I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2222
To establish fair market value pricing of Federal natural assets, and for
other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 15, 1999
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California (for himself, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. PELOSI,
Mr. HINCHEY, Mrs. TAUSCHER, Mr. MEEHAN, Mr. TIERNEY, Mr. KEN-
NEDY of Rhode Island, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. STARK,
Ms. RIVERS, Mr. MOORE, Mr. BONIOR, Mr. LUTHER, Mr. GUTIERREZ,
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. VENTO, Ms. SLAUGHTER, and Ms. ESHOO) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Re-
sources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and the Budg-
et, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each
case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of
the committee concerned
A BILL
To establish fair market value pricing of Federal natural
assets, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the
‘‘Public Resources Debt Reduction Act of 1999’’.
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
TITLE I—GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sec. 101. Fair market value for resource disposal.
Sec. 102. Fees from program beneficiaries.
Sec. 103. Revenues from sale, lease, and transfer of assets.
TITLE II—HARDROCK MINING ROYALTIES
Sec. 201. Royalty.
Sec. 202. Abandoned Minerals Mine Reclamation Fund.
Sec. 203. Limitation on patent issuance.
Sec. 204. Mining claim maintenance requirements.
Sec. 205. Definitions.
TITLE III—USE OR DISPOSAL OF FEDERAL NATURAL
RESOURCES
Sec. 301. Annual domestic livestock grazing fee.
Sec. 302. Elimination of below-cost sales of timber from national forest system
lands.
Sec. 303. Timberland suitability.
Sec. 304. Cost of water used to produce crops on production flexibility contract
acreage.
Sec. 305. Reduction in maximum amount of payments under agricultural as-
sistance programs to reflect receipt of Federal irrigation water.
Sec. 306. Off budget expenditures.
Sec. 307. Deposit of Taylor Grazing Act receipts in Treasury.
Sec. 308. Repeal of livestock feed assistance program.
Sec. 309. Right-of-way permits.
Sec. 310. Oil and gas rentals.
Sec. 311. Improvement of minerals management service royalty collection.
TITLE I—GENERAL PROVISIONS
SEC. 101. FAIR MARKET VALUE FOR RESOURCE DISPOSAL.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, no timber, minerals, forage, or other natural
resource owned by the United States, no Federally owned
water, and no hydroelectric energy generated at a Federal
facility may be sold, leased, or otherwise disposed of by
any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United
States for an amount less than fair market value, as deter-
mined by such department, agency, or instrumentality.
(b) EXISTING CONTRACTS, LEASES, ETC.—
(1) EXISTING ARRANGEMENTS.—The provisions
of subsection (a) shall not apply to any existing con-
tract, lease, or other binding arrangement entered
into before the date of the enactment of this Act un-
less such contract, lease or other arrangement is re-
newed or extended after such date of enactment.
(2) ARRANGEMENTS ENTERED INTO IN 5-YEAR
PERIOD.—The provisions of subsection (a) shall take
effect on the date 5 years after the date of enact-
ment of this Act in the case of any contract, lease,
or other binding arrangement entered into or re-
newed or extended after such date but before the
date 5 years after such date.
(3) ARRANGEMENTS ENTERED INTO AFTER 5
YEARS.—The provisions of subsection (a) shall apply
immediately to all contracts, leases, or other binding
arrangements entered into or renewed or extended
after the date 5 years after the enactment of this
Act.
(c) WAIVER.—The President may waive the require-
ments of subsection (a) whenever the President deter-
mines that such waiver is in the national interest. The
President shall submit a notice to Congress containing an
explanation of the reasons for any such determination
within 60 days after the date of the determination.
SEC. 102. FEES FROM PROGRAM BENEFICIARIES.
(a) GENERAL AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of the In-
terior and the Secretary of Agriculture are each author-
ized to establish and collect from persons subject to pro-
grams administered by each such Secretary such user fees
as may be necessary to reimburse the United States for
the expenses incurred in administering such programs.
The aggregate amount of fees that may be assessed and
collected under this section by each such Secretary in any
fiscal year from persons subject to any such program shall
not exceed the aggregate amount of expenses incurred in
administering such program in such fiscal year.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE; OIL AND GAS LEASE TRANS-
FERS.—The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary
of Agriculture may, by rule, establish the applicable effec-
tive date of any fee to be imposed under this section, ex-
cept that fees shall be established and collected under this
section from each person receiving a transfer of a Federal
onshore oil and gas lease after the date of the enactment
of this section.
SEC. 103. REVENUES FROM SALE, LEASE, AND TRANSFER
OF ASSETS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1105(a) of chapter 11 of
title 31, United States Code, is amended by adding at the
end the following new paragraph:
‘‘(31) a separate statement of—