100 
nologies to accomplish the purpose set forth in sub-
section (c)(1). 
(2) Awards made under this subsection may in-
clude funding for— 
(A) energy efficiency; 
(B) renewable energy, including solar, 
wind, and biofuels; and 
(C) nuclear, hydrogen, and any other en-
ergy research that would accomplish the pur-
pose set forth in subsection (c)(1) that is not el-
igible for funding under section 7 of the Energy 
and Mineral Schools Reinvestment Act. 
(3) An institution of higher education seeking 
funding under this subsection shall submit an appli-
cation at such time, in such manner, and containing 
such information as the Secretary of Energy may re-
quire. 
(4) In this subsection, the term ‘‘institution of 
higher education’’ has the meaning given that term 
in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$150,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 and each fiscal year 
thereafter. 
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101 
SEC. 24. ONSHORE AND OFFSHORE MINERAL LEASE FEES. 
Except as otherwise provided in this Act, the Depart-
ment of the Interior is prohibited from charging fees appli-
cable to bidding or actions on Federal onshore and off-
shore oil and gas, coal, geothermal, and other mineral 
leases, including transportation of any production from 
such leases, if such fees were not established in final regu-
lations prior to the date of issuance of the lease. 
SEC. 25. OCS REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS. 
Not later than July 1, 2011, the Secretary of the In-
terior shall establish the headquarters for the Atlantic 
OCS Region, the headquarters for the Gulf of Mexico OCS 
Region, and the headquarters for the Pacific OCS Region 
within a State bordering the Atlantic OCS Region, a State 
bordering the Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, and a State 
bordering the Pacific OCS Region, respectively, from 
among the States bordering those Regions, that petitions 
by no later than January 1, 2011, for leasing, for oil and 
gas or natural gas, covering at least 40 percent of the area 
of its Adjacent Zone within 100 miles of the coastline. 
Such Atlantic and Pacific OCS Regions headquarters shall 
be located within 25 miles of the coastline and each MMS 
OCS regional headquarters shall be the permanent duty 
station for all Minerals Management Service personnel 
that on a daily basis spend on average 60 percent or more 
of their time in performance of duties in support of the 
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102 
activities of the respective Region, except that the Min-
erals Management Service may house regional inspection 
staff in other locations. Each OCS Region shall each be 
led by a Regional Director who shall be an employee with-
in the Senior Executive Service. 
SEC. 26. NATIONAL GEO FUND ACT OF 2009. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the 
‘‘National Geo Fund Act of 2009’’. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purpose of this section is to 
provide for the management of geologic programs, geologic 
mapping, geophysical and other seismic studies, seismic 
monitoring programs, and the preservation and use of geo-
logic and geophysical data, geothermal and geopressure 
energy resource management, unconventional energy re-
sources management, and renewable energy management 
associated with ocean wave, current, and thermal re-
sources. 
(c) STATE DEFINED.—In this section the term 
‘‘State’’ means the agency of a State designated by its 
Governor or State law to perform the functions and activi-
ties described in subsection (b). 
(d) STRATEGIC UNCONVENTIONAL RESOURCES.— 
(1) PROGRAM.—The Secretary of the Interior 
shall establish a program for production of fuels 
from strategic unconventional resources, and produc-
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103 
tion of oil and gas resources using CO2 enhanced re-
covery. The program shall focus initially on activities 
and domestic resources most likely to result in sig-
nificant production in the near future, and shall in-
clude work necessary to improve extraction tech-
niques, including surface and in situ operations. The 
program shall include characterization and assess-
ment of potential resources, a sampling program, 
appropriate laboratory and other analyses and test-
ing, and assessment of methods for exploration and 
development of these strategic unconventional re-
sources. 
(2) PILOT PROJECTS.—The program created in 
paragraph (1) shall include, but not be limited to, 
pilot projects on (A) the Maverick Basin heavy oil 
and tar sands formations of Texas, including the 
San Miguel deposits, (B) the Greater Green River 
Basin heavy oil, oil shale, tar sands, and coal depos-
its of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, (C) the shale, 
tar sands, heavy oil, and coal deposits in the Ala-
bama-Mississippi-Tennessee region, (D) the shale, 
tar sands, heavy oil, and coal deposits in the Ohio 
River valley, and (E) strategic unconventional re-
sources in California. The Secretary shall identify 
and report to Congress on feasible incentives to fos-
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ter recovery of unconventional fuels by private indus-
try within the United States. Such incentives may 
include, but are not limited to, long-term contracts 
for the purchase of unconventional fuels for defense 
purposes, Federal grants and loan guarantees for 
necessary capital expenditures, and favorable terms 
for the leasing of Government lands containing un-
conventional resources. 
(3) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
(A) STRATEGIC
UNCONVENTIONAL
RE-
SOURCES.—The term ‘‘strategic unconventional 
resources’’ means hydrocarbon resources, in-
cluding heavy oil, oil shale, tar sands, and coal 
deposits, from which liquid fuels may be pro-
duced. 
(B) IN SITU EXTRACTION METHODS.—The 
term ‘‘in situ extraction methods’’ means recov-
ery techniques that are applied to the resources 
while they are still in the ground, and are in 
commercial use or advanced stages of develop-
ment. Such techniques include, but are not lim-
ited to, steam flooding, steam-assisted gravity 
drainage (including combination with electric 
power generation where appropriate), cyclic 
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