I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1505 
To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to make certain adjustments to the 
regulation of surface-disturbing activities and to protect taxpayers from 
unduly bearing the reclamation costs of oil and gas development, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 2, 2021 
Mr. LOWENTHAL (for himself, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. LEVIN of California, Mr. 
CARTWRIGHT, Ms. LEE
of California, Ms. BARRAGA´N, and Mr. 
HUFFMAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to make certain adjust-
ments to the regulation of surface-disturbing activities 
and to protect taxpayers from unduly bearing the rec-
lamation costs of oil and gas development, 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. 
This Act may be referred to as the ‘‘Bonding Reform 
and Taxpayer Protection Act of 2021’’. 
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SEC. 2. SURFACE DISTURBANCE AND RECLAMATION. 
Section 17(g) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 
226(g)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(g) BONDING REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) INTERIM RECLAMATION PLAN.—The 
term ‘Interim Reclamation Plan’ means an on-
going plan specifying reclamation steps to be 
taken on all disturbed areas covered by any 
lease issued under this Act that are not needed 
for active operations. 
‘‘(B) FINAL
RECLAMATION
PLAN.—The 
term ‘Final Reclamation Plan’ means a plan 
describing all reclamation activity to be con-
ducted for all disturbed areas, including loca-
tions, facilities, trenches, rights-of-way, roads, 
and any other surface disturbance covered by a 
lease issued under this Act prior to final aban-
donment. 
‘‘(C) SECRETARY CONCERNED.—The term 
‘Secretary concerned’ means— 
‘‘(i) the Secretary of the Interior for 
public lands administered by such Sec-
retary; and 
‘‘(ii) the Secretary of Agriculture for 
forest service lands. 
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‘‘(2) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary concerned 
shall regulate all surface-disturbing activities con-
ducted pursuant to any lease issued under this Act, 
and shall determine reclamation and other actions as 
required in the interest of conservation of surface re-
sources. 
‘‘(3) RECLAMATION PLANS REQUIRED.— 
‘‘(A) 
ANALYSIS
AND
APPROVAL
RE-
QUIRED.—No permit to drill on an oil and gas 
lease issued under this Act may be granted 
without the analysis and approval by the Sec-
retary concerned of both an interim reclamation 
plan and a final reclamation plan covering pro-
posed surface-disturbing activities within the 
lease area. 
‘‘(B) PLANS OF OPERATIONS.—All Plans 
of Operations submitted and approved pursuant 
to this Act shall include an Interim Reclama-
tion Plan. 
‘‘(C) SECRETARIAL
REVIEW.—The Sec-
retary concerned shall review each Interim Rec-
lamation Plan at regular intervals and shall re-
quire such plans to be amended as warranted, 
subject to the approval of such Secretary. 
‘‘(4) BONDING.— 
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‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of enactment of the Bond-
ing Reform and Taxpayer Protection Act of 
2021, the Secretary concerned shall, by regula-
tion, require that an adequate bond, surety, or 
other financial arrangement be established prior 
to the commencement of surface-disturbing ac-
tivities on any lease, to ensure the complete and 
timely reclamation of the lease tract, and the 
restoration of any lands or surface waters ad-
versely affected by lease operations after the 
abandonment or cessation of oil and gas oper-
ations on the lease. 
‘‘(B) PROHIBITION.—The Secretary con-
cerned shall not issue or approve the assign-
ment of any lease under the terms of this sec-
tion to any person, association, corporation, or 
any subsidiary, affiliate, or person controlled by 
or under common control with such person, as-
sociation, or corporation, during any period in 
which, as determined by the relevant Secretary, 
such entity has failed or refused to comply in 
any material respect with the reclamation re-
quirements and other standards established 
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under this section for any prior lease to which 
such requirements and standards applied. 
‘‘(C) NOTICE AND OPPORTUNITY FOR COM-
PLIANCE.—Prior to making such determination 
with respect to any such entity the concerned 
Secretary shall provide such entity with ade-
quate notification and an opportunity to comply 
with such reclamation requirements and other 
standards and shall consider whether any ad-
ministrative or judicial appeal is pending. Once 
the entity has complied with the reclamation re-
quirement or other standard concerned each oil 
or gas lease may be issued to such entity under 
this Act. 
‘‘(D) LIMITATION
ON
BONDS.—The Sec-
retary concerned shall review the adequacy of a 
bond, surety, or other financial instrument any-
time a lease is transferred. A bond, surety, or 
other financial arrangement described in sub-
paragraph (A) shall not be adequate if it is less 
than— 
‘‘(i) $150,000 in the case of an ar-
rangement for an individual surface-dis-
turbing activity of each entity on an indi-
vidual oil or gas lease; or 
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