IIB 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 485 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
MAY 17, 2005
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources 
AN ACT 
To provide that the royalty rate on the output from Federal 
lands of potassium and potassium compounds from the 
mineral sylvite in the 5-year period beginning on the 
date of the enactment of this Act shall be reduced to 
1.0 percent, and for other purposes.
HR 485 RFS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
TITLE I—POTASH ROYALTY 
REDUCTION 
SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE. 
This title may be cited as the ‘‘Potash Royalty Reduc-
tion Act of 2005’’. 
SEC. 102. POTASSIUM AND POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS FROM 
SYLVITE. 
(a) 
ROYALTY
RATE.—Notwithstanding 
section 
102(a)(9) of the Federal Land Policy and Management 
Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701(a)(9)), section 2 of the Act 
of February 7, 1927 (30 U.S.C. 282) and the term of any 
lease issued under such section 2, the royalty rate on the 
quantity or gross value of the output from Federal lands 
of potassium and potassium compounds from the mineral 
sylvite at the point of shipment to market in the 5-year 
period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act 
shall be 1.0 percent. 
(b) RECLAMATION FUND.—Fifty percentum of any 
royalties paid pursuant to this title during the 5-year pe-
riod referred to in subsection (a), together with any inter-
est earned from the date of payment, shall be paid by the 
Secretary of the Treasury to the payor of the royalties 
to be used solely for land reclamation purposes in accord-
HR 485 RFS 
ance with a schedule to implement a reclamation plan for 
the lands for which the royalties are paid. No payment 
shall be made by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant 
to this subsection until the Secretary of the Interior re-
ceives from the payor of the royalties, and approves, the 
reclamation plan and schedule, and submits the approved 
schedule to the Secretary of the Treasury. The share of 
royalties held by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant 
to this subsection, and interest earned thereon, shall be 
available until paid pursuant to this subsection, without 
further appropriation; shall not be considered as money 
received under section 35 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 
U.S.C. 191) for the purpose of revenue allocation; and 
shall not be reduced by any administrative or other costs 
incurred by the United States. 
(c) STUDY AND REPORT.—After the end of the 4-
year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this 
Act, and before the end of the 5-year period beginning 
on that date, the Secretary of the Interior shall report to 
the Congress on the effects of the royalty reduction under 
this title, including a recommendation on whether the re-
duced royalty rate for potassium from sylvite should apply 
after the end of the 5-year period.
HR 485 RFS 
TITLE II—SODA ASH ROYALTY 
REDUCTION 
SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE. 
This title may be cited as the ‘‘Soda Ash Royalty Re-
duction Act of 2005’’. 
SEC. 202. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) The combination of global competitive pres-
sures, flat domestic demand, and spiraling costs of 
production threaten the future of the United States 
soda ash industry. 
(2) Despite booming world demand, growth in 
United States exports of soda ash since 1997 has 
been flat, with most of the world’s largest markets 
for such growth, including Brazil, the People’s Re-
public of China, India, the countries of eastern Eu-
rope, and the Republic of South Africa, have been 
closed by protectionist policies. 
(3) The People’s Republic of China is the prime 
competitor of the United States in soda ash produc-
tion, and recently supplanted the United States as 
the largest producer of soda ash in the world. 
(4) Over 700 jobs have been lost in the United 
States soda ash industry since the Department of
HR 485 RFS 
the Interior increased the royalty rate on soda ash 
produced on Federal land, in 1996. 
(5) Reduction of the royalty rate on soda ash 
produced on Federal land will provide needed relief 
to the United States soda ash industry and allow it 
to increase export growth and competitiveness in 
emerging world markets, and create new jobs in the 
United States. 
SEC. 203. REDUCTION IN ROYALTY RATE ON SODA ASH. 
Notwithstanding section 102(a)(9) of the Federal 
Land Policy Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 
1701(a)(9)), section 24 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 
U.S.C. 262), and the terms of any lease under that Act, 
the royalty rate on the quantity or gross value of the out-
put of sodium compounds and related products at the 
point of shipment to market from Federal land in the 5-
year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this 
Act shall be 2 percent. 
SEC. 204. STUDY. 
After the end of the 4-year period beginning on the 
date of the enactment of this Act, and before the end of 
the 5-year period beginning on that date, the Secretary 
of the Interior shall report to the Congress on the effects 
of the royalty reduction under this title, including—
HR 485 RFS 
(1) the amount of sodium compounds and re-
lated products at the point of shipment to market 
from Federal land during that 4-year period; 
(2) the number of jobs that have been created 
or maintained during the royalty reduction period; 
(3) the total amount of royalty paid to the 
United States on the quantity or gross value of the 
output of sodium compounds and related products at 
the point of shipment to market produced during 
that 4-year period, and the portion of such royalty 
paid to States; and 
(4) a recommendation of whether the reduced 
royalty rate should apply after the end of the 5-year 
period beginning on the date of the enactment of 
this Act.
Passed the House of Representatives May 16, 2005. 
Attest: 
JEFF TRANDAHL, 
Clerk.