Unleashing American Energy Act
Bill: H.R.7285 | Sponsor: Rep. Carl, Jerry L. (R-AL)
Policy area: Energy

Summary:
Unleashing American Energy Act
This bill requires a minimum amount of oil and gas lease sales a year on certain submerged lands of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and limits delays on federal oil and gas leases on such lands.
Specifically, this bill requires the Department of the Interior to annually conduct a minimum of two region-wide oil and gas lease sales in each of the following regions of the OCS: (1) the Gulf of Mexico region in the Central Gulf of Mexico Planning Area and the Western Gulf of Mexico Planning Area, and (2) the Alaska region.
In addition, the bill requires the President to obtain congressional approval before delaying federal oil and gas leases on the OCS.

To require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a minimum number of 
oil and gas lease sales in certain areas, to prevent delays in oil and 
                  gas leasing, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Unleashing American Energy Act''.

SEC. 2. OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS LEASING.

    (a) Gulf of Mexico Region Annual Lease Sales.--Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, beginning in fiscal year 2022, the Secretary of 
the Interior shall annually conduct a minimum of 2 region-wide oil and 
gas lease sales in the following planning areas of the Gulf of Mexico 
region, as described in the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and 
Gas Leasing Proposed Final Program (November 2016):
            (1) The Central Gulf of Mexico Planning Area.
            (2) The Western Gulf of Mexico Planning Area.
    (b) Alaska Region Annual Lease Sales.--Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, beginning in fiscal year 2022, the Secretary of the 
Interior shall annually conduct a minimum of 2 region-wide oil and gas 
lease sales in the Alaska region of the Outer Continental Shelf, as 
described in the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing 
Proposed Final Program (November 2016).
    (c) Requirements.--In conducting lease sales under subsections (a) 
and (b), the Secretary of the Interior shall--
            (1) issue such leases in accordance with the Outer 
        Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1332 et seq.); and
            (2) include in each such lease sale all unleased areas that 
        are not subject to restrictions as of the date of the lease 
        sale.
    (d) Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing Delays.--Section 18 of the Outer 
Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1344) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), in the first sentence of the matter 
        preceding paragraph (1), by striking ``subsections (c) and (d) 
        of this section'' and inserting ``this section'';
            (2) by redesignating subsections (f) through (h) as 
        subsections (g) through (i), respectively; and
            (3) by inserting after subsection (e) the following:
    ``(f) Unreasonable Delays.--
            ``(1) In general.--The President shall not, through 
        Executive order or any other administrative procedure, 
        unreasonably pause, cancel, delay, defer, or otherwise impede 
        or circumvent any Federal energy mineral leasing processes 
        under this Act, or a related rulemaking process required by 
        subchapter II of chapter 5, and chapter 7, of title 5, United 
        States Code (commonly known as the `Administrative Procedure 
        Act'), without congressional approval.
            ``(2) Rebuttable presumption.--There shall be a rebuttable 
        presumption that any attempt by the President to pause, cancel, 
        delay, defer, or otherwise impede or circumvent any Federal 
        energy mineral leasing process, or a related rulemaking 
        process, described in paragraph (1), without congressional 
        approval, is considered unreasonable for purposes of paragraph 
        (1).''.
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