Natural Gas Gathering Enhancement Act

To authorize the approval of natural gas pipelines and establish deadlines and expedite permits for certain natural gas gathering lines on Federal land and Indian land. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Natural Gas Gathering Enhancement Act 2. Findings Congress finds that— (1) record volumes of natural gas production in the United States as of the date of enactment of this Act are providing enormous benefits to the United States, including by— (A) reducing the need for imports of natural gas, thereby directly reducing the trade deficit; (B) strengthening trade ties among the United States, Canada, and Mexico; (C) providing the opportunity for the United States to join the emerging global gas trade through the export of liquefied natural gas; (D) creating and supporting millions of new jobs across the United States; (E) adding billions of dollars to the gross domestic product of the United States every year; (F) generating additional Federal, State, and local government tax revenues; and (G) revitalizing the manufacturing sector by— (i) significantly increasing commercial demand for steel; and (ii) providing abundant and affordable feedstock; (2) natural gas is lost due to venting and flaring, primarily in areas where natural gas infrastructure has not been developed quickly enough, such as States with large quantities of Federal land and Indian land; (3) permitting processes can hinder the development of natural gas infrastructure, such as pipeline lines and gathering lines on Federal land and Indian land; and (4) additional authority for the Secretary of the Interior to approve natural gas pipelines and gathering lines on Federal land and Indian land would— (A) assist in bringing gas to market that would otherwise be vented or flared; and (B) significantly increase royalties collected by the Secretary of the Interior and disbursed to Federal, State, and tribal governments and individual Indians. 3. Authority to approve natural gas pipelines Section 100902 of title 54, United States Code, is amended— (1) in subsection (a)(1)— (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking Under regulations Notwithstanding section 28 of the Mineral Leasing Act ( 30 U.S.C. 185 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking and (C) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and (D) by adding at the end the following: (D) natural gas pipelines. ; and (2) in subsection (b)— (A) in paragraph (1)— (i) in subparagraph (B), by striking and (ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and (iii) by adding at the end the following: (D) natural gas pipelines. ; (B) in paragraph (2), in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking A right of way under Except as provided in paragraph (5), a right-of-way granted under (C) by adding at the end the following: (5) Right-of-way for natural gas pipelines Notwithstanding paragraph (2), a right-of-way granted under paragraph (1)(D) shall— (A) be for a term of not more than 30 years; and (B) not exceed 50 feet in width after construction of the natural gas pipeline. . 4. Certain natural gas gathering lines located on Federal land and Indian land (a) In general Subtitle B of title III of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 ( Public Law 109–58 319. Certain natural gas gathering lines located on Federal land and Indian land (a) Definitions In this section: (1) Gas gathering line and associated field compression units (A) In general The term gas gathering line and associated field compression units (i) a pipeline that is installed to transport natural gas production associated with 1 or more wells drilled and completed to produce oil or gas; and (ii) if necessary, compressors to raise the pressure of that transported natural gas to higher pressures suitable to enable the gas to flow into pipelines and other facilities. (B) Exclusions The term gas gathering line and associated field compression units (2) Federal land (A) In general The term Federal land (B) Exclusions The term Federal land (i) a unit of the National Park System; (ii) a unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System; (iii) a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System; or (iv) Indian land. (3) Indian land The term Indian land (A) the United States in trust for an Indian tribe or an individual Indian; or (B) an Indian tribe or an individual Indian subject to a restriction by the United States against alienation. (b) Certain natural gas gathering lines (1) In general Subject to paragraph (2), the issuance of a sundry notice or right-of-way for a gas gathering line and associated field compression units that are located on Federal land or Indian land and that services any oil or gas well shall be considered to be an action that is categorically excluded (as defined in section 1508.4 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of this Act)) for purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 ( 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. (A) within a field or unit for which an approved land use plan or an environmental document prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 ( 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. (B) located adjacent to or within— (i) any existing disturbed area; or (ii) an existing corridor for a right-of-way. (2) Applicability Paragraph (1) shall apply to Indian land, or a portion of Indian land, for which the Indian tribe with jurisdiction over the Indian land submits to the Secretary of the Interior a written request that paragraph (1) apply to that Indian land (or portion of Indian land). (c) Effect on other law Nothing in this section affects or alters any requirement— (1) relating to prior consent under— (A) section 2 of the Act of February 5, 1948 ( 25 U.S.C. 324 (B) section 16(e) of the Act of June 18, 1934 ( 25 U.S.C. 476(e) Indian Reorganization Act (2) under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act ( 16 U.S.C. 470f (3) under any other Federal law (including regulations) relating to tribal consent for rights-of-way across Indian land. . (b) Assessments Title XVIII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 ( Public Law 109–58 1841. Natural gas gathering system assessments (a) Definition of gas gathering line and associated field compression units In this section, the term gas gathering line and associated field compression units (b) Study Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Natural Gas Gathering Enhancement Act (1) any actions that may be taken, under Federal law (including regulations), to expedite permitting for gas gathering lines and associated field compression units that are located on Federal land or Indian land, for the purpose of transporting natural gas associated with oil and gas production on any land to a processing plant or a common carrier pipeline for delivery to markets; and (2) any proposed changes to Federal law (including regulations) to expedite permitting for gas gathering lines and associated field compression units that are located on Federal land, for the purpose of transporting natural gas associated with oil and gas production on any land to a processing plant or a common carrier pipeline for delivery to markets. (c) Report Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Natural Gas Gathering Enhancement Act (1) the progress made in expediting permits for gas gathering lines and associated field compression units that are located on Federal land or Indian land, for the purpose of transporting natural gas associated with oil and gas production on any land to a processing plant or a common carrier pipeline for delivery to markets; and (2) any issues impeding that progress. . (c) Technical amendments (1) Section 1(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 ( Public Law 109–58 Sec. 319. Natural gas gathering lines located on Federal land and Indian land. . (2) Section (1)(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 ( Public Law 109–58 Sec. 1841. Natural gas gathering system assessments. . 5. Deadlines for permitting natural gas gathering lines under the Mineral Leasing Act Section 28 of the Mineral Leasing Act ( 30 U.S.C. 185 (z) Natural gas gathering lines The Secretary of the Interior or other appropriate agency head shall issue a sundry notice or right-of-way for a gas gathering line and associated field compression units (as defined in section 319(a) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005) that are located on Federal land not later than 90 days after the date on which the applicable agency head receives the request for issuance unless the Secretary or agency head finds that the sundry notice or right-of-way would violate the National Historic Preservation Act ( 16 U.S.C. 470 et seq. Endangered Species Act of 1973 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq. .

Summary: Natural Gas Gathering Enhancement Act Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to grant a right of way for natural gas pipelines through a unit of the National Park System for a maximum term of 30 years, and a maximum width of 50 feet. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to permit the use of rights of way for natural gas pipelines through public lands, forest, and other reservations of the United States, and specified national parks in California. Defines "gas gathering line and associated field compression unit" as: (1) a pipeline installed to transport natural gas production associated with one or more wells drilled and completed to produce oil or gas; and (2) if necessary, a compressor to raise the pressure of that transported natural gas to higher pressures suitable to enable the gas to flow into pipelines and other facilities. Excludes from such definition any pipeline or compression unit installed to transport natural gas from a processing plant to a common carrier pipeline or facility. Excludes from federal lands, for purposes of gas gathering line and associated field compression units, any unit of the National Park System, any unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System, a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, or Indian land. Deems the issuance of a sundry notice or right-of-way for a gas gathering line and associated field compression unit located on federal or Indian land and servicing an oil well to be an action categorically excluded for purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), if the line and the compression unit are: (1) within a field or unit for which an approved land use plan or an environmental document prepared pursuant to NEPA analyzed transportation of natural gas produced from one or more oil wells in that field or unit as a reasonably foreseeable activity, and (2) located adjacent to or within an existing disturbed area or an existing corridor for a right-of-way. (A "categorical exclusion" is a category of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and which have been found to have no such effect in procedures adopted by a federal agency in implementing environmental regulations and for which, therefore, neither an environmental assessment nor an environmental impact statement is required.) Applies this categorical exclusion to Indian land if the Indian tribe with jurisdiction over the land requests in writing that the exclusion apply. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to direct the Secretary to study permissible actions or proposed changes to federal law which would expedite permitting for gas gathering lines and associated field compression units located on federal land or Indian land to transport natural gas associated with oil and gas production on any land, to a processing plant or a common carrier pipeline for delivery to markets. Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to direct the appropriate agency head to issue a sundry notice or right-of-way for a gas gathering line and associated field compression unit located on federal land within 90 days after receiving the request for a line and compression unit described in this Act, unless the Secretary or agency head finds that the sundry notice or right-of-way would violate either the National Historic Preservation Act or the Endangered Species Act of 1973.