I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2540 
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 
MAY 21, 2009 
Mr. LAMBORN (for himself, Mr. HASTINGS of Washington, Mr. BISHOP of 
Utah, Mr. CHAFFETZ, Mrs. LUMMIS, and Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Nat-
ural 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, Energy 
and Resource Security (PIONEERS) Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. OIL SHALE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that oil shale re-
sources 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. 
(b) 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). 
(c) APPLICATION OF REGULATIONS.—The oil shale 
management final rules published by the Department of 
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the Interior on November 18, 2008 (73 Fed. Reg. 223), 
shall apply to all commercial leasing for the management 
of federally owned oil shale, and any associated minerals, 
located on Federal lands. 
(d) 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 
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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