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(A) develop the program under subsection
(b);
(B) promulgate the final regulation under
subsection (b); and
(C) conduct the first lease sale under the
program under subsection (b); and
(2) a schedule for completing such actions.
(e) OIL SHALE LAND EXCHANGES.—
(1) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary shall iden-
tify and pursue to completion oil shale land ex-
changes, on a value-for-value basis, that will allow
qualified oil shale developers to have early access to
currently owned Federal oil shale lands and to com-
mence commercial oil shale development.
(2) APPLICABLE
LAW.—The Secretary shall
conduct land exchanges under this subsection in ac-
cordance with the Federal Land Policy Management
Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) and the Fed-
eral Land Exchange Facilitation Act of 1988 (43
U.S.C. 1701 note).
SEC. 2019. USE OF INFORMATION ABOUT OIL AND GAS PUB-
LIC CHALLENGES.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following:
(1) The Government Accountability Office (in
this section referred to as the ‘‘GAO’’), in report
924
GAO–05–124, found that the Bureau of Land Man-
agement does not systematically gather and use na-
tionwide information on public challenges to manage
its oil and gas program.
(2) The GAO found that this failure prevents
the Director of the Bureau from assessing the im-
pact of public challenges on the workload of the Bu-
reau of Land Management State offices and elimi-
nates the ability of the Director to make appropriate
staffing and funding resource allocation decisions.
(b) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of the Interior
and the Secretary of Agriculture shall systematically col-
lect and use nationwide information on public challenges
to manage the oil and gas programs of the bureaus within
their departments. The Secretaries shall gather such infor-
mation at the planning, leasing, exploration, and develop-
ment stages, and shall maintain such information elec-
tronically with current data.
Subtitle B—Access to Federal Land
SEC. 2021. OFFICE OF FEDERAL ENERGY PROJECT COORDI-
NATION.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The President shall establish
the Office of Federal Energy Project Coordination (re-
ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Office’’) within the Execu-
tive Office of the President in the same manner and with
925
the same mission as the White House Energy Projects
Task Force established by Executive Order No. 13212 (42
U.S.C. 13201 note).
(b) STAFFING.—The Office shall be staffed by func-
tional experts from relevant Federal agencies on a non-
reimbursable basis to carry out the mission of the Office.
(c) REPORT.—The Office shall transmit an annual
report to Congress that describes the activities put in place
to coordinate and expedite Federal decisions on energy
projects. The report shall list accomplishments in improv-
ing the Federal decisionmaking process and shall include
any additional recommendations or systemic changes
needed to establish a more effective and efficient Federal
permitting process.
SEC. 2022. FEDERAL ONSHORE OIL AND GAS LEASING AND
PERMITTING PRACTICES.
(a) REVIEW OF ONSHORE OIL AND GAS LEASING
PRACTICES.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Inte-
rior, in consultation with the Secretary of Agri-
culture with respect to National Forest System lands
under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agri-
culture, shall perform an internal review of current
Federal onshore oil and gas leasing and permitting
practices.
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(2) INCLUSIONS.—The review shall include the
process for—
(A) accepting or rejecting offers to lease;
(B) administrative appeals of decisions or
orders of officers or employees of the Bureau of
Land Management with respect to a Federal oil
or gas lease;
(C) considering surface use plans of oper-
ation, including the timeframes in which the
plans are considered, and any recommendations
for improving and expediting the process; and
(D) identifying stipulations to address site-
specific concerns and conditions, including those
stipulations relating to the environment and re-
source use conflicts.
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior and
the Secretary of Agriculture shall transmit a report to
Congress that describes—
(1) actions taken under section 3 of Executive
Order No. 13212 (42 U.S.C. 13201 note); and
(2) actions taken or any plans to improve the
Federal onshore oil and gas leasing program.