA) that would have required the Secretary to take into 


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account the impact that Wall Street speculation is having on oil 

markets in developing the plan required under the bill. 

The Interior Department’s ‘‘all-of-the-above’’ energy strategy has 

helped us reduce our dependence on foreign oil from 57 percent at 

the end of the Bush Administration to 45 percent last year. Oil production from federal lands onshore is higher than during the Bush 

Administration. Yet despite these facts, H.R. 4381 would threaten 

hunting, fishing, grazing and the many other uses of our public 

lands by elevating energy production above all other uses. 

EDWARD J. MARKEY. 

RUSH D. HOLT. 

PAUL TONKO. 

GRACE F. NAPOLITANO. 

MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO. 

RAU ́ L M. GRIJALVA. 

BEN RAY LUJA ́ N. 

Æ 


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