IB 

Union Calendar No. 165 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2150 

[Report No. 112–249] 

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 2011 through 2021, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 13, 2011 

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington (for himself, Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. BROUN of Georgia, Mr. GOSAR, Mr. FLORES, Mr. JOHNSON

of Ohio, Mr. FLEMING, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mr. FLEISCHMANN, Mr. 

BISHOP of Utah, and Mr. SOUTHERLAND) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

OCTOBER 14, 2011 

Additional sponsors: Mr. RIVERA, Mr. LANDRY, and Mr. DENHAM

OCTOBER 14, 2011 

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

and ordered to be printed 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

2 

•HR 2150 RH

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 2011 through 2021, and for other purposes. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

3 

•HR 2150 RH

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 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

4 

•HR 2150 RH

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 2011 

5 through 2021.’’. 

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 the Secretary of Transportation, shall facilitate and 

12 ensure permits, in an environmentally responsible manner, 

13 for all surface development activities, including for the 

14 construction of pipelines and roads, necessary to— 

15 (1) develop and bring into production any areas 

16 within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska 

17 that are subject to oil and gas leases; and 

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

19 National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska to existing 

20 transportation or processing infrastructure on the 

21 North Slope of Alaska. 

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

23 Federal permitting agency shall issue permits in accord24 ance with the following timeline: 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

5 

•HR 2150 RH

1 (1) Permits for such construction for transpor2 tation of oil and natural gas produced under existing 

3 Federal oil and gas leases with respect to which the 

4 Secretary has issued a permit to drill shall be ap5 proved within 60 days after the date of enactment 

6 of this Act. 

7 (2) Permits for such construction for transpor8 tation of oil and natural gas produced under Federal 

9 oil and gas leases shall be approved within 6 months 

10 after the submission to the Secretary of a request 

11 for a permit to drill. 

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

13 the Reserve, within 270 days after the date of the enact14 ment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall submit 

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

16 for pipeline, road, and any other surface infrastructure 

17 that may be necessary infrastructure that will ensure that 

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

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

20 future development of the Reserve. 

21 SEC. 5. DEPARTMENTAL ACCOUNTABILITY FOR DEVELOP22 MENT. 

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

24 issue regulations within 180 days after the date of enact25 ment of this Act that establish clear requirements to enmstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

6 

•HR 2150 RH

1 sure that the Department of the Interior is supporting de2 velopment of oil and gas leases in the National Petroleum 

3 Reserve in Alaska. 

4 (b) DEADLINES.—At a minimum, the regulations 

5 shall— 

6 (1) require the Department to respond within 5 

7 business days acknowledging receipt of any permit 

8 application for such development; and 

9 (2) establish a timeline for the processing of 

10 each such application, that— 

11 (A) specifies deadlines for decisions and 

12 actions on permit applications; and 

13 (B) provide that the period for issuing 

14 each permit after submission of such an appli15 cation shall not exceed 60 days without the con16 currence of the applicant. 

17 (c) ACTIONS REQUIRED FOR FAILURE TO COMPLY

18 WITH DEADLINES.—If the Department fails to comply 

19 with any deadline under subsection (b) with respect to a 

20 permit application, the Secretary shall notify the applicant 

21 every 5 days with specific information regarding the rea22 sons for the permit delay, the name of the specific Depart23 ment office or offices responsible for issuing the permit 

24 and for monitoring the permit delay, and an estimate of 

25 the time that the permit will be issued. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

7 

•HR 2150 RH

1 SEC. 6. 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. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

Union Calendar No. 165 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2150 

[Report No. 112–249] 

A BILL 

To amend the Naval Petroleum Reserves Producriod 2011 through 2021, 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 

OCTOBER 14, 2011 

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 

State of the Union and ordered to be printed 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS