I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2375 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to identify high-potential oil and 
gas leases located on Federal land, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 24, 2011 
Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to identify high- 
potential oil and gas leases located on Federal land, 
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 cited as the ‘‘Facilitating American 
Security Through Energy Resources Act’’ or the ‘‘FAST-
ER Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Obama Administration has restricted 
access to potential onshore Federal energy resources. 
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(2) The non-partisan Congressional Research 
Service reported that the combined recoverable oil, 
natural gas, and coal resources of the United States 
is 1,300,000,000,000 barrels of oil equivalent, the 
largest barrel equivalent in the world, much of which 
is located on Federal lands. 
(3) In 2008 there were 2,416 new oil and nat-
ural gas leases issued on Bureau of Land Manage-
ment land and 2,600,000 acres leased. In 2010, 
under the Obama Administration, the number of 
new leases issued dropped to 1,308 and the number 
of acres leased dropped to 1,300,000. 
(4) Oil and natural gas jobs pay an average sal-
ary of $84,500 and are important sources of oppor-
tunity to rural communities, yet the Western Energy 
Alliance estimates that 16,200 jobs have been pre-
vented in the American West due to policies that re-
strict energy resource development on public lands. 
(5) After the Internal Revenue Service, the oil 
and natural gas industry is the second largest source 
of Federal revenue. The industry averages a 40:1 re-
turn on royalties and leasing revenue for every dollar 
spent on administering Federal oil and natural gas 
programs. These revenues and royalties not only 
help balance the Federal budget, but are shared with 
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states, and assist in funding of education, infra-
structure, and public safety. 
(6) Increasing oil and natural gas production by 
the equivalent 1,000,000 barrels a day would gen-
erate 225,000 jobs, $36,300,000,000 in gross do-
mestic product, and $3,900,000,000 in revenue and 
royalties. 
(7) In 2007, the Energy Information Adminis-
tration projected that the 2010 total oil production 
on Federal lands would be 850,000,000 barrels, 
while current production on Federal lands is 
714,000,000 barrels, which is a 16 percent decline 
from that projection. 
(8) Approximately one-half of nonproducing 
leases are waiting to complete environmental review 
and obtain permits to drill, and the Obama Adminis-
tration has added new delays of additional regula-
tions and hurdles to slow this process. 
(9) The Bureau of Land Management has ac-
knowledged a 206-day average processing time for 
Applications for Permits to Drill, but the actual time 
from when a company submits an Application for 
Permit to Drill to final approval is close to 2 years 
in some field offices. 
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(10) Congress should act to increase the ap-
proval of oil and gas production on Federal land. 
SEC. 3. REPORT ON POTENTIAL PRODUCTION OF OIL AND 
GAS LEASES ON FEDERAL LAND. 
(a) ASSESSMENT.—The Secretary of the Interior 
(hereinafter referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’), in consulta-
tion with lease holders, shall identify on an annual basis 
200 non-producing oil and gas leases held for onshore 
Federal land that— 
(1) have the highest potential for oil and gas 
production; and 
(2) for which the Department of the Interior 
has already received an Application for Permit to 
Drill. 
(b) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not less than 60 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sectretary shall 
submit to Congress a report including all findings and de-
terminations of the assessment under subsection (a). 
SEC. 4. PERMIT ISSUANCE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF OIL AND 
GAS LEASES ON FEDERAL LAND. 
(a) PERMIT ISSUANCE.—Not later than 180 days 
after issuing the report under section 3(b), the Secretary 
of the Interior shall issue permits to drill on the 200 leases 
identified in the assessment under section 3(a). 
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(b) OTHER PERMITS.—Issuing permits under sub-
section (a) shall not delay, reduce, or defer action upon, 
any other permitting processes. 
Æ 
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