IB 

Union Calendar No. 572 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 3225 

[Report No. 116–689, Part I] 

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 

DECEMBER 24, 2020 

Additional sponsors: Ms. DEGETTE, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Mr. SOTO, Ms. NORTON, Mr. RYAN, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Mr. PANETTA, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, 

Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. VAN DREW, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. NADLER, Mr. KILDEE, Mrs. KIRKPATRICK, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Ms. 

HAALAND, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. BLUMENAUER, and Ms. PORTER

DECEMBER 24, 2020 

Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

DECEMBER 24, 2020 

Committee on Agriculture discharged; committed to the Committee of the 

Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on June 12, 2019] 


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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. 


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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Restoring Community 

5 Input and Public Protections in Oil and Gas Leasing Act 

6 of 2020’’. 

7 SEC. 2. LEASING PROCESS. 

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

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

10 to read as follows: 

11 ‘‘(a) LEASING AUTHORITY.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—All lands subject to disposi13 tion under this Act that are known or believed to con14 tain oil or gas deposits may be leased by the Sec15 retary. 

16 ‘‘(2) RECEIPT OF FAIR MARKET VALUE.—Leas17 ing activities under this Act shall be conducted to as18 sure receipt of fair market value for the lands and re19 sources leased and the rights conveyed by the United 

20 States.’’. 

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

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

23 amended to read as follows: 

24 ‘‘(A) COMPETITIVE BIDDING.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—All lands to be 

2 leased under this section shall be leased as 

3 provided in this paragraph to the highest 

4 responsible qualified bidder by competitive 

5 bidding by sealed bid. 

6 ‘‘(ii) GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATION.—The 

7 Secretary shall lease lands under this para8 graph in units of not more than 2,560 

9 acres, except in Alaska, where units shall be 

10 not more than 5,760 acres. Such units shall 

11 be as nearly compact as possible. 

12 ‘‘(iii) FREQUENCY.—Lease sales under 

13 this section shall be held for each State in 

14 which there are lands eligible for leasing no 

15 more than 3 times each year and on a ro16 tating basis such that the lands under the 

17 responsibility of any Bureau of Land Man18 agement field office are available for leasing 

19 no more than one time each year. 

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

21 section shall be conditioned upon the pay22 ment of a royalty at a rate of not less than 

23 18.5 percent in amount or value of the pro24 duction removed or sold from the lease, ex25 cept as otherwise provided in this Act. 


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1 ‘‘(v) ISSUANCE OF LEASE.—The Sec2 retary may issue a lease under this section 

3 to the responsible qualified bidder with the 

4 highest bid that is equal to or greater than 

5 the national minimum acceptable bid. The 

6 Secretary shall decide whether to accept a 

7 bid and issue a lease within 90 days fol8 lowing payment by the successful bidder of 

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

10 annual rental for the first lease year. 

11 ‘‘(vi) REJECTION OF BID.—The Sec12 retary may reject a bid above the national 

13 minimum acceptable bid if, after evaluation 

14 of the value of the lands proposed for lease, 

15 the Secretary determines that the bid 

16 amount does not ensure that fair market 

17 value is obtained for the lease.’’. 

18 (c) NATIONAL MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE BID.—Subpara19 graph (B) of section 17(b)(1) of the Mineral Leasing Act 

20 (30 U.S.C. 226(b)(1)), is amended to read as follows: 

21 ‘‘(B) NATIONAL MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE

22 BID.— 

23 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The national min24 imum acceptable bid shall be $5 per acre. 

25 All bids under this section for less than the 


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1 national minimum acceptable bid shall be 

2 rejected. 

3 ‘‘(ii) RAISING THE NATIONAL MINIMUM

4 ACCEPTABLE BID.—The Secretary may es5 tablish a higher national minimum accept6 able bid— 

7 ‘‘(I) beginning at the end of the 

8 four year period that begins on the 

9 date of enactment of the Restoring 

10 Community Input and Public Protec11 tion in Oil and Gas Leasing Act of 

12 2020, at least once every 4 years, to re13 flect the change in the Consumer Price 

14 Index for All Urban Consumers pub15 lished by the Bureau of Labor Statis16 tics; and 

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

18 finds that such a higher amount is nec19 essary to enhance financial returns to 

20 the United States or to promote more 

21 efficient management of oil and gas re22 sources on Federal lands. 

23 ‘‘(iii) NOT A MAJOR FEDERAL AC24 TION.—The proposal or issuance of any reg25 ulation to establish a higher national minVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:10 Dec 26, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H3225.RH H3225

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1 imum acceptable bid under clause (ii) shall 

2 not be considered a major Federal action 

3 that is subject to the requirements of section 

4 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 

5 Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 

6 4332(2)(C)).’’. 

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

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

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

10 section shall be conditioned upon the payment by the lessee 

11 of a rental of— 

12 ‘‘(1) not less than $3.00 per acre per year during 

13 the 2-year period beginning on the date the lease be14 gins for new leases, and after the end of such two year 

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

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

17 may establish if the Secretary finds that such action 

18 is necessary to enhance financial returns to the 

19 United States and promote more efficient manage20 ment of oil and gas and alternative energy resources 

21 on Federal lands.’’. 

22 (e) ELIMINATION OF NONCOMPETITIVE LEASING.—The 

23 Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.) is amended— 

24 (1) in section 17(b) (30 U.S.C. 226(b)), by strik25 ing paragraph (3); 


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1 (2) by amending section 17(c) (30 U.S.C. 226(c)) 

2 to read as follows: 

3 ‘‘(c) Lands made available for leasing under subsection 

4 (b)(1) but for which no bid is accepted may be made avail5 able by the Secretary for a new round of sealed bidding 

6 under such subsection.’’; 

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

8 (A) by striking ‘‘Competitive and non9 competitive leases’’ and inserting ‘‘Leases, in10 cluding leases for tar sand areas,’’; and 

11 (B) by striking ‘‘Provided, however’’ and all 

12 that follows through ‘‘ten years.’’; 

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

14 striking ‘‘or section 17(c)’’; 

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

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

17 inclusion’’ and all that follows and inserting a 

18 semicolon; and 

19 (B) in paragraph (3) by striking ‘‘(A)’’ and 

20 by striking subparagraph (B); 

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

22 and 

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

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

25 competitive’’ and all that follows through the peVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:10 Dec 26, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H3225.RH H3225

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1 riod and inserting ‘‘in the same manner as the 

2 original lease issued pursuant to section 17.’’; 

3 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and redesig4 nating paragraphs (3) and (4) as paragraphs 

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

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

7 striking ‘‘, applicable to leases issued under sub8 section 17(c) of this Act (30 U.S.C. 226(c)) ex9 cept,’’ and inserting ‘‘, except’’. 

10 (f) LEASE TERM.—Section 17(e) of the Mineral Leas11 ing Act (30 U.S.C. 226(e)) is amended by striking ‘‘10 

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

13 (g) OTHER LEASING REQUIREMENTS.—Section 17(g) 

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

15 by section 8 of this Act, is further amended— 

16 (1) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ at the beginning 

17 and inserting ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; 

18 and 

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

20 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—The Secretary shall not issue 

21 a lease or approve the assignment of any lease to any 

22 person, or to any subsidiary or affiliate of such per23 son or any other person controlled by or under com24 mon control with such person, unless such person has 


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1 the demonstrated capability to explore and produce 

2 oil and gas under the lease. 

3 ‘‘(3) PROTECTION OF LEASED LANDS FOR OTHER

4 USES.—Each lease under this section shall include 

5 such terms as are necessary to preserve the United 

6 States flexibility to control or prohibit activities that 

7 pose serious and unacceptable impacts to the value of 

8 the leased lands for uses other than production of oil 

9 and gas.’’. 

10 SEC. 3. TRANSPARENCY AND LANDOWNER PROTECTIONS. 

11 (a) DISCLOSURE OF IDENTITIES FILING DISCLOSURES

12 OF INTEREST AND BIDS.—Section 17(b) of the Mineral 

13 Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226(b)), as amended by this Act, 

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

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

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

17 interest to bid for a lease under this section and 

18 each bid for a lease under this section shall in19 clude the name of the person for whom such ex20 pression of interest or bid is submitted; and 

21 ‘‘(B) shall promptly publish each such 

22 name.’’. 

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

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


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1 striking ‘‘At least’’ and all that follows through ‘‘agencies.’’ 

2 and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(1) REQUIRED NOTICE.—At least 45 days before 

4 offering lands for lease under this section, and at least 

5 30 days before approving applications for permits to 

6 drill under the provisions of a lease, modifying the 

7 terms of any lease issued under this section, or grant8 ing a waiver, exception, or modification of any stipu9 lation of a lease issued under this section, the Sec10 retary shall provide notice of the proposed action to— 

11 ‘‘(A) the general public by posting such no12 tice in the appropriate local office and on the 

13 electronic website of the leasing and land man14 agement agencies offering the lands for lease; 

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

16 the lands being offered for lease; and 

17 ‘‘(C) the holders of special recreation per18 mits for commercial use, competitive events, and 

19 other organized activities on the lands being of20 fered for lease. 

21 ‘‘(2) REQUIRED INFORMATION.—’’. 

22 (c) SURFACE OWNER PROTECTION.— 

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

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

25 paragraph (2), the Secretary may not authorize 


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1 any operator to conduct exploration and drilling 

2 operations on lands with respect to which title to 

3 oil and gas resources is held by the United States 

4 but title to the surface estate is not held by the 

5 United States, until the operator has filed with 

6 the Secretary a document, signed by the operator 

7 and the surface owner or owners, showing that 

8 the operator has secured a written surface use 

9 agreement between the operator and the surface 

10 owner or owners that meets the requirements of 

11 subparagraph (B). 

12 (B) CONTENTS.—The surface use agreement 

13 shall provide for— 

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

15 surface estate as is reasonably necessary for 

16 exploration and drilling operations based 

17 on site-specific conditions; 

18 (ii) the accommodation of the surface 

19 estate owner to the maximum extent prac20 ticable, including the location, use, timing, 

21 and type of exploration and drilling oper22 ations, consistent with the operator’s right 

23 to develop the oil and gas estate; 

24 (iii) the reclamation of the site to a 

25 condition capable of supporting the uses 


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1 which such lands were capable of sup2 porting prior to exploration and drilling 

3 operations; and 

4 (iv) compensation for damages as a re5 sult of exploration and drilling operations, 

6 including— 

7 (I) loss of income and increased 

8 costs incurred; 

9 (II) damage to or destruction of 

10 personal property, including crops, for11 age, and livestock; and 

12 (III) failure to reclaim the site in 

13 accordance with clause (iii). 

14 (C) PROCEDURE.— 

15 (i) NOTICE OF INTENT TO CONCLUDE

16 AGREEMENT.—An operator shall notify the 

17 surface estate owner or owners of the opera18 tor’s desire to conclude an agreement under 

19 this section. If the surface estate owner and 

20 the operator do not reach an agreement 

21 within 90 days after the operator has pro22 vided such notice, the operator may submit 

23 the matter to third-party arbitration for 

24 resolution within a period of 90 days. The 


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1 cost of such arbitration shall be the respon2 sibility of the operator. 

3 (ii) LIST OF ARBITRATORS.—The Sec4 retary shall identify persons with experience 

5 in conducting arbitrations and shall make 

6 this information available to operators. 

7 (iii) REFERRAL.—Referral of a matter 

8 for arbitration by an operator to an arbi9 trator identified by the Secretary pursuant 

10 to clause (ii) shall be sufficient to constitute 

11 compliance with clause (i). 

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

13 to enforce or interpret any of the terms and con14 ditions contained in a surface use agreement, the 

15 prevailing party shall be reimbursed by the other 

16 party for reasonable attorneys fees and actual 

17 costs incurred, in addition to any other relief 

18 which a court or arbitration panel may grant. 

19 (2) AUTHORIZED EXPLORATION AND DRILLING

20 OPERATIONS.— 

21 (A) AUTHORIZATION WITHOUT SURFACE

22 USE AGREEMENT.—The Secretary may authorize 

23 an operator to conduct exploration and drilling 

24 operations on lands covered by paragraph (1) in 


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1 the absence of an agreement with the surface es2 tate owner or owners, if— 

3 (i) the Secretary makes a determina4 tion in writing that the operator made a 

5 good faith attempt to conclude such an 

6 agreement, including referral of the matter 

7 to arbitration pursuant to paragraph 

8 (1)(C), but that no agreement was con9 cluded within 90 days after the referral to 

10 arbitration; 

11 (ii) the operator submits a plan of op12 erations that provides for the matters speci13 fied in paragraph (1)(B) and for compli14 ance with all other applicable requirements 

15 of Federal and State law; and 

16 (iii) the operator posts a bond or other 

17 financial assurance in an amount the Sec18 retary determines to be adequate to ensure 

19 compensation to the surface estate owner for 

20 any damages to the site, in the form of a 

21 surety bond, trust fund, letter of credit, gov22 ernment security, certificate of deposit, cash, 

23 or equivalent. 


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1 (B) SURFACE OWNER PARTICIPATION.—The 

2 Secretary shall provide surface estate owners 

3 with an opportunity to— 

4 (i) comment on plans of operations in 

5 advance of a determination of compliance 

6 with this Act; 

7 (ii) participate in bond level deter8 minations and bond release proceedings 

9 under this section; 

10 (iii) attend an on-site inspection dur11 ing such determinations and proceedings; 

12 (iv) file written objections to a pro13 posed bond release; and 

14 (v) request and participate in an on15 site inspection when they have reason to be16 lieve there is a violation of the terms and 

17 conditions of a plan of operations. 

18 (C) PAYMENT OF FINANCIAL GUARANTEE.— 

19 A surface estate owner with respect to any land 

20 subject to a lease may petition the Secretary for 

21 payment of all or any portion of a bond or other 

22 financial assurance required under this section 

23 as compensation for any damages as a result of 

24 exploration and drilling operations. Pursuant to 

25 such a petition, the Secretary may use such bond 


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1 or other guarantee to provide compensation to 

2 the surface estate owner for such damages. 

3 (D) BOND RELEASE.—Upon request and 

4 after inspection and opportunity for surface es5 tate owner review, the Secretary may release the 

6 financial assurance required under this section if 

7 the Secretary determines that exploration and 

8 drilling operations are ended and all damages 

9 have been fully compensated. 

10 (3) SURFACE OWNER NOTIFICATION.—The Sec11 retary shall notify surface estate owners in writing— 

12 (A) not less than 45 days before lease sales; 

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

14 than 10 business days after a lease is issued; 

15 (C) concerning any subsequent request or 

16 decision regarding a lease not more than 5 busi17 ness days after such request or decision, includ18 ing regarding modification of a lease, waiver of 

19 a stipulation, or approval of a right of 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 later 

4 than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act 

5 the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agri6 culture shall revise the memorandum of understanding 

7 under section 363(b)(3)(C) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 

8 (42 U.S.C. 15922) in accordance with the amendment made 

9 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 mas24 ter leasing plan, the Secretary— 


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1 ‘‘(i) shall consider the criteria set forth 

2 in Bureau of Land Management Instruction 

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

4 2010, as in effect on April 24, 2017; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) shall consider the benefits of 

6 avoiding conflicts between mineral leasing 

7 and other land uses, including conservation, 

8 recreation, and protection of cultural and 

9 historic resources. 

10 ‘‘(C) STATE REQUEST.—The Secretary shall 

11 adopt and implement a master leasing plan 

12 under subparagraph (A) applicable to leases for 

13 Federal lands in a State or county of a State, 

14 if requested by the government of such State or 

15 county, respectively. 

16 ‘‘(D) REQUEST BY AN INDIVIDUAL.— 

17 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Any individual 

18 who is a resident of a State or county of a 

19 State may submit a petition to the Sec20 retary requesting that the Secretary adopt 

21 and implement a master leasing plan under 

22 subparagraph (A) applicable to the issuance 

23 of leases for Federal lands in such State or 

24 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 re4 ceiving such petition, issue a determination 

5 of whether or not the adoption and imple6 mentation of such a master leasing plan is 

7 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 fur11 ther amended by adding at the end the following: 

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

13 oil and gas leases under this Act only in accordance 

14 with subsections C through I of section III of Bureau 

15 of Land Management Instruction Memorandum No. 

16 2010–117, dated May 17, 2010, as in effect on April 

17 24, 2017.’’. 

18 SEC. 7. ACREAGE LIMITATIONS. 

19 Section 27(d)(1) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 

20 184(d)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘, and acreage under any 

21 lease any portion of which has been committed to a federally 

22 approved unit or cooperative plan or communitization 

23 agreement or for which royalty (including compensatory 

24 royalty or royalty in-kind) was paid in the preceding cal25 endar 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 ‘‘(4) MULTIPLE-USE MANAGEMENT.—The Sec6 retary, and for National Forest lands, the Secretary 

7 of Agriculture, shall manage lands that are subject to 

8 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 Secretary 

18 of the Interior’’ and inserting ‘‘Subject to paragraph 

19 (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 2020, The Secretary 

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

25 before the date the Secretary issues a finding that the 

26 technical and economic feasibility of development of 


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

3 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 an 

15 operator under the lease; 

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

17 ‘‘(C) notice of each suspension of operations, 

18 each suspension of production, and each suspen19 sion of operations and production.’’. 

20 SEC. 11. LEASE CANCELLATION FOR IMPROPER ISSUANCE. 

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

22 188(b)) is amended by inserting ‘‘if the lease was improp23 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 by 

5 the Secretary to be appropriate in aggregate to cover the 

6 aggregate cost of processing expressions of interest. 


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Union Calendar No. 572 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 3225 

[Report No. 116–689, Part I] 

A BILL 

To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to make certain 

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

DECEMBER 24, 2020 

Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources with 

an amendment 

DECEMBER 24, 2020 

Committee on Agriculture discharged; committed to the 

Union and ordered to be printed Committee of the Whole House on the State of the 


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