(6) The United States Geological Survey esti-
mates that there are 16 billion barrels of recoverable 
oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). 
(7) The Bureau of Land Management estimates 
that the United States holds the world’s largest 
known unconventional oil source, known as oil shale, 
and that more than 70 percent of American oil shale 
lies on Federal land, primarily in Colorado, Utah, 
and Wyoming. 
(8) These Federal lands contain an estimated 
1.23 trillion barrels of oil, which is more than 50 
times the Nation’s proven conventional oil reserves. 
(9) There are currently no unconventional fuels 
leasing programs operating in the United States 
that would allow oil and gas companies to explore 
and drill for oil. 
(10) The Federal Government could open land 
in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming for oil exploration 
and the United States could offset all of its imports 
from Saudi Arabia according to Bureau of Land 
Management statistics. 
(11) There has not been a new oil refinery built 
in the United States since 1981 and between 1980 
and 2006 over half of existing United States refin-
eries closed. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
01:29 Jul 11, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6463.IH
H6463
erowe on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
(12) The current bureaucratic permitting proc-
ess to drill for oil and gas contributes to extensive 
delays in exploring United States natural resources. 
(13) It has been estimated that it takes seven 
years and an average of $5,000,000,000 for one off-
shore platform to be built and permitted before nat-
ural gas or oil is recovered. 
SEC. 3. TERMINATION OR WAIVER OF RESTRICTIONS ON 
LEASING FOR EXPLORATION, DEVELOPMENT, 
AND PRODUCTION OF OIL, GAS, AND OIL 
SHALE DURING PERIOD OF HIGH OIL PRICES. 
(a) TERMINATION OF STATUTORY PROHIBITIONS.— 
Any Federal law that prohibits the leasing of Federal 
lands or Federal submerged lands for exploration, develop-
ment, or production of oil, gas, or oil shale, that withdraws 
such lands from such leasing, or that prohibits the expend-
iture of Federal funds for such leasing, shall have no force 
or effect. 
(b) WAIVER OF PERMIT REQUIREMENTS.— The Sec-
retary of the Interior— 
(1) may waive the application of any provision 
of Federal law that requires a permit to engage in 
drilling for oil or gas under a lease of Federal lands 
or Federal submerged lands for exploration, develop-
ment, or production of oil or gas, during any period 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
01:29 Jul 11, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6463.IH
H6463
erowe on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
in which the most recent the spot market price for 
West Texas Intermediate crude oil at the domestic 
spot market at Cushing, Oklahoma, as published by 
the Energy Information Administration, is less than 
$100 per barrel; and 
(2) shall waive the application of such provi-
sions during any period in which the most recent 
such spot market price is equal to or greater than 
$100 per barrel. 
SEC. 4. REFINERY PROCESS AND PROCEDURES. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
(1) the term ‘‘designated refinery’’ means a fa-
cility designed and operated to receive, load, unload, 
store, transport, process, and refine crude oil by any 
chemical or physical process, including distillation, 
fluid catalytic cracking, hydrocracking, coking, 
alkylation, etherification, polymerization, catalytic 
reforming, isomerization, hydrotreating, blending, 
and any combination thereof, in order to produce 
gasoline or other fuel; 
(2) the term ‘‘Federal refinery authorization’’— 
(A) means any authorization required 
under Federal law, whether administered by a 
Federal or State administrative agency or offi-
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
01:29 Jul 11, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6463.IH
H6463
erowe on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
cial, with respect to siting, construction, expan-
sion, or operation of a refinery; and 
(B) includes any permits, special use au-
thorizations, certifications, opinions, or other 
approvals required under Federal law with re-
spect to siting, construction, expansion, or oper-
ation of a refinery; 
(3) the term ‘‘refinery’’ means— 
(A) a facility designed and operated to re-
ceive, load, unload, store, transport, process, 
and refine crude oil by any chemical or physical 
process, including distillation, fluid catalytic 
cracking, hydrocracking, coking, alkylation, 
etherification, polymerization, catalytic reform-
ing, isomerization, hydrotreating, blending, and 
any combination thereof, in order to produce 
gasoline or other fuel; or 
(B) a facility designed and operated to re-
ceive, load, unload, store, transport, process, 
and refine coal by any chemical or physical 
process, including liquefaction, in order to 
produce gasoline, diesel, or other liquid fuel as 
its primary output; 
(4) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of Energy; and 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
01:29 Jul 11, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6463.IH
H6463
erowe on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
(5) the term ‘‘State’’ means a State, the Dis-
trict of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto 
Rico, and any other territory or possession of the 
United States. 
(b) DESIGNATION AS LEAD AGENCY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Department of Energy 
shall act as the lead agency for the purposes of co-
ordinating all applicable Federal refinery authoriza-
tions and related environmental reviews with respect 
to a designated refinery. 
(2) OTHER
AGENCIES.—Each Federal and 
State agency or official required to provide a Fed-
eral refinery authorization shall cooperate with the 
Secretary and comply with the deadlines established 
by the Secretary. 
(c) SCHEDULE.— 
(1) SECRETARY’S AUTHORITY TO SET SCHED-
ULE.—The Secretary shall establish a schedule for 
all Federal refinery authorizations with respect to a 
designated refinery. In establishing the schedule, the 
Secretary shall— 
(A) ensure expeditious completion of all 
such proceedings; and 
(B) accommodate the applicable schedules 
established by Federal law for such proceedings. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
01:29 Jul 11, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6463.IH
H6463
erowe on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
(2) FAILURE TO MEET SCHEDULE.— If a Fed-
eral or State administrative agency or official does 
not complete a proceeding for an approval that is re-
quired for a Federal refinery authorization in ac-
cordance with the schedule established by the Sec-
retary under this subsection, not later than 30 days 
after such failure, the Secretary shall award the ap-
proval of the application. 
(d) CONSOLIDATED RECORD.—The Secretary shall, 
with the cooperation of Federal and State administrative 
agencies and officials, maintain a complete consolidated 
record of all decisions made or actions taken by the Sec-
retary or by a Federal administrative agency or officer (or 
State administrative agency or officer acting under dele-
gated Federal authority) with respect to any Federal re-
finery authorization. 
Æ 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
01:29 Jul 11, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H6463.IH
H6463
erowe on PROD1PC71 with BILLS