19–006 

112TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 112–392 

PROTECTING INVESTMENT IN OIL SHALE THE NEXT 

GENERATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL, ENERGY, AND RESOURCE SECURITY ACT 

FEBRUARY 9, 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. 3408] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 3408) to set clear rules for the development of United 

States oil shale resources, to promote shale technology research 

and development, and for other purposes, 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 ‘‘Protecting Investment in Oil Shale the Next Generation of Environmental, Energy, and Resource Security Act’’ or the ‘‘PIONEERS 

Act’’. 

SEC. 2. EFFECTIVENESS OF OIL SHALE REGULATIONS, AMENDMENTS TO RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLANS, AND RECORD OF DECISION. 

(a) REGULATIONS.—Notwithstanding any other law or regulation to the contrary, 

the final regulations regarding oil shale management published by the Bureau of 

Land Management on November 18, 2008 (73 Fed. Reg. 69,414) are deemed to satisfy all legal and procedural requirements under any law, including the Federal 

Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the Endangered 

Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), the National Environmental Policy Act 

of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109– 

58), and the Secretary of the Interior shall implement those regulations, including 


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the oil shale leasing program authorized by the regulations, without any other administrative action necessary. 

(b) AMENDMENTS TO RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLANS AND RECORD OF DECISION.— Notwithstanding any other law or regulation to the contrary, the November 17, 

2008 U.S. Bureau of Land Management Approved Resource Management Plan 

Amendments/Record of Decision for Oil Shale and Tar Sands Resources to Address 

Land Use Allocations in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement are deemed to satisfy all legal and procedural requirements under any law, including the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 

of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 

1531 et seq.), the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 

seq.), and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109–58), and the Secretary of 

the Interior shall implement the oil shale leasing program authorized by the regulations referred to in subsection (a) in those areas covered by the resource management plans amended by such amendments, and covered by such record of decision, 

without any other administrative action necessary. 

SEC. 3. OIL SHALE LEASING. 

(a) ADDITIONAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT LEASE SALES.—The Secretary of the 

Interior shall hold a lease sale within 180 days after the date of enactment of this 

Act offering an additional 10 parcels for lease for research, development, and demonstration of oil shale resources, under the terms offered in the solicitation of bids 

for such leases published on January 15, 2009 (74 Fed. Reg. 10). 

(b) COMMERCIAL LEASE SALES.—No later than January 1, 2016, the Secretary of 

the Interior shall hold no less than 5 separate commercial lease sales in areas considered to have the most potential for oil shale development, as determined by the 

Secretary, in areas nominated through public comment. Each lease sale shall be for 

an area of not less than 25,000 acres, and in multiple lease blocs. 

SEC. 4. POLICIES REGARDING BUYING, BUILDING, AND WORKING FOR AMERICA. 

(a) CONGRESSIONAL INTENT.—It is the intent of the Congress that— 

(1) this Act will support a healthy and growing United States domestic energy 

sector that, in turn, helps to reinvigorate American manufacturing, transportation, and service sectors by employing the vast talents of United States workers to assist in the development of energy from domestic sources; 

(2) to ensure a robust oil shale industry and ensure that the benefits of development support local communities, under this Act, the Secretary shall make 

every effort to promote the development of oil shale in a manner that will support the long-term commercial development of oil shale, and shall take into consideration the socioeconomic impacts, infrastructure requirements, and fiscal 

stability for local communities located within areas containing oil shale resources; and 

(3) the Congress will monitor the deployment of personnel and material onshore to encourage the development of American technology and manufacturing 

to enable United States workers to benefit from this Act through good jobs and 

careers, as well as the establishment of important industrial facilities to support 

expanded access to American resources. 

(b) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of the Interior shall when possible, and practicable, encourage the use of United States workers and equipment manufactured 

in the United States in all construction related to mineral resource development 

under this Act. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 3408, as ordered reported, is to set clear 

rules for the development of United States oil shale resources and 

to promote shale technology research and development. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

H.R. 3408 would facilitate the production of our Nation’s oil shale 

to create American jobs and advance our Nation’s energy security. 

The bill would direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct both 

commercial and research, development, and demonstration leasing 

sales for oil shale. It also codifies the 2008 Bureau of Land Management Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement 

(PEIS) and Resource Management Plan (RMP) amendments that 

allow for oil shale development on public land. 


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American Resources 

The lower 48 States contain nearly 75 percent of the world’s recoverable oil shale resources. U.S. oil shale holds tremendous promise for domestic energy production, the creation of American jobs, 

and decreasing dependence on foreign oil. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the western United States may hold more than 1.5 

trillion barrels of oil—six times Saudi Arabia’s proven resources, 

and enough to provide the United States with energy for the next 

200 years. The U.S. western oil shales are more concentrated on a 

resource per acre basis than Alaskan North Slope oil or Alberta’s 

tar sands. The largest known deposits of oil shale are located in a 

16,000-square mile area in the Green River formation in Colorado, 

Utah and Wyoming. Additionally, the development of American oil 

shale has the potential to create hundreds of thousands of American jobs. 

While the Congressional Budget Office estimated that H.R. 3408 

would not generate any new revenue to the federal government, it 

is important to note that the PIONEERS Act would begin to create 

American jobs shortly after its enactment. While CBO estimates 

that in the ten year baseline budget H.R. 3408 would not create 

new revenue, it would ensure increased revenue earlier in the 

budget than originally projected. This means that the federal government will both receive these revenues sooner and, most importantly, thousands of jobs will start to be created now rather than 

far off into the future. Creating jobs now and boosting the federal 

budget sooner has tremendous positive economic impacts on these 

states and the nation as whole. In contrast, this Administration is 

rewriting regulations and imposing policies that will block and 

delay job creation and oil shale development. The Administration 

is actively working to close prime areas in the West from leasing 

for oil shale development and to inject uncertainty and risk to job 

creators through new oil shale regulations. This bill sets a clear 

path, a clear plan and provides real opportunities for job creation, 

domestic investment and energy production that does not currently 

exist in law. 

Oil Shale Development 

Although Brazil, China, and Estonia have substantial oil shale 

industries, the U.S. does not. Beginning in 1912, when the Naval 

Petroleum and Oil Shale Reserves Program was established, oil 

shale development in the United States has traditionally been subject to a ‘‘boom and bust’’ cycle of development. This has been due 

to inconsistent U.S. resources directed towards oil shale due to the 

fluctuating global price of traditional crude oil with which it competes. However, because of traditional crude price increases, decreasing global supply, increasing energy demand, and the need for 

energy production to ensure our energy security, oil shale development is once again becoming a focal point of an ever-expanding domestic energy portfolio. 

In addition, inconsistent and combative federal policies regarding 

leasing and land development have also hindered the commercial 

development of oil shale. The Department of the Interior owns and 

manages about 73 percent of the lands that contain significant oil 

shale deposits in the West. Federal lands contain about 80 percent 

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ming. Unfortunately, an executive order signed by President Hoover prohibits the leasing of federal oil shale lands. The ban can 

only be lifted by the Secretary of the Interior. This has occurred 

only twice since 1930—once in the early 1970s when the Federal 

Prototype Oil Shale leasing Program was established and once 

after the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109–58) required 

leasing of oil shale lands for experimental purposes. Accordingly, in 

2007, six 160-acre tracts were leased to three companies. Each developer has ten years to successfully verify that its technology is 

technically viable, environmentally acceptable and sustainable before expanding each lease to as much as 5,120 acres for commercial 

production. In 2008, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published a Final PEIS that expanded the acreage potentially available for commercial tar-sands leasing and amended eight RMPs in 

Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming to make approximately 1.9 million 

acres of public lands potentially available for commercial oil shale 

development. 

Recent Administration Actions 

Under the Obama Administration, the Department of the Interior has essentially withdrawn its support of the provisions in Energy Policy Act of 2005 that supported the commercial leasing of 

oil shale and has made little progress on the industry’s advancement. Admittedly in 2009, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 

solicited a second round of 160–acre oil shale Research Demonstration and Development (RD&D); however, the lease terms were less 

than favorable to oil shale production. The initial potential for 

5,120 acres of commercial development pending a successful project 

was decreased to 480 acres. Because of this, there was a lack of interest in the second round of BLM leases as many firms believed 

a commercial project could not be established on such a small footprint. Therefore, it is not surprising that only two proposals were 

submitted. These RD&D leases have yet to be issued, as BLM continues to hold public meetings and conduct reviews on the proposals and has not indicated when a decision will be made. 

Additionally, as a result of a legal settlement, in February the 

Obama Administration announced it would be re-reviewing the 

Bush Administration era rules for commercial oil shale leasing, 

adding further delays to an already unreasonably prolonged process. H.R. 3408 codifies the Bush Administration’s oil shale leasing 

regulations to provide certainty and allow oil shale development in 

the United States to move forward. As a result of the current Administration’s delays and inconsistent policies regarding oil shale, 

companies continue to invest in oil shale research and development, but in foreign nations rather than here in the United States. 

Ensuring that there are clear commercial rules and a sound research and development program will help drive jobs and investment here in the U.S. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 3408 was introduced on November 14, 2011, by Congressman Doug Lamborn (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 November 18, 

2011, the Subcommittee held a hearing on a draft version of the 


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bill. On February 1, 2012, the Full Natural Resources Committee 

met to consider the introduced version of H.R. 3408. The Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources was discharged by 

unanimous consent. Congressman Doug Lamborn (R–CO) offered 

an amendment in the nature of a substitute to the bill. Congressman David Rivera (R–FL) offered amendment designated .016 to 

the amendment in the nature of a substitute; the amendment was 

withdrawn. Congressman Scott Tipton (R–CO) offered an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute. Congressman 

John Garamendi (D–CA) offered a substitute amendment designated .072 to the Tipton amendment; the Garamendi amendment 

was not adopted by a bipartisan roll call vote of 13 to 26, as follows: 


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The Tipton amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute was then adopted by voice vote. Congressman Grace Napolitano (D–CA) offered amendment designated .002 to the amendment 

in the nature of a substitute; the amendment was not adopted by 

a bipartisan roll call vote of 14 to 26, as follows: 


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Congressman Rush Holt (D–NJ) offered amendment designated 

.001 to the amendment in the nature of a substitute; the amendment was not adopted by a bipartisan roll call vote of 15 to 26, as 

follows: 


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The Lamborn amendment in the nature of a substitute, as 

amended, was adopted by voice vote. The bill, as amended, was 

then adopted and ordered favorably reported to the House of Representatives by a bipartisan roll call vote of 27 to 16, as follows: 


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SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short title 

This Act is designated as the ‘‘Protecting Investment in Oil Shale 

the Next Generation of Environmental, Energy, and Resource Security Act’’ (PIONEERS Act). 

Section 2. Effectiveness of oil shale regulations, amendments to resource management plans, and record of decision 

This section deems the final regulations regarding oil shale management published by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on 

November 18, 2008, and the BLM Resource Management Plan 

Amendments of November 17, 2008, as satisfying all requirements 

under any law. 

Section 3. Oil shale leasing 

This section requires the Secretary of the Interior to hold a 10 

parcel research, development and demonstration lease sale within 

180 days of enactment. No later than January 1, 2016 the Secretary will hold no less than 5 commercial lease sales for oil shale 

development. 

Section 4. Policies regarding buying, building and working for 

America 

This section provides that to the extent possible, the Secretary 

will encourage the hiring of American workers and the use of 

equipment and materials manufactured in the United States. 

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. 3408—PIONEERS Act 

Summary: H.R. 3408 would direct the Secretary of the Interior 

to implement a commercial leasing program for oil shale on certain 

federal lands by 2016. Oil shale is rock that can be heated to extract an organic compound used to produce synthetic crude oil. The 

bill also would require the Secretary to offer 10 leases on federal 


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lands in 2013 for the purpose of conducting research and demonstration projects for oil shale development. 

Based on information provided by the Department of the Interior 

(DOI) and individuals working in the oil shale industry, CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 3408 would affect direct spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, CBO estimates that 

the net effects would not be significant over the 2012–2022 period. 

Enacting the legislation would not affect revenues. CBO estimates 

that additional administrative costs to implement the leasing program under the bill would be small and subject to the availability 

of appropriated funds. 

H.R. 3408 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) 

and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. 

Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated budgetary impact of H.R. 3408 is shown in the following table. The costs 

of this legislation fall within budget functions 300 (natural resources and environment) and 800 (general government). 

By fiscal year, in millions of dollars— 

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2012– 

2017 

2012– 

2022 

CHANGES IN DIRECT SPENDING 

Estimated Budget 

Authority ............... 0 * 0 0 ¥5 * * * * * 5 ¥5 0 

Estimated Outlays .... 0 * 0 0 ¥5 * * * * * 5 ¥5 0 

Note: *= Between ¥$500,000 and $0. 

Basis of Estimate: For this estimate, CBO assumes that the legislation will be enacted during 2012. 

H.R. 3408 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to offer 

leases for research and commercial development of oil shale on certain federal lands in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah by 2016. DOI 

has the authority, under current law, to lease federal land in those 

states for oil shale research as well as commercial development. 

For that reason, CBO estimates that while the bill would expedite 

some leasing, implementing the legislation would have no significant net impact on the federal budget over the 2012–2022 period. 

The bill would require the Secretary to hold 5 commercial lease 

sales by early 2016 and to offer at least 25,000 acres of land for 

lease at each sale. Those sales would be conducted in accordance 

with procedures established by DOI for leasing oil shale resources 

on federal lands. For each commercial lease awarded under the bill, 

lessees would be required to pay the federal government a bonus 

bid to acquire the leases, annual rental payments to retain the 

leases, and royalty payments based on the value of any resources 

produced from the leases. Half of the gross proceeds from those 

payments would be distributed to the states where the leases are 

located. The remainder would be deposited in the U.S. Treasury. In 

addition to expediting commercial leasing of lands for oil shale development, the bill would require the Secretary to offer 10 leases 

of federal lands for research and demonstration projects related oil 

shale development. 


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Bonus bids for commercial leases 

CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 3408 would increase net 

offsetting receipts by $5 million in 2016, because the bill would require DOT to offer leases for the commercial development of oil 

shale sooner than we expect it would have under current law. CBO 

also estimates that implementing the bill would reduce net offsetting receipts by $5 million in 2022, because we expect that lands 

offered for lease in 2016 under the bill would have been offered for 

lease by 2022 under current law. CBO estimates that expediting 

commercial lease sales, as required under the bill, would have no 

significant net impact on the federal budget over the 2012–2022 period. 

The commercial leasing program established under the bill would 

allow companies to pay bonus bids in five equal installments (without interest) over a 5-year period. Because the sale of government 

property on credit terms is classified as a direct loan under the 

Federal Credit Reform Act, our estimate of receipts from lease 

sales represents our best estimate of the present value of any winning bonus bids discounted for the probability that the federal government would not receive the entire bonus bid amount over the 

installment period. 

Estimates of bonus bids for leases to develop oil shale are uncertain. Few companies have acquired leases on state or private lands 

in the United States for the purpose of developing commercial 

quantities of oil shale, and limited data is available to indicate the 

amounts that companies paid to acquire those leases. In addition, 

several economic, technical, and environmental factors could affect 

whether companies would pay the current minimum bid amount 

($1,000 per acre) to acquire leases of federal lands to develop oil 

shale over the next decade. 

Other receipts 

Under H.R. 3408, CBO estimates that the federal government 

would collect net receipts from rental payments on commercial 

leases totaling less than $100,000 a year over the 2016–2022 period. If those leases produce commercial quantities of oil, the federal goverment would also receive royalty payments; however, 

based on information from individuals working in the oil shale industry, CBO does not expect that the federal government would receive any significant royalty payments until after 2022. Finally, the 

federal government would collect fees from entities that apply for 

leases to conduct oil shale research, development, and demonstration projects, but CBO estimates that those fee collections would be 

negligible. 

Pay-As-You-Go considerations: The Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act 

of 2010 establishes budget-reporting and enforcement procedures 

for legislation affecting direct spending or revenues. The net 

changes in outlays that are subject to those pay-as-you-go procedures are shown in the following table. 


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CBO ESTIMATE OF PAY-AS-YOU-GO EFFECTS FOR H.R. 3408 AS ORDERED REPORTED BY THE 

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES ON FEBRUARY 1, 2012 

By fiscal year, in millions of dollars— 

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2012– 

2017 

2012– 

2022 

NET INCREASE OR DECREASE (¥) IN THE DEFICIT 

Statutory Pay-As-YouGo Impact ............. 0 0 0 0 ¥5 0 0 0 0 0 5 ¥5 0 

Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: H.R. 3408 contains 

no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in 

UMRA and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. 

Estimate prepared by: Federal costs: Jeff LaFave; Impact on 

state, local, and tribal governments: Melissa Merrell; Impact on the 

private sector: Amy Petz. 

Estimate 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, spending authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in revenues or 

tax expenditures. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 3408 would affect direct spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. 

However, CBO estimates that the net effects would not be significant over the 2012–2022 period. Enacting the legislation would not 

affect revenues. CBO estimates that additional administrative costs 

to implement the leasing program under the bill would be small 

and subject to the availability of appropriated funds. 

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 set clear rules for the development of United States oil shale resources and to promote shale 

technology research and development. 

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. 

PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW

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

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing law. 


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DISSENTING VIEWS 

We oppose H.R. 3408 because it would prematurely open up 

swaths of Utah, Colorado and Wyoming to large-scale oil shale development; enshrine Bush administration policies limiting royalty 

collection; and halt additional environmental reviews required by a 

2009 court settlement. 

The Majority argues current policies are the only barrier to widescale development and investment in oil shale, ignoring the fact 

that six Research Development and Demonstration (RD&D) leases 

have already been issued. Each of the 160-acre RD&D leases can 

be expanded to commercial leases of 5,120 acres, if companies 

prove they are making progress toward commercially viable technology. The BLM is assessing three more RD&D leases that have 

been applied for under current regulations. 

The oil industry says such technological advances are likely a 

decade or more away. The Interior Department testified that ‘‘H.R. 

3408 disregards the fact that there are currently no known economically viable and environmentally sound ways in the United 

States to extract liquid fuel or suitable refinery feedstock from oil 

shale at a commercial level.’’ An expert with the RAND Corporation characterized the future of oil shale development as ‘‘unclear’’ 

in testimony to the House Energy and Commerce Committee in 

June, 2011. 

Despite the lack of viable technology, the bill would require the 

BLM to open 125,000 acres of federal land for commercial oil shale 

development by 2016. It would also require the issuance of 10 more 

RD&D leases within 180 days of the bill’s passage. 

The unfulfilled promise of oil shale, which has repeatedly been 

cited as the next big boom, has a history dating back nearly 100 

years. The 1970s brought a rush of oil speculation to western Colorado, but ended abruptly in 1982 when Exxon laid off 2,200 workers in a single day an event that became known as ‘‘Black Sunday.’’ 

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 required that the BLM develop a 

leasing program that included waiving royalties and rental payments to spur commercial interest in the shale, which has proven 

time and again to be too costly for investment. 

Serious questions also remain about oil shale’s impact on the environment, particularly regarding impacts to scarce water resources in the West. The Government Accountability Office has 

found that the impacts on water quality and quantity could be significant and are currently unknown. We are also concerned about 

the ability of oil shale to produce revenue for the government, a 

key question since the Majority has introduced this bill in a suite 

of legislation aimed at raising money for highways, roads, bridges 

and mass transportation. 

The Majority rejected an amendment offered by Representative 

Napolitano (D–CA) that would have required the United States GeVerDate Mar 15 2010 09:53 Feb 10, 2012 Jkt 019010 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6604 Sfmt 6604 E:\HR\OC\HR392.XXX HR392

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ological Survey to conduct a study of water impacts, so that Congress and affected local populations would have better sense of 

whether the water needs of oil shale development might come at 

the expense of water supplies currently intended for consumer, agricultural, or other uses. The Majority rejected an amendment from 

Mr. Garamendi that would have required oil and gas facilities to 

be constructed primarily using American-made equipment in order 

to create jobs here. The Majority also rejected an amendment from 

Representative Holt (D–NJ) that would have kept the bill from taking effect unless the Congressional Budget Office stated that it 

would actually raise revenue. 

We oppose H.R. 3408 because we believe, along with the oil shale 

industry, BLM and other experts, that it is not ready for commercial development. As a result, a rush to judgment without regard 

to potential environmental impacts is both unwarranted and unwise. The current leasing program is a more prudent path that 

gives weight both to environmental stewardship and realities of the 

marketplace as it now stands. 

EDWARD J. MARKEY. GRACE F. NAPOLITANO. RUSH HOLT. FRANK PALLONE, Jr. 

GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO

SABLAN. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO. RAU ́ L M. GRIJALVA. NIKI TSONGAS. JOHN GARAMENDI. BEN R. LUJA ́ N. DALE E. KILDEE. PETER DEFAZIO. 

Æ 


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