269 
‘‘(i) TERM.—A stewardship contract or other agree-
ment entered into under this section— 
‘‘(1) shall be for a term of not more than 20 
years; and 
‘‘(2) may be renewed in accordance with this 
section for not more than an additional 10 years.’’. 
SEC. 987. TRIBAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLANS. 
Unless otherwise explicitly exempted by Federal law 
enacted after the date of the enactment of this Act, any 
activity conducted or resources harvested or produced pur-
suant to a tribal resource management plan or an inte-
grated resource management plan approved by the Sec-
retary of the Interior under the National Indian Forest 
Resources Management Act (25 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.) or 
the American Indian Agricultural Resource Management 
Act (25 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.), shall be considered a sus-
tainable management practice for purposes of any Federal 
standard, benefit, or requirement that requires a dem-
onstration of such sustainability. 
SEC. 988. LEASES OF RESTRICTED LANDS FOR THE NAVAJO 
NATION. 
Subsection (e)(1) of the first section of the Act of 
August 9, 1955 (25 U.S.C. 415(e)(1); commonly referred 
to as the ‘‘Long-Term Leasing Act’’), is amended— 
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(1) by striking ‘‘, except a lease for’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘, including leases for’’; 
(2) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘25’’ the 
first place it appears and all that follows and insert-
ing ‘‘99 years;’’; 
(3) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period 
and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(C) in the case of a lease for the exploration, 
development, or extraction of mineral resources, in-
cluding geothermal resources, 25 years, except that 
any such lease may include an option to renew for 
one additional term not to exceed 25 years.’’. 
SEC. 989. NONAPPLICABILITY OF CERTAIN RULES. 
No rule promulgated by the Department of the Inte-
rior regarding hydraulic fracturing used in the develop-
ment or production of oil or gas resources shall have any 
effect on any land held in trust or restricted status for 
the benefit of Indians except with the express consent of 
the beneficiary on whose behalf such land is held in trust 
or restricted status. 
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Subtitle F—State Authority for 
Hydraulic Fracturing Regulation 
SEC. 991. SHORT TITLE. 
This subtitle may be cited as the ‘‘Protecting States’ 
Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act’’. 
SEC. 992. STATE AUTHORITY FOR HYDRAULIC FRACTURING 
REGULATION. 
The Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.) is 
amended by redesignating section 44 as section 45, and 
by inserting after section 43 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 44. STATE AUTHORITY FOR HYDRAULIC FRACTURING 
REGULATION. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Department of the Interior 
shall not enforce any Federal regulation, guidance, or per-
mit requirement regarding hydraulic fracturing, or any 
component of that process, relating to oil, gas, or geo-
thermal production activities on or under any land in any 
State that has regulations, guidance, or permit require-
ments for that activity. 
‘‘(b) STATE AUTHORITY.—The Department of the 
Interior shall recognize and defer to State regulations, 
permitting, and guidance, for all activities related to hy-
draulic fracturing, or any component of that process, re-
lating to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities on 
Federal land. 
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‘‘(c) TRANSPARENCY OF STATE REGULATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall submit to 
the Bureau of Land Management a copy of its regu-
lations that apply to hydraulic fracturing operations 
on Federal land. 
‘‘(2) AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary of the In-
terior shall make available to the public State regu-
lations submitted under this subsection. 
‘‘(d) TRANSPARENCY OF STATE DISCLOSURE RE-
QUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall submit to 
the Bureau of Land Management a copy of any reg-
ulations of the State that require disclosure of 
chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations on 
Federal land. 
‘‘(2) AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary of the In-
terior shall make available to the public State regu-
lations submitted under this subsection. 
‘‘(e) HYDRAULIC FRACTURING DEFINED.—In this 
section the term ‘hydraulic fracturing’ means the process 
by which fracturing fluids (or a fracturing fluid system) 
are pumped into an underground geologic formation at a 
calculated, predetermined rate and pressure to generate 
fractures or cracks in the target formation and thereby 
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increase the permeability of the rock near the wellbore and 
improve production of natural gas or oil.’’. 
SEC. 993. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE STUDY. 
(a) STUDY.—The Comptroller General of the United 
States shall conduct a study examining the economic bene-
fits of domestic shale oil and gas production resulting from 
the process of hydraulic fracturing. This study will include 
identification of— 
(1) State and Federal revenue generated as a 
result of shale gas production; 
(2) jobs created both directly and indirectly as 
a result of shale oil and gas production; and 
(3) an estimate of potential energy prices with-
out domestic shale oil and gas production. 
(b) REPORT.—The Comptroller General shall submit 
a report on the findings of such study to the Committee 
on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives 
within 30 days after completion of the study. 
SEC. 994. TRIBAL AUTHORITY ON TRUST LAND. 
The Department of the Interior shall not enforce any 
Federal regulation, guidance, or permit requirement re-
garding the process of hydraulic fracturing (as that term 
is defined in section 44 of the Mineral Leasing Act, as 
amended by section 102 of this Act), or any component 
of that process, relating to oil, gas, or geothermal produc-
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tion activities on any land held in trust or restricted status 
for the benefit of Indians except with the express consent 
of the beneficiary on whose behalf such land is held in 
trust or restricted status. 
TITLE 
X—PROMOTING 
STEM 
EDUCATION IN THE WORK-
FORCE 
SEC. 1001. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) According to the National Science Board’s 
Science and Engineering Indicators, the science and 
engineering workforce has shown sustained growth 
for more than half a century, and workers with 
science and engineering degrees tend to earn more 
than comparable workers in other fields. 
(2) According to the Program for International 
Student Assessment 2012 results, America lags be-
hind many other nations in STEM education. Amer-
ican students rank 21st in science and 26th in 
mathematics. 
(3) Junior Achievement USA and ING found a 
decrease of 25 percent in the percentage of teenage 
students interested in STEM careers. 
(4) According to a 2007 report from the De-
partment of Labor, industries and firms dependent 
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on a strong science and mathematics workforce have 
launched a variety of programs that target K–12 
students and undergraduate and graduate students 
in STEM fields. 
(5) The Federal Government spends nearly $3 
billion annually on STEM education related program 
and activities, but encouraging STEM education ac-
tivities beyond the scope of the Federal Government, 
including privately sponsored competitions and pro-
grams in our schools, is crucial to the future tech-
nical and economic competitiveness of the United 
States. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) more effective coordination and adoption of 
performance measurement based on objective out-
comes for federally supported STEM programs is 
needed; 
(2) leveraging private and nonprofit invest-
ments in STEM education will be essential to 
strengthening the Federal STEM portfolio; 
(3) strengthening the Federal STEM portfolio 
may require program consolidations and termi-
nations, but such changes should be based on evi-
dence with stakeholder input; 
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(4) coordinating STEM programs and activities 
across the Federal Government in order to limit du-
plication and engage stakeholders in STEM pro-
grams and related activities for which objective out-
comes can be measured will bolster results of Fed-
eral STEM education programs, improve the return 
on taxpayers’ investments in STEM education pro-
grams, and in turn strengthen the United States 
economy; and 
(5) as the Committee on STEM Education im-
plements the 5-year Strategic Plan for Federal 
STEM education required under section 101(b)(5) 
of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 
2010 (42 U.S.C. 6621(b)(5)), STEM education 
stakeholders must be engaged and outcome-based 
evaluation metrics should be considered in the co-
ordination and consolidation efforts for the Federal 
STEM portfolio. 
SEC. 1002. STEM EDUCATION ADVISORY PANEL. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The President shall establish 
or designate a STEM Education Advisory Panel that in-
corporates key stakeholders from the education and indus-
try sectors. The co-chairs shall be members of the Presi-
dent’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. 
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(b) QUALIFICATIONS.—The Advisory Panel estab-
lished or designated by the President under subsection (a) 
shall consist primarily of members from academic institu-
tions, nonprofit organizations, and industry and shall in-
clude in-school, out-of-school, and informal educational 
practitioners. Members of the Advisory Panel shall be 
qualified to provide advice and information on STEM edu-
cation research, development, training, implementation, 
interventions, professional development, or workforce 
needs or concerns. In selecting or designating an Advisory 
Panel, the President may also seek and give consideration 
to recommendations from the Congress, industry, the sci-
entific community (including the National Academy of 
Sciences, scientific professional societies, and academia), 
State and local governments, and other appropriate orga-
nizations. The Advisory Panel shall consist of 15 mem-
bers, with 3 members appointed by the Speaker of the 
House of Representatives and 2 members appointed by the 
Majority Leader of the Senate. 
(c) DUTIES.—The Advisory Panel shall advise the 
President, the Committee on STEM Education, and the 
STEM Education Coordinating Office established under 
section 1004 on matters relating to STEM education, and 
shall each year provide general guidance to every Federal 
agency with STEM education programs or activities, in-
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cluding in the preparation of requests for appropriations 
for activities related to STEM education. The Advisory 
Panel shall also assess and develop recommendations 
for— 
(1) progress made in implementing the STEM 
education Strategic Plan required under section 101 
of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 
2010 (42 U.S.C. 6621), and any needs or opportuni-
ties to update the strategic plan; 
(2) the management, coordination, and imple-
mentation of STEM education programs and activi-
ties across the Federal Government; 
(3) the appropriateness of criteria used by Fed-
eral agencies to evaluate the effectiveness of Federal 
STEM education programs and activities; 
(4) ways to leverage private and nonprofit 
STEM investments and encourage public-private 
partnerships to strengthen STEM education and 
help build the STEM workforce pipeline; 
(5) ways to incorporate workforce needs into 
Federal STEM education programs, particularly for 
specific fields of national interest and areas experi-
encing high unemployment rates; 
(6) ways to better vertically and horizontally in-
tegrate Federal STEM programs and activities from 
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pre-K through graduate study and the workforce, 
and from in-school to out-of-school in order to im-
prove transitions for students moving through the 
STEM pipeline; 
(7) whether societal and workforce concerns are 
adequately addressed by current Federal STEM 
education programs and activities; 
(8) the extent to which Federal STEM edu-
cation programs and activities are contributing to 
recruitment and retention of women and underrep-
resented students in the STEM education and work-
force pipeline; and 
(9) ways to encourage geographic diversity in 
STEM education and the workforce pipeline. 
(d) REPORTS.—The Advisory Panel shall report, not 
less frequently than once every 3 fiscal years, to the Presi-
dent and Congress on its assessments under subsection 
(c) and its recommendations for ways to improve Federal 
STEM education programs. The first report under this 
subsection shall be submitted within 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this Act. 
(e) TRAVEL EXPENSES
OF NON-FEDERAL MEM-
BERS.—Non-Federal members of the Advisory Panel, 
while attending meetings of the Advisory Panel or while 
otherwise serving at the request of the head of the Advi-
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