109TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 485
AN ACT
To provide that the royalty rate on the output from
Federal lands of potassium and potassium com-
pounds from the mineral sylvite in the 5-year pe-
riod beginning on the date of the enactment of
this Act shall be reduced to 1.0 percent, and for
other purposes.
109TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 485
AN ACT
To provide that the royalty rate on the output from Federal
lands of potassium and potassium compounds from the
mineral sylvite in the 5-year period beginning on the
date of the enactment of this Act shall be reduced to
1.0 percent, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
TITLE I—POTASH ROYALTY
REDUCTION
SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ‘‘Potash Royalty Reduc-
tion Act of 2005’’.
SEC. 102. POTASSIUM AND POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS FROM
SYLVITE.
(a) 
ROYALTY
RATE.—Notwithstanding 
section
102(a)(9) of the Federal Land Policy and Management
Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701(a)(9)), section 2 of the Act
of February 7, 1927 (30 U.S.C. 282) and the term of any
lease issued under such section 2, the royalty rate on the
quantity or gross value of the output from Federal lands
of potassium and potassium compounds from the mineral
sylvite at the point of shipment to market in the 5-year
period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act
shall be 1.0 percent.
(b) RECLAMATION FUND.—Fifty percentum of any
royalties paid pursuant to this title during the 5-year pe-
riod referred to in subsection (a), together with any inter-
est earned from the date of payment, shall be paid by the
Secretary of the Treasury to the payor of the royalties
to be used solely for land reclamation purposes in accord-
ance with a schedule to implement a reclamation plan for
the lands for which the royalties are paid. No payment
shall be made by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant
to this subsection until the Secretary of the Interior re-
ceives from the payor of the royalties, and approves, the
reclamation plan and schedule, and submits the approved
schedule to the Secretary of the Treasury. The share of
royalties held by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant
to this subsection, and interest earned thereon, shall be
available until paid pursuant to this subsection, without
further appropriation; shall not be considered as money
received under section 35 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30
U.S.C. 191) for the purpose of revenue allocation; and
shall not be reduced by any administrative or other costs
incurred by the United States.
(c) STUDY AND REPORT.—After the end of the 4-
year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this
Act, and before the end of the 5-year period beginning
on that date, the Secretary of the Interior shall report to
the Congress on the effects of the royalty reduction under
this title, including a recommendation on whether the re-
duced royalty rate for potassium from sylvite should apply
after the end of the 5-year period.
TITLE II—SODA ASH ROYALTY
REDUCTION
SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ‘‘Soda Ash Royalty Re-
duction Act of 2005’’.
SEC. 202. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) The combination of global competitive pres-
sures, flat domestic demand, and spiraling costs of
production threaten the future of the United States
soda ash industry.
(2) Despite booming world demand, growth in
United States exports of soda ash since 1997 has
been flat, with most of the world’s largest markets
for such growth, including Brazil, the People’s Re-
public of China, India, the countries of eastern Eu-
rope, and the Republic of South Africa, have been
closed by protectionist policies.
(3) The People’s Republic of China is the prime
competitor of the United States in soda ash produc-
tion, and recently supplanted the United States as
the largest producer of soda ash in the world.
(4) Over 700 jobs have been lost in the United
States soda ash industry since the Department of
the Interior increased the royalty rate on soda ash
produced on Federal land, in 1996.
(5) Reduction of the royalty rate on soda ash
produced on Federal land will provide needed relief
to the United States soda ash industry and allow it
to increase export growth and competitiveness in
emerging world markets, and create new jobs in the
United States.
SEC. 203. REDUCTION IN ROYALTY RATE ON SODA ASH.
Notwithstanding section 102(a)(9) of the Federal
Land Policy Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C.
1701(a)(9)), section 24 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30
U.S.C. 262), and the terms of any lease under that Act,
the royalty rate on the quantity or gross value of the out-
put of sodium compounds and related products at the
point of shipment to market from Federal land in the 5-
year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this
Act shall be 2 percent.
SEC. 204. STUDY.
After the end of the 4-year period beginning on the
date of the enactment of this Act, and before the end of
the 5-year period beginning on that date, the Secretary
of the Interior shall report to the Congress on the effects
of the royalty reduction under this title, including—
(1) the amount of sodium compounds and re-
lated products at the point of shipment to market
from Federal land during that 4-year period;
(2) the number of jobs that have been created
or maintained during the royalty reduction period;
(3) the total amount of royalty paid to the
United States on the quantity or gross value of the
output of sodium compounds and related products at
the point of shipment to market produced during
that 4-year period, and the portion of such royalty
paid to States; and
(4) a recommendation of whether the reduced
royalty rate should apply after the end of the 5-year
period beginning on the date of the enactment of
this Act.
Passed the House of Representatives May 16, 2005.
Attest:
Clerk.