Royalty Resiliency Act

To amend the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982 to improve the management of royalties from oil and gas leases, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Royalty Resiliency Act 2. Determination of allocations of production for units and communitization agreements Section 111(j) of the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982 ( 30 U.S.C. 1721(j) Public Law 104–185 (j) The Secretary shall issue all determinations of allocations of production for units and communitization agreements within 120 days of a request for determination. Until the Secretary issues the determination, the lessee or its designee of a lease in a unit or communitization agreement shall report and pay royalties on oil and gas production for each production month in accordance with the terms of the proposed allocation of production for the unit or communitization agreement. After the Secretary issues the determination, the lessee or its designee shall, as necessary, correct such reports and the amount of royalties paid on oil and gas production under the unit or communitization agreement by not later than the end of the third month following the month in which the lessee or its designee receives the determination from the Secretary. Subject to the full and timely monthly payment of royalties to all parties in accordance with the terms of the proposed allocation of production for the unit or communitization agreement, the Secretary shall waive interest due on obligations subject to the determination until the end of the third month following the month in which the lessee or its designee receives the determination from the Secretary. This subsection shall not apply to unit or communization agreements containing Indian lands. . June 27, 2024 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed

Summary: Royalty Resiliency ActThis bill modifies the process under which oil and gas leaseholders who have entered into certain joint drilling agreements (i.e., a communitization agreement or a unit agreement, except agreements containing Indian lands) to drill wells on leased land pay royalties to the Department of the Interior under the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982.Under current law, Interior must issue a determination of allocations of royalty payments for oil and gas production under a joint agreement within 120 days of a request for determination. Generally, the first leaseholder to drill must pay any royalties due to Interior for all oil and gas production on the land subject to the agreement until Interior determines the royalty allocations of each leaseholder. If Interior fails to issue the determination by that deadline, then it must waive interest due on royalty obligations until the end of the month following the month in which the determination was made.Under the bill, a leaseholder must pay royalties on oil and gas production based on the lessee's proposed allocation of production under the joint agreement until Interior issues a determination of royalty allocations. After Interior issues the determination, then the lessee must correct, if necessary, the amount of royalties paid by the end of the third month following the month in which the lessee received the determination from Interior. Subject to the full and timely payment of monthly royalties in accordance with the agreement, Interior must waive interest due on royalty obligations until the end of the third month.