IB 
Union Calendar No. 144 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1964 
[Report No. 113–197] 
To amend the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 to direct 
the Secretary of the Interior to conduct an expeditious program of 
competitive leasing of oil and gas in the National Petroleum Reserve 
in Alaska, including at least one lease sale in the Reserve each year 
in the period 2013 through 2023, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 14, 2013 
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington (for himself and Mr. YOUNG of Alaska) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
Resources 
SEPTEMBER 10, 2013 
Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union 
and ordered to be printed 
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A BILL 
To amend the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act 
of 1976 to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct 
an expeditious program of competitive leasing of oil and 
gas in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, includ-
ing at least one lease sale in the Reserve each year 
in the period 2013 through 2023, and for other purposes. 
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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 bill shall be called the ‘‘National Petroleum Re-
serve Alaska Access Act’’. 
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS AND REAFFIRMING NATIONAL 
POLICY FOR THE NATIONAL PETROLEUM RE-
SERVE IN ALASKA. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska 
remains explicitly designated, both in name and legal 
status, for purposes of providing oil and natural gas 
resources to the United States; and 
(2) accordingly, the national policy is to actively 
advance oil and gas development within the Reserve 
by facilitating the expeditious exploration, produc-
tion, and transportation of oil and natural gas from 
and through the Reserve. 
SEC. 3. NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE IN ALASKA: 
LEASE SALES. 
Section 107(a) of the Naval Petroleum Reserves Pro-
duction Act of 1976 (42 U.S.C. 6506a(a)) is amended to 
read as follows: 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct an 
expeditious program of competitive leasing of oil and gas 
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in the reserve in accordance with this Act. Such program 
shall include at least one lease sale annually in those areas 
of the reserve most likely to produce commercial quantities 
of oil and natural gas each year in the period 2013 
through 2023.’’. 
SEC. 4. NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE IN ALASKA: PLAN-
NING AND PERMITTING PIPELINE AND ROAD 
CONSTRUCTION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation 
with other appropriate Federal agencies, shall facilitate 
and ensure permits, in a timely and environmentally re-
sponsible manner, for all surface development activities, 
including for the construction of pipelines and roads, nec-
essary to— 
(1) develop and bring into production any areas 
within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska 
that are subject to oil and gas leases; and 
(2) transport oil and gas from and through the 
National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska in the most 
direct manner possible to existing transportation or 
processing infrastructure on the North Slope of 
Alaska. 
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(b) TIMELINE.—The Secretary shall ensure that any 
Federal permitting agency shall issue permits in accord-
ance with the following timeline: 
(1) Permits for such construction for transpor-
tation of oil and natural gas produced under existing 
Federal oil and gas leases with respect to which the 
Secretary has issued a permit to drill shall be ap-
proved within 60 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act. 
(2) Permits for such construction for transpor-
tation of oil and natural gas produced under Federal 
oil and gas leases shall be approved within 6 months 
after the submission to the Secretary of a request 
for a permit to drill. 
(c) PLAN.—To ensure timely future development of 
the Reserve, within 270 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall submit 
to Congress a plan for approved rights-of-way for a plan 
for pipeline, road, and any other surface infrastructure 
that may be necessary infrastructure that will ensure that 
all leasable tracts in the Reserve are within 25 miles of 
an approved road and pipeline right-of-way that can serve 
future development of the Reserve. 
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SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF A NEW INTEGRATED ACTIVITY PLAN 
AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT. 
(a) ISSUANCE
OF
NEW
INTEGRATED
ACTIVITY 
PLAN.—The Secretary of the Interior shall, within 180 
days after the date of enactment of this Act, issue— 
(1) a new proposed integrated activity plan 
from among the non-adopted alternatives in the Na-
tional Petroleum Reserve Alaska Integrated Activity 
Plan Record of Decision issued by the Secretary of 
the Interior and dated February 21, 2013; and 
(2) an environmental impact statement under 
section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)) for 
issuance of oil and gas leases in the National Petro-
leum Reserve-Alaska to promote efficient and max-
imum development of oil and natural gas resources 
of such reserve. 
(b) NULLIFICATION OF EXISTING RECORD OF DECI-
SION, IAP, AND EIS.—Except as provided in subsection 
(a), the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska Integrated 
Activity Plan Record of Decision issued by the Secretary 
of the Interior and dated February 21, 2013, including 
the integrated activity plan and environmental impact 
statement referred to in that record of decision, shall have 
no force or effect. 
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SEC. 6. DEPARTMENTAL ACCOUNTABILITY FOR DEVELOP-
MENT. 
The Secretary of the Interior shall issue regulations 
not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act that establish clear requirements to ensure that 
the Department of the Interior is supporting development 
of oil and gas leases in the National Petroleum Reserve- 
Alaska. 
SEC. 7. DEADLINES UNDER NEW PROPOSED INTEGRATED 
ACTIVITY PLAN. 
At a minimum, the new proposed integrated activity 
plan issued under section 5(a)(1) shall— 
(1) require the Department of the Interior to 
respond within 5 business days to a person who sub-
mits an application for a permit for development of 
oil and natural gas leases in the National Petroleum 
Reserve-Alaska acknowledging receipt of such appli-
cation; and 
(2) establish a timeline for the processing of 
each such application, that— 
(A) specifies deadlines for decisions and 
actions on permit applications; and 
(B) provide that the period for issuing 
each permit after submission of such an appli-
cation shall not exceed 60 days without the con-
currence of the applicant. 
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SEC. 8. UPDATED RESOURCE ASSESSMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior shall 
complete a comprehensive assessment of all technically re-
coverable fossil fuel resources within the National Petro-
leum Reserve in Alaska, including all conventional and un-
conventional oil and natural gas. 
(b) COOPERATION
AND CONSULTATION.—The re-
source assessment required by subsection (a) shall be car-
ried out by the United States Geological Survey in co-
operation and consultation with the State of Alaska and 
the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. 
(c) TIMING.—The resource assessment required by 
subsection (a) shall be completed within 24 months of the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
(d) FUNDING.—The United States Geological Survey 
may, in carrying out the duties under this section, coop-
eratively use resources and funds provided by the State 
of Alaska. 
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