I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3231 
To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to clarify the effect of a pending civil 
action on the processing of an application for a permit to drill, to 
require courts to remand lease sale Environmental Impact Statements 
to agencies to remedy when necessary, and to establish a term limit 
for permits to drill. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 7, 2025 
Ms. BOEBERT (for herself, Mr. HURD of Colorado, Mr. OGLES, Mr. ZINKE, 
Mr. DONALDS, Mr. NEHLS, Mr. STAUBER, Mr. BIGGS of Arizona, Mr. 
GOSAR, Mr. CRANK, Mr. MOORE of Alabama, Mr. HARRIGAN, Ms. 
FEDORCHAK, Mr. CLINE, and Mrs. FISCHBACH) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to clarify the effect 
of a pending civil action on the processing of an applica-
tion for a permit to drill, to require courts to remand 
lease sale Environmental Impact Statements to agencies 
to remedy when necessary, and to establish a term limit 
for permits to drill. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘American Energy 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PROCESSING APPLICATIONS FOR PERMITS TO 
DRILL. 
(a) EFFECT OF PENDING CIVIL ACTIONS.—Section 
17(p) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226(p)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) EFFECT OF PENDING CIVIL ACTION ON 
PROCESSING
APPLICATIONS
FOR
PERMITS
TO 
DRILL.—Pursuant to the requirements of paragraph 
(2), notwithstanding the existence of any pending 
civil actions affecting the application or related 
lease, the Secretary shall process an application for 
a permit to drill or other authorizations or approvals 
under a valid existing lease, unless a United States 
Federal court vacated such lease. Nothing in this 
paragraph shall be construed as providing authority 
to a Federal court to vacate a lease.’’. 
(b) TERM OF PERMIT TO DRILL.—Section 17 of the 
Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226) is further amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(r) TERM OF PERMIT TO DRILL.—A permit to drill 
issued under this section after the date of the enactment 
of this subsection shall be valid for one four-year term 
from the date that the permit is approved, or until the 
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lease regarding which the permit is issued expires, which-
ever occurs first.’’. 
SEC. 3. LEASE SALE LITIGATION. 
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any 
oil and gas lease sale held under section 17 of the Mineral 
Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226) or the Outer Continental 
Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.) shall not be 
vacated and activities on leases awarded in the sale shall 
not be otherwise limited, delayed, or enjoined unless the 
court concludes allowing the development of the challenged 
lease will pose a risk of an imminent and substantial envi-
ronmental harm and there is no other equitable remedy 
available as a matter of law. 
(b) No court, in response to an action brought pursu-
ant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), may enjoin or issue any order pre-
venting the award of leases to a bidder in a lease sale con-
ducted pursuant to section 17 of the Mineral Leasing Act 
(30 U.S.C. 226) or the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 
(43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.) if the Department of the Interior 
has previously opened bids for such leases or disclosed the 
high bidder for any tract that was included in such lease 
sale. 
Æ 
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