I 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6154 
To promote the development of renewable energy on public lands, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 19, 2012 
Mr. GOSAR (for himself, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. DENHAM, Mr. 
POLIS, Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado, Mr. COSTA, Mr. TIPTON, Mr. DEFA-
ZIO, Mrs. MCMORRIS RODGERS, and Mr. SIMPSON) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, 
and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be sub-
sequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of 
such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To promote the development of renewable energy on public 
lands, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act of 
2012’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
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Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
TITLE I—GEOTHERMAL ENERGY 
Sec. 101. Extension of funding for implementation of Energy Policy Act of 
2005. 
TITLE II—DEVELOPMENT OF WIND AND SOLAR ENERGY ON 
CERTAIN FEDERAL LAND 
Sec. 201. Definitions. 
Sec. 202. Development of solar and wind energy on public land. 
Sec. 203. Royalties. 
Sec. 204. Disposition of royalty revenue. 
Sec. 205. Study and report on mitigation banking. 
TITLE I—GEOTHERMAL ENERGY 
SEC. 101. EXTENSION OF FUNDING FOR IMPLEMENTATION 
OF ENERGY POLICY ACT OF 2005. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 234(a) of the Energy Pol-
icy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15873(a)) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘in the first 5 fiscal years beginning after the date 
of enactment of this Act’’ and inserting ‘‘through fiscal 
year 2020’’. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION.—Section 234(b) of the Energy 
Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15873(b)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘Amounts’’ and inserting ‘‘Ef-
fective for fiscal year 2012 and each fiscal year 
thereafter, amounts’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘without further appropriation’’ 
and inserting ‘‘in such amounts as are provided in 
advance in appropriations Acts’’. 
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TITLE 
II—DEVELOPMENT 
OF 
WIND AND SOLAR ENERGY ON 
CERTAIN FEDERAL LAND 
SEC. 201. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title: 
(1) COVERED LAND.—The term ‘‘covered land’’ 
means land that is— 
(A)(i) public land administered by the Sec-
retary of the Interior; or 
(ii) National Forest System land adminis-
tered by the Secretary of Agriculture; and 
(B) not excluded from the development of 
solar or wind energy under— 
(i) a final land use plan established 
under the Federal Land Policy and Man-
agement Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et 
seq.); 
(ii) a final land and resource manage-
ment plan established under the National 
Forest Management Act of 1976 (16 
U.S.C. 1600 et seq.); or 
(iii) Federal law. 
(2) FUND.—The term ‘‘Fund’’ means the Re-
newable Energy Resource Conservation Fund estab-
lished under section 204(b). 
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(3) PUBLIC
LAND.—The term ‘‘public land’’ 
has the meaning given the term ‘‘public lands’’ in 
section 103 of the Federal Land Policy and Manage-
ment Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702). 
(4) SECRETARY CONCERNED.—The term ‘‘Sec-
retary concerned’’ means— 
(A) the Secretary of the Interior, with re-
spect to land described in clause (i) of para-
graph (1)(A); and 
(B) the Secretary of Agriculture, with re-
spect to land described in clause (ii) of such 
paragraph. 
SEC. 202. DEVELOPMENT OF SOLAR AND WIND ENERGY ON 
PUBLIC LAND. 
(a) PILOT PROGRAM ON SELECTED PUBLIC LAND.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of the Interior shall establish a wind and 
solar leasing pilot program under which the Sec-
retary conducts lease sales of certain sites located on 
covered land administered by the Secretary for pur-
poses of carrying out wind and solar energy projects. 
(2) SELECTION OF SITES ON COVERED LAND.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days 
after the date the pilot program is established 
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under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall select 
from covered land administered by the Sec-
retary— 
(i) 2 sites for the development of a 
solar energy project; and 
(ii) 2 sites for the development of a 
wind energy project. 
(B) SITE SELECTION.—In selecting sites 
under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall— 
(i) give a preference to sites that the 
Secretary determines— 
(I) are likely to attract a high 
level of wind and solar energy indus-
try interest; 
(II) have a comparatively low 
value for resources other than wind 
and solar energy; and 
(III) would serve as models for 
the expansion of the pilot program to 
other locations if the program is ex-
panded under subsection (c); 
(ii) take into consideration the value 
of the multiple resources of the covered 
land on which such sites are located; and 
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