I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3225 

To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to make certain adjustments in leasing 

on Federal lands for oil and gas drilling, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 12, 2019 

Mr. LEVIN of California (for himself, Mr. GRIJALVA, and Mr. LOWENTHAL) 

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, 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 

A BILL 

To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to make certain adjustments in leasing on Federal lands for oil and gas drilling, 

and for other purposes. 

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 Act may be cited as the ‘‘Restoring Community 

5 Input and Public Protections in Oil and Gas Leasing Act 

6 of 2019’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. LEASING PROCESS. 

2 (a) ONSHORE OIL AND GAS LEASING.—Section 17(a) 

3 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226(a)) is amended 

4 to read as follows: 

5 ‘‘(a) LEASING AUTHORITY.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—All lands subject to disposi7 tion under this Act that are known or believed to 

8 contain oil or gas deposits may be leased by the Sec9 retary. 

10 ‘‘(2) RECEIPT OF FAIR MARKET VALUE.—Leas11 ing activities under this Act shall be conducted to 

12 assure receipt of fair market value for the lands and 

13 resources leased and the rights conveyed by the 

14 United States.’’. 

15 (b) COMPETITIVE BIDDING.—Section 17(b)(1)(A) of 

16 the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226(b)(1)(A)) is 

17 amended to read as follows: 

18 ‘‘(A) COMPETITIVE BIDDING.— 

19 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—All lands to be 

20 leased under this section shall be leased as 

21 provided in this paragraph to the highest 

22 responsible qualified bidder by competitive 

23 bidding by sealed bid. 

24 ‘‘(ii) GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATION.—The 

25 Secretary shall lease lands under this para26 graph in units of not more than 2,560 


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1 acres, except in Alaska, where units shall 

2 be not more than 5,760 acres. Such units 

3 shall be as nearly compact as possible. 

4 ‘‘(iii) FREQUENCY.—Lease sales 

5 under this section shall be held for each 

6 State in which there are lands eligible for 

7 leasing no more than 3 times each year 

8 and on a rotating basis such that the lands 

9 under the responsibility of any Bureau of 

10 Land Management field office are available 

11 for leasing no more than one time each 

12 year. 

13 ‘‘(iv) ROYALTY.—A lease under this 

14 section shall be conditioned upon the pay15 ment of a royalty at a rate of not less than 

16 18.5 percent in amount or value of the 

17 production removed or sold from the lease, 

18 except as otherwise provided in this Act. 

19 ‘‘(v) ISSUANCE OF LEASE.—The Sec20 retary may issue a lease under this section 

21 to the responsible qualified bidder with the 

22 highest bid that is equal to or greater than 

23 the national minimum acceptable bid. The 

24 Secretary shall decide whether to accept a 

25 bid and issue a lease within 90 days folVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:09 Jun 15, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3225.IH H3225

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1 lowing payment by the successful bidder of 

2 the remainder of the bonus bid, if any, and 

3 annual rental for the first lease year. 

4 ‘‘(vi) REJECTION OF BID.—The Sec5 retary may reject a bid above the national 

6 minimum acceptable bid if, after evaluation 

7 of the value of the lands proposed for 

8 lease, the Secretary determines that the 

9 bid amount does not ensure that fair mar10 ket value is obtained for the lease.’’. 

11 (c) NATIONAL MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE BID.—Sub12 paragraph (B) of section 17(b)(1) of the Mineral Leasing 

13 Act (30 U.S.C. 226(b)(1)), is amended to read as follows: 

14 ‘‘(B) NATIONAL MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE

15 BID.— 

16 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The national min17 imum acceptable bid shall be $5 per acre. 

18 All bids under this section for less than the 

19 national minimum acceptable bid shall be 

20 rejected. 

21 ‘‘(ii) RAISING THE NATIONAL MIN22 IMUM ACCEPTABLE BID.—The Secretary 

23 may establish a higher national minimum 

24 acceptable bid— 


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1 ‘‘(I) beginning at the end of the 

2 four year period that begins on the 

3 date of enactment of the Restoring 

4 Community Input and Public Protec5 tion in Oil and Gas Leasing Act of 

6 2019, at least once every 4 years, to 

7 reflect the change in the Consumer 

8 Price Index for All Urban Consumers 

9 published by the Bureau of Labor 

10 Statistics; and 

11 ‘‘(II) at any time if the Secretary 

12 finds that such a higher amount is 

13 necessary to enhance financial returns 

14 to the United States or to promote 

15 more efficient management of oil and 

16 gas resources on Federal lands. 

17 ‘‘(iii) NOT A MAJOR FEDERAL AC18 TION.—The proposal or issuance of any 

19 regulation to establish a higher national 

20 minimum acceptable bid under clause (ii) 

21 shall not be considered a major Federal ac22 tion that is subject to the requirements of 

23 section 102(2)(C) of the National Environ24 mental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 

25 4332(2)(C)).’’. 


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1 (d) RENTALS.—Section 17(d) of the Mineral Leasing 

2 Act (30 U.S.C. 226(d)) is amended to read as follows: 

3 ‘‘(d) ANNUAL RENTALS.—All leases issued under this 

4 section shall be conditioned upon the payment by the les5 see of a rental of— 

6 ‘‘(1) not less than $3.00 per acre per year dur7 ing the 2-year period beginning on the date the lease 

8 begins for new leases, and after the end of such two 

9 year period not less than $5 per acre per year; or 

10 ‘‘(2) such higher rental rate as the Secretary 

11 may establish if the Secretary finds that such action 

12 is necessary to enhance financial returns to the 

13 United States and promote more efficient manage14 ment of oil and gas and alternative energy resources 

15 on Federal lands.’’. 

16 (e) ELIMINATION OF NONCOMPETITIVE LEASING.— 

17 The Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.) is 

18 amended— 

19 (1) in section 17(b) (30 U.S.C. 226(b)), by 

20 striking paragraph (3); 

21 (2) by amending section 17(c) (30 U.S.C. 

22 226(c)) to read as follows: 

23 ‘‘(c) Lands made available for leasing under sub24 section (b)(1) but for which no bid is accepted may be 


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1 made available by the Secretary for a new round of sealed 

2 bidding under such subsection.’’; 

3 (3) in section 17(e) (30 U.S.C. 226(e))— 

4 (A) by striking ‘‘Competitive and non5 competitive leases’’ and inserting ‘‘Leases, in6 cluding leases for tar sand areas,’’; and 

7 (B) by striking ‘‘Provided, however’’ and 

8 all that follows through ‘‘ten years.’’; 

9 (4) in section 31(d)(1) (30 U.S.C. 188(d)(1)) 

10 by striking ‘‘or section 17(c)’’; 

11 (5) in section 31(e) (30 U.S.C. 188(e))— 

12 (A) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘, or the 

13 inclusion’’ and all that follows and inserting a 

14 semicolon; and 

15 (B) in paragraph (3) by striking ‘‘(A)’’ 

16 and by striking subparagraph (B); 

17 (6) by striking section 31(f) (30 U.S.C. 188(f)); 

18 and 

19 (7) in section 31(g) (30 U.S.C. 188(g))— 

20 (A) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘as a 

21 competitive’’ and all that follows through the 

22 period and inserting ‘‘in the same manner as 

23 the original lease issued pursuant to section 

24 17.’’; 


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1 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and redesig2 nating paragraphs (3) and (4) as paragraphs 

3 (2) and (3), respectively; and 

4 (C) in paragraph (2), as redesignated, by 

5 striking ‘‘, applicable to leases issued under 

6 subsection 17(c) of this Act (30 U.S.C. 226(c)) 

7 except,’’ and inserting ‘‘, except’’. 

8 (f) LEASE TERM.—Section 17(e) of the Mineral 

9 Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226(e)) is amended by striking 

10 ‘‘10 years:’’ and inserting ‘‘5 years.’’ 

11 (g) OTHER LEASING REQUIREMENTS.—Section 

12 17(g) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226(g)), as 

13 amended by section 8 of this Act, is further amended by 

14 adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(7) LIMITATION.—The Secretary shall not 

16 issue a lease or approve the assignment of any lease 

17 to any person, or to any subsidiary or affiliate of 

18 such person or any other person controlled by or 

19 under common control with such person, unless such 

20 person has the demonstrated capability to explore 

21 and produce oil and gas under the lease. 

22 ‘‘(8) PROTECTION OF LEASED LANDS FOR

23 OTHER USES.—Each lease under this section shall 

24 include such terms as are necessary to preserve the 

25 United States flexibility to control or prohibit activiVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:47 Jun 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3225.IH H3225

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1 ties that pose serious and unacceptable impacts to 

2 the value of the leased lands for uses other than pro3 duction of oil and gas.’’. 

4 SEC. 3. TRANSPARENCY AND LANDOWNER PROTECTIONS. 

5 (a) DISCLOSURE OF IDENTITIES FILING DISCLO6 SURES OF INTEREST AND BIDS.—Section 17(b) of the 

7 Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226(b)), as amended by 

8 this Act, is further amended by adding at the end the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(3) BIDDER IDENTITY.—The Secretary— 

11 ‘‘(A) shall require that each expression of 

12 interest to bid for a lease under this section and 

13 each bid for a lease under this section shall in14 clude the name of the person for whom such ex15 pression of interest or bid is submitted; and 

16 ‘‘(B) shall promptly publish each such 

17 name.’’. 

18 (b) NOTICE REQUIREMENTS.—Section 17(f) of the 

19 Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226(f)) is amended by 

20 striking ‘‘At least’’ and all that follows through ‘‘agen21 cies.’’ and inserting the following: 

22 ‘‘(1) REQUIRED NOTICE.—At least 45 days be23 fore offering lands for lease under this section, and 

24 at least 30 days before approving applications for 

25 permits to drill under the provisions of a lease, 


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1 modifying the terms of any lease issued under this 

2 section, or granting a waiver, exception, or modifica3 tion of any stipulation of a lease issued under this 

4 section, the Secretary shall provide notice of the pro5 posed action to— 

6 ‘‘(A) the general public by posting such no7 tice in the appropriate local office and on the 

8 electronic website of the leasing and land man9 agement agencies offering the lands for lease; 

10 ‘‘(B) all surface land owners in the area of 

11 the lands being offered for lease; and 

12 ‘‘(C) the holders of special recreation per13 mits for commercial use, competitive events, 

14 and other organized activities on the lands 

15 being offered for lease. 

16 ‘‘(2) REQUIRED INFORMATION.—’’. 

17 (c) SURFACE OWNER PROTECTION.— 

18 (1) POST-LEASE SURFACE USE AGREEMENT.— 

19 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

20 paragraph (2), the Secretary may not authorize 

21 any operator to conduct exploration and drilling 

22 operations on lands with respect to which title 

23 to oil and gas resources is held by the United 

24 States but title to the surface estate is not held 

25 by the United States, until the operator has 


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1 filed with the Secretary a document, signed by 

2 the operator and the surface owner or owners, 

3 showing that the operator has secured a written 

4 surface use agreement between the operator 

5 and the surface owner or owners that meets the 

6 requirements of subparagraph (B). 

7 (B) CONTENTS.—The surface use agree8 ment shall provide for— 

9 (i) the use of only such portion of the 

10 surface estate as is reasonably necessary 

11 for exploration and drilling operations 

12 based on site-specific conditions; 

13 (ii) the accommodation of the surface 

14 estate owner to the maximum extent prac15 ticable, including the location, use, timing, 

16 and type of exploration and drilling oper17 ations, consistent with the operator’s right 

18 to develop the oil and gas estate; 

19 (iii) the reclamation of the site to a 

20 condition capable of supporting the uses 

21 which such lands were capable of sup22 porting prior to exploration and drilling 

23 operations; and 


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1 (iv) compensation for damages as a 

2 result of exploration and drilling oper3 ations, including— 

4 (I) loss of income and increased 

5 costs incurred; 

6 (II) damage to or destruction of 

7 personal property, including crops, 

8 forage, and livestock; and 

9 (III) failure to reclaim the site in 

10 accordance with clause (iii). 

11 (C) PROCEDURE.— 

12 (i) NOTICE OF INTENT TO CONCLUDE

13 AGREEMENT.—An operator shall notify the 

14 surface estate owner or owners of the oper15 ator’s desire to conclude an agreement 

16 under this section. If the surface estate 

17 owner and the operator do not reach an 

18 agreement within 90 days after the oper19 ator has provided such notice, the operator 

20 may submit the matter to third-party arbi21 tration for resolution within a period of 90 

22 days. The cost of such arbitration shall be 

23 the responsibility of the operator. 

24 (ii) LIST OF ARBITRATORS.—The Sec25 retary shall identify persons with experiVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:09 Jun 15, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3225.IH H3225

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1 ence in conducting arbitrations and shall 

2 make this information available to opera3 tors. 

4 (iii) REFERRAL.—Referral of a matter 

5 for arbitration by an operator to an arbi6 trator identified by the Secretary pursuant 

7 to clause (ii) shall be sufficient to con8 stitute compliance with clause (i). 

9 (D) ATTORNEYS FEES.—If action is taken 

10 to enforce or interpret any of the terms and 

11 conditions contained in a surface use agree12 ment, the prevailing party shall be reimbursed 

13 by the other party for reasonable attorneys fees 

14 and actual costs incurred, in addition to any 

15 other relief which a court or arbitration panel 

16 may grant. 

17 (2) AUTHORIZED EXPLORATION AND DRILLING

18 OPERATIONS.— 

19 (A) AUTHORIZATION WITHOUT SURFACE

20 USE AGREEMENT.—The Secretary may author21 ize an operator to conduct exploration and drill22 ing operations on lands covered by paragraph 

23 (1) in the absence of an agreement with the 

24 surface estate owner or owners, if— 


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1 (i) the Secretary makes a determina2 tion in writing that the operator made a 

3 good faith attempt to conclude such an 

4 agreement, including referral of the matter 

5 to arbitration pursuant to paragraph 

6 (1)(C), but that no agreement was con7 cluded within 90 days after the referral to 

8 arbitration; 

9 (ii) the operator submits a plan of op10 erations that provides for the matters spec11 ified in paragraph (1)(B) and for compli12 ance with all other applicable requirements 

13 of Federal and State law; and 

14 (iii) the operator posts a bond or 

15 other financial assurance in an amount the 

16 Secretary determines to be adequate to en17 sure compensation to the surface estate 

18 owner for any damages to the site, in the 

19 form of a surety bond, trust fund, letter of 

20 credit, government security, certificate of 

21 deposit, cash, or equivalent. 

22 (B) SURFACE OWNER PARTICIPATION.— 

23 The Secretary shall provide surface estate own24 ers with an opportunity to— 


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1 (i) comment on plans of operations in 

2 advance of a determination of compliance 

3 with this Act; 

4 (ii) participate in bond level deter5 minations and bond release proceedings 

6 under this section; 

7 (iii) attend an on-site inspection dur8 ing such determinations and proceedings; 

9 (iv) file written objections to a pro10 posed bond release; and 

11 (v) request and participate in an on12 site inspection when they have reason to 

13 believe there is a violation of the terms and 

14 conditions of a plan of operations. 

15 (C) PAYMENT OF FINANCIAL GUAR16 ANTEE.—A surface estate owner with respect to 

17 any land subject to a lease may petition the 

18 Secretary for payment of all or any portion of 

19 a bond or other financial assurance required 

20 under this section as compensation for any 

21 damages as a result of exploration and drilling 

22 operations. Pursuant to such a petition, the 

23 Secretary may use such bond or other guar24 antee to provide compensation to the surface es25 tate owner for such damages. 


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1 (D) BOND RELEASE.—Upon request and 

2 after inspection and opportunity for surface es3 tate owner review, the Secretary may release 

4 the financial assurance required under this sec5 tion if the Secretary determines that explo6 ration and drilling operations are ended and all 

7 damages have been fully compensated. 

8 (3) SURFACE OWNER NOTIFICATION.—The Sec9 retary shall notify surface estate owners in writing— 

10 (A) not less than 45 days before lease 

11 sales; 

12 (B) of the identity of the lessee, not more 

13 than 10 business days after a lease is issued; 

14 (C) concerning any subsequent request or 

15 decision regarding a lease not more than 5 

16 business days after such request or decision, in17 cluding regarding modification of a lease, waiv18 er of a stipulation, or approval of a right of 

19 way; and 

20 (D) not more than 5 business days after 

21 issuance of a drilling permit under a lease. 

22 SEC. 4. LEASE STIPULATIONS. 

23 (a) ENERGY POLICY ACT OF 2005.—Section 

24 363(b)(3)(C) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 

25 15922(b)(3)(C)) is amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘(C) adequately protective of the resource 

2 for which the stipulations are applied;’’. 

3 (b) REVISION OF EXISTING MEMORANDUM.—Not 

4 later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 

5 this Act the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary 

6 of Agriculture shall revise the memorandum of under7 standing under section 363(b)(3)(C) of the Energy Policy 

8 Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15922) in accordance with the 

9 amendment made by subsection (a). 

10 SEC. 5. MASTER LEASING PLANS. 

11 Section 17(a) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 

12 226(a)), as amended by section 2, is further amended by 

13 adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(3) MASTER LEASING PLANS.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

16 adopt and implement a master leasing plan to 

17 govern the issuance of oil and gas leases under 

18 this Act for any Federal lands, in accordance 

19 with Bureau of Land Management Instruction 

20 Memorandum No. 2010–117, dated May 17, 

21 2010, as in effect on April 24, 2017. 

22 ‘‘(B) FACTORS AND CONSIDERATIONS.—In 

23 deciding whether to adopt and implement a 

24 master leasing plan, the Secretary— 


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1 ‘‘(i) shall consider the criteria set 

2 forth in Bureau of Land Management In3 struction Memorandum No. 2010–117, 

4 dated May 17, 2010, as in effect on April 

5 24, 2017; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) shall consider the benefits of 

7 avoiding conflicts between mineral leasing 

8 and other land uses, including conserva9 tion, recreation, and protection of cultural 

10 and historic resources. 

11 ‘‘(C) STATE REQUEST.—The Secretary 

12 shall adopt and implement a master leasing 

13 plan under subparagraph (A) applicable to 

14 leases for Federal lands in a State or county of 

15 a State, if requested by the government of such 

16 State or county, respectively. 

17 ‘‘(D) REQUEST BY AN INDIVIDUAL.— 

18 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Any individual 

19 who is a resident of a State or county of 

20 a State may submit a petition to the Sec21 retary requesting that the Secretary adopt 

22 and implement a master leasing plan under 

23 subparagraph (A) applicable to the 

24 issuance of leases for Federal lands in such 

25 State or county, respectively. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) CONSIDERATION.—If the Sec2 retary receives such a petition, the Sec3 retary shall, not later than 60 days after 

4 receiving such petition, issue a determina5 tion of whether or not the adoption and 

6 implementation of such a master leasing 

7 plan is appropriate.’’. 

8 SEC. 6. PARCEL REVIEW. 

9 Section 17(a) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 

10 226(a)), as amended by sections 2 and 5 of this Act, is 

11 further amended by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(4) PARCEL REVIEW.—The Secretary shall 

13 issue oil and gas leases under this Act only in ac14 cordance with subsections C through I of section III 

15 of Bureau of Land Management Instruction Memo16 randum No. 2010–117, dated May 17, 2010, as in 

17 effect on April 24, 2017.’’. 

18 SEC. 7. ACREAGE LIMITATIONS. 

19 Section 27(d)(1) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 

20 U.S.C. 184(d)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘, and acreage 

21 under any lease any portion of which has been committed 

22 to a federally approved unit or cooperative plan or 

23 communitization agreement or for which royalty (includ24 ing compensatory royalty or royalty in-kind) was paid in 

25 the preceding calendar year,’’. 


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1 SEC. 8. LAND MANAGEMENT. 

2 Section 17(g) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 

3 226(g)), as amended by section 2(g) of this Act, is further 

4 amended by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(9) MULTIPLE-USE MANAGEMENT.—The Sec6 retary, and for National Forest lands, the Secretary 

7 of Agriculture, shall manage lands that are subject 

8 to an oil and gas lease under this Act in accordance 

9 with the principles, policies, and requirements relat10 ing to multiple use under the Federal Land Policy 

11 and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et 

12 seq.), until the beginning of operations on such 

13 lease.’’. 

14 SEC. 9. OIL SHALE. 

15 Section 21(a) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 

16 241(a)) is amended— 

17 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘The Sec18 retary of the Interior’’ and inserting ‘‘Subject to 

19 paragraph (6), the Secretary of the Interior’’; and 

20 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(6) Beginning on the date of enactment of the 

22 Restoring Community Input and Public Protections 

23 in Oil and Gas Leasing Act of 2019, The Secretary 

24 may not issue any lease for oil shale under this Act 

25 before the date the Secretary issues a finding that 

26 the technical and economic feasibility of development 


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1 of and production from such deposit has been dem2 onstrated under section 369 of the Energy Policy 

3 Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15927).’’. 

4 SEC. 10. TRANSPARENCY IN MANAGEMENT OF LEASES. 

5 Section 17(a) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 

6 226(a)), as amended by sections 2, 5, and 6 of this Act, 

7 is further amended by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(5) TRANSPARENCY IN MANAGEMENT OF

9 LEASES.—For each lease under this section, the Sec10 retary shall make available on a public website— 

11 ‘‘(A) the identity of— 

12 ‘‘(i) each person who is or has been a 

13 lessee under the lease; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) each person who is or has been 

15 an operator under the lease; 

16 ‘‘(B) notice of each transfer of the lease; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(C) notice of each suspension of oper19 ations, each suspension of production, and each 

20 suspension of operations and production.’’. 

21 SEC. 11. LEASE CANCELLATION FOR IMPROPER ISSUANCE. 

22 Section 31(b) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 

23 188(b)) is amended by inserting ‘‘if the lease was improp24 erly issued or’’ after ‘‘30 days notice’’. 


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1 SEC. 12. FEES FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST. 

2 The Secretary of the Interior shall charge any person 

3 who submits an expression of interest, as that term is de4 fined by the Secretary, a fee, in an amount determined 

5 by the Secretary to be appropriate in aggregate to cover 

6 the aggregate cost of processing expressions of interest. 

Æ 


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