I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2631 
To reduce the price of gasoline by allowing for offshore drilling, eliminating 
Federal obstacles to constructing refineries and providing incentives for 
investment in refineries, suspending Federal fuel taxes when gasoline 
prices reach a benchmark amount, and promoting free trade. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 21, 2009 
Mr. PAUL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Re-
sources and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To reduce the price of gasoline by allowing for offshore 
drilling, eliminating Federal obstacles to constructing re-
fineries and providing incentives for investment in refin-
eries, suspending Federal fuel taxes when gasoline prices 
reach a benchmark amount, and promoting free trade. 
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 
‘‘Affordable Gas Price Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.— 
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Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings. 
Sec. 3. Termination of restrictions on oil and natural gas development on Fed-
eral lands. 
Sec. 4. Limitation of suits under National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. 
Sec. 5. Incentives for investment in oil refineries. 
Sec. 6. Suspension of fuel taxes on highway motor fuels when weekly United 
States retail gasoline prices exceed benchmark. 
Sec. 7. Increase in mileage reimbursement rates. 
Sec. 8. Termination of application of title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 to the 
Russian Federation and Kazakhstan. 
Sec. 9. Study on effects of oil prices on monetary policy. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) High fuel costs retard economic growth and 
diminish the quality of life for all Americans. 
(2) The trucking industry is particularly hard 
hit by high fuel prices. 
(3) Attempts to address the issue of high gaso-
line costs by increasing government involvement in 
the market through measures such as price controls 
will only lead to shortages, rationing, and a return 
of gasoline lines. 
(4) The Federal regulations restricting drilling 
impose prohibitive costs on the development of new 
sources of energy, artificially inflating the price of 
gas. 
(5) Federal gas taxes increase the price of oil 
thus burdening American families, business, and 
truckers. 
(6) Allowing private parties to delay, or even 
halt, the construction of new refineries through liti-
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gation over the National Environmental Protection 
Act’s Environmental Impact Statement requirement 
reduces the supply of gas thus raising gas prices. 
(7) The so-called Jackson-Vanik (‘‘freedom-of- 
emigration’’) amendment (section 402 of the Trade 
Act of 1974) was a United States reaction to the 
Soviet Union’s highly restrictive emigration policy of 
the time. 
(8) By 2005, some 15 years after the end of 
communist rule over the Soviet Union, successor 
states Russia and Kazakhstan allow their citizens 
the right and opportunity to emigrate, free of any 
heavy tax on the visas or other documents required 
for emigration and free of any other tax, levy, fine, 
fee, or other charge on any citizens as a consequence 
of the desire of such citizens to emigrate to the 
country of their choice. 
(9) Elimination of the Jackson-Vanik amend-
ment’s threat of trade-restricting provisions would 
increase the United States access to oil supplies 
from non-Arab countries, thus lowering gas prices. 
(10) The adoption of a monetary system of fiat 
currency unbacked by any ties to gold may have con-
tributed to the raise in gas prices. 
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SEC. 3. TERMINATION OF RESTRICTIONS ON OIL AND NAT-
URAL 
GAS 
DEVELOPMENT 
ON 
FEDERAL 
LANDS. 
(a) OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF.— 
(1) TERMINATION OF LAWS PROHIBITING EX-
PENDITURES
FOR
NATURAL
GAS
LEASING
AND 
PRELEASING ACTIVITIES.—All provisions of existing 
Federal law prohibiting the spending of appropriated 
funds to conduct oil or natural gas leasing and 
preleasing activities for any area of the Outer Conti-
nental Shelf shall have no force or effect. 
(2) REVOCATION OF EXISTING PRESIDENTIAL 
WITHDRAWALS.—All existing withdrawals by the 
President under the authority of section 12 of the 
Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 
1341) are hereby revoked and are no longer in effect 
with respect to the leasing of areas for exploration 
for, and development and production of, oil or nat-
ural gas. 
(b) COASTAL PLAIN OF ALASKA.—Sections 1002(i) 
and 1003 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Con-
servation Act (16 U.S.C. 3142(i) and 3143) are repealed. 
SEC. 4. LIMITATION OF SUITS UNDER NATIONAL ENVIRON-
MENTAL POLICY ACT OF 1969. 
Section 102 of the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332) is amended by inserting 
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