I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2295 
To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to require the Secretary of the Interior 
to identify and designate National Energy Security Corridors for the 
construction of natural gas pipelines on Federal land, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 13, 2015 
Mr. MACARTHUR (for himself and Mr. RICHMOND) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to require the Secretary 
of the Interior to identify and designate National Energy 
Security Corridors for the construction of natural gas 
pipelines 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 ‘‘National Energy Secu-
rity Corridors Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF NATIONAL ENERGY SECURITY 
CORRIDORS ON FEDERAL LANDS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 28 of the Mineral Leasing 
Act (30 U.S.C. 185) is amended as follows: 
(1) In subsection (b)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘(b)(1) For the purposes of 
this section ‘Federal lands’ means’’ and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(b)(1) For the purposes of this section ‘Federal 
lands’— 
‘‘(A) except as provided in subparagraph (B), 
means’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end of paragraph (1) 
the following: 
‘‘(B) for purposes of granting an application for 
a natural gas pipeline right-of-way, means all lands 
owned by the United States except— 
‘‘(i) such lands held in trust for an Indian 
or Indian tribe; and 
‘‘(ii) lands on the Outer Continental 
Shelf.’’. 
(2) By redesignating subsection (b), as so 
amended, as subsection (z), and transferring such 
subsection to appear after subsection (y) of that sec-
tion. 
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(3) By inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(b) NATIONAL ENERGY SECURITY CORRIDORS.— 
‘‘(1) DESIGNATION.—In addition to other au-
thorities under this section, the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) identify and designate suitable Fed-
eral lands as National Energy Security Cor-
ridors (in this subsection referred to as a ‘Cor-
ridor’), which shall be used for natural gas 
transmission facilities; and 
‘‘(B) incorporate such Corridors upon des-
ignation into the relevant agency land use and 
resource management plans or equivalent plans. 
‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In evaluating Federal 
lands for designation as a National Energy Security 
Corridor, the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) employ the principle of multiple use 
to ensure route decisions balance national en-
ergy security needs with existing land use prin-
ciples; 
‘‘(B) seek input from other Federal coun-
terparts, State, local, and tribal governments, 
and affected utility and pipeline industries to 
determine the best suitable, most cost-effective, 
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and commercially viable acreage for natural gas 
transmission facilities; 
‘‘(C) focus on transmission routes that im-
prove domestic energy security through increas-
ing reliability, relieving congestion, reducing 
natural gas prices, and meeting growing de-
mand for natural gas; and 
‘‘(D) take into account technological inno-
vations that reduce the need for surface dis-
turbance. 
‘‘(3) PROCEDURES.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish procedures to expedite and approve applications 
for rights-of-way for natural gas pipelines across 
National Energy Security Corridors, that— 
‘‘(A) ensure a transparent process for re-
view of applications for rights-of-way on such 
corridors; 
‘‘(B) require an approval time of not more 
than 1 year after the date of receipt of an ap-
plication for a right-of-way; and 
‘‘(C) require, upon receipt of such an ap-
plication, notice to the applicant of a predict-
able timeline for consideration of the applica-
tion, that clearly delineates important mile-
stones in the process of such consideration. 
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‘‘(4) STATE INPUT.— 
‘‘(A) REQUESTS AUTHORIZED.—The Gov-
ernor of a State may submit a request to the 
Secretary of the Interior to designate a Cor-
ridor on Federal land in that State. 
‘‘(B) CONSIDERATION
OF
REQUESTS.— 
After receiving such a request, the Secretary 
shall respond in writing, within 30 days— 
‘‘(i) acknowledging receipt of the re-
quest; and 
‘‘(ii) setting forth a timeline in which 
the Secretary shall grant, deny, or modify 
such request and state the reasons for 
doing so. 
‘‘(5) SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF CORRIDORS.— 
In implementing this subsection, the Secretary shall 
coordinate with other Federal Departments to— 
‘‘(A) minimize the proliferation of duplica-
tive natural gas pipeline rights-of-way on Fed-
eral lands where feasible; 
‘‘(B) ensure Corridors can connect effec-
tively across Federal lands; and 
‘‘(C) utilize input from utility and pipeline 
industries submitting applications for rights-of- 
way to site corridors in economically feasible 
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areas that reduce impacts, to the extent prac-
ticable, on local communities. 
‘‘(6) NOT
A
MAJOR
FEDERAL
ACTION.—Des-
ignation of a Corridor under this subsection, and in-
corporation of Corridors into agency plans under 
paragraph (1)(B), shall not be treated as a major 
Federal action for purpose of section 102 of the Na-
tional Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
4332). 
‘‘(7) NO LIMIT ON NUMBER OR LENGTH OF 
CORRIDORS.—Nothing in this subsection limits the 
number or physical dimensions of Corridors that the 
Secretary may designate under this subsection. 
‘‘(8) OTHER
AUTHORITY
NOT
AFFECTED.— 
Nothing in this subsection affects the authority of 
the Secretary to issue rights-of-way on Federal land 
that is not located in a Corridor designated under 
this subsection.’’. 
(b) APPLICATIONS RECEIVED BEFORE DESIGNATION 
OF CORRIDORS.—Any application for a right-of-way under 
section 28 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 185) 
that is received by the Secretary of the Interior before des-
ignation of National Energy Security Corridors under the 
amendment made by subsection (a) of this section shall 
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be reviewed and acted upon independently by the Sec-
retary without regard to the process for such designation. 
(c) DEADLINE.—Within 2 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall 
designate at least 10 National Energy Security Corridors 
under the amendment made by subsection (a) in contig-
uous States referred to in section 368(b) of the Energy 
Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15926(b)). 
SEC. 3. NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENT. 
The Secretary of the Interior shall promptly notify 
the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources of the Senate of each instance in which any 
agency or official of the Department of the Interior fails 
to comply with any schedule established under section 
15(c) of the Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717n(c)). 
Æ 
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