I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3408 
To set clear rules for the development of United States oil shale resources, 
to promote shale technology research and development, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 14, 2011 
Mr. LAMBORN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To set clear rules for the development of United States 
oil shale resources, to promote shale technology research 
and development, 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 ‘‘Protecting Investment 
in Oil Shale the Next Generation of Environmental, En-
ergy, and Resource Security Act’’ or the ‘‘PIONEERS 
Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that oil shale resources located within 
the United States— 
(1) total almost 2 trillion barrels of oil in place; 
(2) are a strategically important domestic re-
source that should be developed on an accelerated 
basis to reduce our growing reliance on politically 
and economically unstable sources of foreign oil im-
ports; 
(3) are one of the best resources available for 
advancing American technology and creating Amer-
ican jobs; and 
(4) will be a critically important component of 
the Nation’s transportation fuel sector in particular, 
by providing a secure domestic source of aviation 
fuel for both commercial and military uses. 
SEC. 3. EFFECTIVENESS OF OIL SHALE REGULATIONS, 
AMENDMENTS TO RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 
PLANS, AND RECORD OF DECISION. 
(a) REGULATIONS.—Notwithstanding any other law 
or regulation to the contrary, the final regulations regard-
ing oil shale management published by the Bureau of 
Land Management on November 18, 2008 (73 Fed. Reg. 
69,414) are deemed to satisfy all legal and procedural re-
quirements under any law, including the Federal Land 
Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et 
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seq.), the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 
1531 et seq.), the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and the Energy Policy Act 
of 2005 (Public Law 109–58), and the Secretary of the 
Interior shall implement those regulations, including the 
oil shale leasing program authorized by the regulations, 
without any other administrative action necessary. 
(b) AMENDMENTS
TO
RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT 
PLANS
AND RECORD
OF DECISION.—Notwithstanding 
any other law or regulation to the contrary, the November 
17, 2008 U.S. Bureau of Land Management Approved Re-
source Management Plan Amendments/Record of Decision 
for Oil Shale and Tar Sands Resources to Address Land 
Use Allocations in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming and 
Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement are 
deemed to satisfy all legal and procedural requirements 
under any law, including the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), 
the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
4321 et seq.), and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Public 
Law 109–58), and the Secretary of the Interior shall im-
plement the oil shale leasing program authorized by the 
regulations referred to in subsection (a) in those areas cov-
ered by the resource management plans amended by such 
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amendments, and covered by such record of decision, with-
out any other administrative action necessary. 
SEC. 4. OIL SHALE LEASING. 
(a) ADDITIONAL RESEARCH
AND DEVELOPMENT 
LEASE SALES.—The Secretary of the Interior shall hold 
a lease sale within 180 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act offering an additional 10 parcels for lease for 
research, development, and demonstration of oil shale re-
sources, under the terms offered in the solicitation of bids 
for such leases published on January 15, 2009 (74 Fed. 
Reg. 10). 
(b) COMMERCIAL LEASE SALES.—No later than Jan-
uary 1, 2016, the Secretary of the Interior shall hold no 
less than 5 separate commercial lease sales in areas con-
sidered to have the most potential for oil shale develop-
ment, as determined by the Secretary, in areas nominated 
through public comment. Each lease sale shall be for an 
area of not less than 25,000 acres, and in multiple lease 
blocs. 
(c) REDUCED PAYMENTS TO ENSURE PRODUC-
TION.—The Secretary of the Interior may temporarily re-
duce royalties, fees, rentals, bonus, or other payments for 
leases of Federal lands for the development and produc-
tion of oil shale resources as necessary to incentivize and 
encourage development of such resources, if the Secretary 
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determines that the royalties, fees, rentals, bonus bids, 
and other payments otherwise authorized by law are hin-
dering production of such resources. 
Æ 
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