I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1375 
To facilitate the development of wind energy resources on Federal lands. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 21, 2013 
Mr. MULLIN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agri-
culture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To facilitate the development of wind energy resources on 
Federal lands. 
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 at the ‘‘Reducing Regulatory 
Obstacles to Wind Energy Production Act’’. 
SEC. 2. ONSHORE METEOROLOGICAL SITE TESTING AND 
MONITORING PROJECT. 
(a) DEFINITION OF METEOROLOGICAL SITE TEST-
ING AND MONITORING PROJECT.—In this section, the 
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term ‘‘meteorological site testing and monitoring project’’ 
means a project carried out on land administered by the 
Bureau of Land Management or the Forest Service to test 
or monitor weather (including wind and solar energy) 
using towers or other devices, that— 
(1) causes— 
(A) less than 1 acre of soil or vegetation 
disruption at the location of each meteorological 
tower or other device; and 
(B) not more than 5 acres of soil or dis-
ruption within the proposed right-of-way for the 
project; 
(2) is installed— 
(A) to the maximum extent practicable, 
using existing access roads; 
(B) in a manner that does not require off- 
road motorized access other than 1 installation 
activity and 1 decommissioning activity along 
an identified off-road route approved by the Di-
rector of the Bureau of Land Management or 
Chief of the Forest Service; 
(C) without construction of new roads 
other than upgrading of existing minor drain-
age crossings for safety purposes; and 
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(D) without the use of digging or drilling 
equipment vehicles other than rubber-tired vehi-
cles with gross weight ratings under 8,500 
pounds; 
(3) is decommissioned not more than 5 years 
after the date of commencement of the project, in-
cluding— 
(A) removal of any towers, devices, or 
other surface infrastructure from the site; and 
(B) restoration of the site to approximately 
the condition that existed at the time the 
project began; and 
(4) provides meteorological information ob-
tained by the permitted project to the Bureau of 
Land Management and the Forest Service. 
(b) NEPA EXCLUSION.—Section 102(2)(C) of the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
4332(2)(C)) shall not apply with respect to a meteorolog-
ical site testing and monitoring project. 
(c) PERMIT TIMELINE AND CONDITIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Bureau 
of Land Management or Chief of the Forest Service, 
as applicable, shall decide whether to issue a permit 
for a project that is a meteorological site testing and 
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monitoring project within 30 days after receiving an 
application for the permit. 
(2) PUBLIC COMMENT AND CONSULTATION.— 
During the period referred to in paragraph (1), the 
Director of the Bureau of Land Management or the 
Chief of the Forest Service, as applicable, shall— 
(A) provide an opportunity for submission 
of comments by the public; and 
(B) consult with the heads of other Fed-
eral, State, and local agencies that would be af-
fected by the issuance of the permit. 
(3) DENIAL OF APPLICATION.—If the applica-
tion is denied, the Director or Chief, respectively, 
shall provide the applicant— 
(A) in writing, clear and comprehensive 
reasons why the application was not approved 
and detailed information concerning any defi-
ciencies, and 
(B) an opportunity to remedy any defi-
ciencies. 
(d) PROTECTION OF INFORMATION.—The informa-
tion provided to the Bureau of Land Management and the 
Forest Service pursuant to subsection (a)(4) shall be 
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treated by such agency as proprietary information and 
protected against disclosure. 
Æ 
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