I 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4382 
To ensure Federal oil and natural gas lease sales occur, eliminate redundant 
leasing bureaucracy, and provide leasing certainty. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 18, 2012 
Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To ensure Federal oil and natural gas lease sales occur, 
eliminate redundant leasing bureaucracy, and provide 
leasing certainty. 
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 as the ‘‘Providing Leasing Cer-
tainty for American Energy Act of 2012’’. 
SEC. 2. MINIMUM ACREAGE REQUIREMENT FOR ONSHORE 
LEASE SALES. 
In conducting lease sales as required by section 226A 
of the Mineral Leasing Act, each year the Secretary of 
the Interior shall perform the following: 
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(1) The Secretary shall offer for sale no less 
than 25 percent of the annual nominated acreage 
not previously made available for lease. Acreage of-
fered for lease pursuant to this paragraph shall not 
be subject to protest and shall be eligible for cat-
egorical exclusions under section 390 of the Energy 
Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15492), except that 
it shall not be subject to the test of extraordinary 
circumstances. 
(2) In administering this section, the Secretary 
shall only consider leasing of Federal lands that are 
available for leasing at the time the lease sale oc-
curs. 
SEC. 3. LEASING CERTAINTY. 
Section 17(a) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 
226(a)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ before ‘‘All lands’’, 
and by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2)(A) The Secretary shall not withdraw any cov-
ered energy project issued under this Act without finding 
a violation of the terms of the lease by the lessee. 
‘‘(B) The Secretary shall not infringe upon lease 
rights under leases issued under this Act by indefinitely 
delaying issuance of project approvals, drilling and seismic 
permits, and rights of way for activities under such a 
lease. 
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‘‘(C) No later than 18 months after an area is des-
ignated as open under the current land use plan the Sec-
retary shall make available nominated areas for lease 
under the criteria in section 2. 
‘‘(D) Notwithstanding any other law, the Secretary 
shall issue all leases sold 60 days after the last payment 
is made. 
‘‘(E) The Secretary shall not cancel or withdraw any 
lease parcel after a competitive lease sale has occurred and 
a winning bidder has submitted the last payment for the 
parcel. 
‘‘(F) Not later than 60 days after a lease sale held 
under this Act, the Secretary shall adjudicate any lease 
protests filed following a lease sale. If after 60 days any 
protest is left unsettled, said protest is automatically de-
nied and appeal rights of the protestor begin. 
‘‘(G) No additional lease stipulations may be added 
after the parcel is sold without consultation and agree-
ment of the lessee, unless the Secretary deems such stipu-
lations as emergency actions to conserve the resources of 
the United States.’’. 
SEC. 4. LEASING CONSISTENCY. 
Federal land managers must follow existing resource 
management plans and continue to actively lease in areas 
designated as open when resource management plans are 
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being amended or revised, until such time as a new record 
of decision is signed. 
SEC. 5. REDUCE REDUNDANT POLICIES. 
Bureau of Land Management Instruction Memo-
randum 2010–117 shall have no force or effect. 
Æ 
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