Title: Conservation Funding Protection Act
Policy area: Energy

Summary:
Conservation Funding Protection Act
This bill requires the Department of the Interior to hold at least two region-wide oil and gas lease sales per year in the Gulf of Mexico. Each lease sale must include areas in the Central Gulf of Mexico Planning Area and the Western Gulf of Mexico Planning Area. In addition, the bill establishes deadlines for completing environmental reviews of the lease sales.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4947 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4947

To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to require annual lease 
sales in the Gulf of Mexico region of the outer Continental Shelf, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            December 2, 2020

 Mr. Kennedy (for himself, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Cruz, Mr. 
 Cornyn, and Mr. Wicker) introduced the following bill; which was read 
  twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to require annual lease 
sales in the Gulf of Mexico region of the outer Continental Shelf, 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 ``Conservation Funding Protection 
Act''.

SEC. 2. ANNUAL LEASE SALES IN GULF OF MEXICO REGION.

    Section 18 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 
1344) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(i) Annual Lease Sales in Gulf of Mexico Region.--
            ``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Central gulf of mexico planning area.--The 
                term `Central Gulf of Mexico Planning Area' has the 
                meaning given the term `Central Planning Area' in 
                section 102 of the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act 
                of 2006 (43 U.S.C. 1331 note; Public Law 109-432).
                    ``(B) Western gulf of mexico planning area.--The 
                term `Western Gulf of Mexico Planning Area' means the 
                Western Gulf of Mexico Planning Area of the outer 
                Continental Shelf, as designated in the document 
                entitled `Draft Proposed Program Outer Continental 
                Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2007-2012' and dated 
                February 2006.
            ``(2) Annual lease sales.--Notwithstanding any other 
        provision of law, beginning in fiscal year 2022, the Secretary 
        shall hold a minimum of 2 region-wide lease sales annually in 
        the Gulf of Mexico pursuant to this Act, each of which shall 
        include areas in--
                    ``(A) the Central Gulf of Mexico Planning Area; and
                    ``(B) the Western Gulf of Mexico Planning Area.
            ``(3) Requirements.--
                    ``(A) In general.--In carrying out the lease sales 
                under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall issue leases 
                to the highest responsible qualified bidder or bidders.
                    ``(B) Areas included in lease sales.--In carrying 
                out the lease sales under paragraph (2), the Secretary 
                shall include in each lease sale all unleased areas 
                that are not subject to restrictions as of the date of 
                the lease sale.
            ``(4) Environmental review.--
                    ``(A) In general.--With respect to each lease sale 
                required under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall 
                conduct any environmental reviews required by the 
                National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
                4321 et seq.).
                    ``(B) Deadline.--
                            ``(i) Individual review.--If the Secretary 
                        conducts environmental reviews with respect to 
                        a lease sale under subparagraph (A) for each 
                        individual lease included in the lease sale, 
                        the Secretary shall complete all environmental 
                        reviews for the lease sale, including by 
                        issuing a finding of no significant impact or a 
                        record of decision, if applicable, in less than 
                        365 calendar days.
                            ``(ii) Programmatic review.--If the 
                        Secretary conducts a programmatic environmental 
                        review with respect to a lease sale under 
                        subparagraph (A) for all leases under the lease 
                        sale, the Secretary shall complete the 
                        programmatic environmental review, including by 
                        issuing a finding of no significant impact or a 
                        record of decision, if applicable, in less than 
                        180 calendar days.
    ``(j) Permitting.--
            ``(1) In general.--Pursuant to sovereign contracting rights 
        and obligations, the Secretary shall review and grant or deny 
        in accordance with paragraph (2) any application for a permit 
        or other approval for offshore oil and natural gas exploration, 
        development, and production activities under a lease issued 
        pursuant to this Act by not later than the earlier of--
                    ``(A) 75 calendar days after the date on which the 
                application is received by the Bureau of Ocean Energy 
                Management or the Bureau of Safety and Environmental 
                Enforcement; or
                    ``(B) any other applicable deadline required by 
                law.
            ``(2) Approval or denial.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Absent clear grounds for denial 
                of an application for a permit or other approval 
                described in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall grant 
                the permit or approval.
                    ``(B) Requirement.--If the Secretary denies an 
                application for a permit or other approval under 
                subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall provide to the 
                applicant written notice explaining the grounds for the 
                denial.''.
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