I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4942 

To require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct proposed oil and gas 

Lease Sale 220 for areas of the outer Continental Shelf at least 50 

miles beyond the coastal zone of Virginia, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 25, 2010 

Mr. GOODLATTE (for himself, Mr. WOLF, Mr. WITTMAN, Mr. NYE, Mr. CANTOR, Mr. FORBES, Mr. BOUCHER, and Mr. PERRIELLO) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, 

and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce and Science 

and Technology, 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 require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct proposed 

oil and gas Lease Sale 220 for areas of the outer Continental Shelf at least 50 miles beyond the coastal zone 

of Virginia, 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 ‘‘Virginia Access to En5 ergy Act’’ or the ‘‘VA Energy Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT TO CONDUCT PROPOSED OIL AND 

2 GAS LEASE SALE 220 ON THE OCS OFF VIR3 GINIA. 

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

5 conduct offshore oil and gas Lease Sale 220 under section 

6 8 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (33 U.S.C. 

7 1337) by as soon as practicable, but not later than one 

8 year, after the date the Secretary receives a petition from 

9 the Governor requesting that the lease sale be conducted. 

10 (b) PROHIBITION ON LEASING WITHIN 50 MILES OF

11 THE COASTAL ZONE.—The Secretary shall not issue any 

12 lease under this Act for any tract located within 50 miles 

13 of the coastal zone of the State unless requested by the 

14 Governor. 

15 (c) PROHIBITION ON CONFLICTS WITH MILITARY

16 OPERATIONS.—The Secretary shall not make any tract 

17 available for leasing under this section if the Secretary of 

18 Defense determines that drilling activity on that tract 

19 would conflict with any military operation. 

20 SEC. 3. DISPOSITION OF REVENUES. 

21 (a) ALLOCATION, GENERALLY.—Of the qualified rev22 enues received by the United States each fiscal year— 

23 (1) 50 percent shall be used for non-Federal 

24 purposes as provided in subsection (b); and 

25 (2) 50 percent shall be used for Federal pur26 poses as provided in subsection (c). 


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1 (b) USE FOR NON-FEDERAL PURPOSES.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—Of the qualified revenues re3 ferred to in subsection (a)(1)— 

4 (A) 75 shall be paid to the State, without 

5 further appropriation; 

6 (B) 12.5 percent— 

7 (i) shall be used, without further ap8 propriation, to provide financial assistance 

9 to the State in accordance with section 6 

10 of the Land and Water Conservation Fund 

11 Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 460l–8); and 

12 (ii) shall be considered income to the 

13 Land and Water Conservation Fund for 

14 purposes of section 2 of that Act (16 

15 U.S.C. 460l–5); and 

16 (C) 12.5 percent shall be deposited in a 

17 separate account in the Treasury that shall be 

18 used, without further appropriation, by the Sec19 retary of the Interior, in consultation with the 

20 Governor, to mitigate for any environmental 

21 damage that occurs as a result of extraction ac22 tivities authorized under oil and gas leases 

23 issued under this Act, regardless of whether the 

24 damage is— 

25 (i) reasonably foreseeable; or 


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1 (ii) caused by negligence or a natural 

2 disaster. 

3 (2) USE OF PAYMENTS TO STATE.—Amounts 

4 paid to the State under paragraph (1)(A) shall be 

5 used by the State for one or more of the following: 

6 (A) Education. 

7 (B) Transportation. 

8 (C) Reducing taxes. 

9 (D) Coastal and environmental restoration. 

10 (E) Energy infrastructure and projects. 

11 (F) State seismic monitoring programs. 

12 (G) Alternative energy development. 

13 (H) Energy efficiency and conservation. 

14 (I) Hurricane and natural disaster insur15 ance programs. 

16 (c) USE FOR FEDERAL PURPOSES.—Of the qualified 

17 revenues referred to in subsection (a)(2)— 

18 (1) 50 percent shall be applied solely to reduce 

19 the outstanding Federal debt; and 

20 (2) 50 percent shall be deposited into the Al21 terative Energy Trust Fund established by section 4. 

22 SEC. 4. ALTERNATIVE ENERGY TRUST FUND. 

23 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

24 Treasury a separate account that shall be known as the 

25 Alternative Energy Trust Fund. 


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1 (b) CONTENTS.—The account shall consist of 

2 amounts deposited into it under section 3(c)(2). 

3 (c) USE.—Amounts in the account may be used, 

4 without further appropriation, by the Secretary of Energy 

5 for making grants for the following: 

6 (1) Coal and related technologies program. 

7 (2) To improve the commercial value of forest 

8 biomass for electric energy, useful heat, transpor9 tation fuels, and other commercial purposes. 

10 (3) Solar and wind technologies. 

11 (4) Renewable energy. 

12 (5) Methane hydrate research. 

13 (6) Nuclear power loan guarantees. 

14 (7) Smart grid technology research, develop15 ment, and demonstration. 

16 SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 

17 In this Act: 

18 (1) COASTAL ZONE.—The term ‘‘coastal zone’’ 

19 has the meaning that term has in the Outer Conti20 nental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.). 

21 (2) GOVERNOR.—The term ‘‘Governor’’ means 

22 the Governor of the State. 

23 (3) LEASE SALE 220.—The term ‘‘Lease Sale 

24 220’’ means proposed OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sale 

25 220 in the Mid-Atlantic OCS Planning Area in the 


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1 area offshore the State, as included in the OCS Oil 

2 and Gas Leasing Program, 2007–2012. 

3 (4) QUALIFIED REVENUES.—The term ‘‘quali4 fied revenues’’ means all rentals, royalties, bonus 

5 bids, and other sums due and payable to the United 

6 States under leases issued under this Act. 

7 (5) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 

8 of Virginia. 

Æ 


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