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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 
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
907
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. 
(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;
908
(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. 
SEC. 2023. MANAGEMENT OF FEDERAL OIL AND GAS LEAS-
ING PROGRAMS. 
(a) TIMELY ACTION ON LEASES AND PERMITS.—To 
ensure timely action on oil and gas leases and applications 
for permits to drill on land otherwise available for leasing, 
the Secretary of the Interior (in this section referred to 
as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall—
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(1) ensure expeditious compliance with section 
102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act 
of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)); 
(2) improve consultation and coordination with 
the States and the public; and 
(3) improve the collection, storage, and retrieval 
of information relating to the leasing activities. 
(b) BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary shall develop and implement best manage-
ment practices to—
(A) improve the administration of the on-
shore oil and gas leasing program under the 
Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.); 
and 
(B) ensure timely action on oil and gas 
leases and applications for permits to drill on 
lands otherwise available for leasing. 
(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing the best 
management practices under paragraph (1), the Sec-
retary shall consider any recommendations from the 
review under section 2022. 
(3) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 180 days 
after the development of best management practices
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under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall publish, for 
public comment, proposed regulations that set forth 
specific timeframes for processing leases and appli-
cations in accordance with the practices, including 
deadlines for—
(A) approving or disapproving resource 
management plans and related documents, lease 
applications, and surface use plans; and 
(B) related administrative appeals. 
(c) IMPROVED ENFORCEMENT.—The Secretary shall 
improve inspection and enforcement of oil and gas activi-
ties, including enforcement of terms and conditions in per-
mits to drill. 
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In addi-
tion to amounts authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out section 17 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 
226), there are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec-
retary for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2009—
(1) $40,000,000 to carry out subsections (a) 
and (b); and 
(2) $20,000,000 to carry out subsection (c). 
SEC. 2024. CONSULTATION REGARDING OIL AND GAS LEAS-
ING ON PUBLIC LAND. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior