Title: DRILL Act
Policy area: Energy

Summary:
Directing Responsibility to Interior for Leases and Licenses Act or the DRILL Act
This bill requires the Department of the Interior to issue permits under the Mineral Leasing Act for all pending applications to drill for oil and gas on public land if the applications are complete and meet the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and other applicable law.
In addition, the bill creates a variety of requirements for Interior to report on and publish data concerning leases and permits to develop oil, gas, and renewable energy.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9024 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9024

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to submit a report and maintain 
 publicly available data on expressions of interests, applications for 
   permits to drill, and offshore geological and geophysical survey 
                   licenses, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 28, 2022

 Mr. Tiffany (for himself and Mr. Westerman) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in 
     addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to submit a report and maintain 
 publicly available data on expressions of interests, applications for 
   permits to drill, and offshore geological and geophysical survey 
                   licenses, 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 ``Directing Responsibility to Interior 
for Leases and Licenses Act'' or the ``DRILL Act''.

SEC. 2. EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST; APPLICATIONS FOR PERMITS TO DRILL; 
              OFFSHORE GEOLOGICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY LICENSING.

    (a) Report.--Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of 
this section, the Secretary of the Interior shall submit to the 
Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report that 
describes--
            (1) the status of nominated parcels for future onshore oil 
        and gas lease sales, including--
                    (A) the number of expressions of interest that the 
                Bureau of Land Management has not taken any action to 
                review, or not completed review of, as of the date of 
                enactment of this section; and
                    (B) how long such expressions of interest have been 
                pending;
            (2) the status of each pending application for a permit to 
        drill, including the number of applications received, in each 
        Bureau of Land Management State office as of the date of 
        enactment of this section, including--
                    (A) a description of the cause of delay for pending 
                applications, including as a result of staffing 
                shortages, technical limitations, incomplete 
                applications, and incomplete review pursuant to the 
                National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
                4321 et seq.) or other applicable laws;
                    (B) the number of days an application has been 
                pending in violation of section 17(p)(2) of the Mineral 
                Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226(p)(2)); and
                    (C) steps the office is taking to come into 
                compliance with the requirements of section 17(p)(2) of 
                the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226(p)(2));
            (3) the number of permits to drill issued by each Bureau of 
        Land Management State office as of the date of enactment of 
        this section;
            (4) the status of each pending application for a license 
        for offshore geological and geophysical surveys, including the 
        number of applications received, in each Bureau of Ocean Energy 
        management regional office, including--
                    (A) a description of any cause of delay for pending 
                applications, including as a result of staffing 
                shortages, technical limitations, incomplete 
                applications, and incomplete review pursuant to the 
                National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
                4321 et seq.) or other applicable laws;
                    (B) the number of days an application has been 
                pending; and
                    (C) steps the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is 
                taking to complete review of each application;
            (5) the number of licenses for offshore geological and 
        geophysical surveys issued by each Bureau of Ocean Energy 
        Management regional office as of the date of enactment of this 
        section;
            (6) the status of each pending application for a permit to 
        drill, including the number of applications received, in each 
        Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement regional office, 
        including--
                    (A) a description of any cause of delay for pending 
                applications, including as a result of staffing 
                shortages, technical limitations, incomplete 
                applications, and incomplete review pursuant to the 
                National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
                4321 et seq.) or other applicable laws;
                    (B) the number of days an application has been 
                pending; and
                    (C) steps the Bureau of Safety and Environmental 
                Enforcement is taking to complete review of each 
                application;
            (7) the number of permits to drill issued by each Bureau of 
        Safety and Environmental Enforcement regional office as of the 
        date of enactment of this section;
            (8) how, as applicable, the Bureau of Land Management, the 
        Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the Bureau of Safety and 
        Environmental Enforcement determines whether to--
                    (A) issue a license for geological and geophysical 
                surveys;
                    (B) issue a permit to drill; and
                    (C) issue, extend, or suspend an oil and gas lease;
            (9) when determinations described in paragraph (8) are sent 
        to the national office of the Bureau of Land Management, the 
        Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or the Bureau of Safety and 
        Environmental Enforcement for final approval;
            (10) the degree to which Bureau of Land Management, Bureau 
        of Ocean Energy Management, and Bureau of Safety and 
        Environmental Enforcement field, State, and regional offices 
        exercise discretion on such final approval;
            (11) the number of auctioned leases receiving accepted bids 
        that have not been issued to winning bidders and the number 
        days such leases have not been issued; and
            (12) a description of the uses of application for permit to 
        drill fees paid by permit holders over the previous 5-year 
        period.
    (b) Pending Applications for Permits To Drill.--Not later than 30 
days after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary of the 
Interior shall issue all pending applications for a permit to drill 
that meet the requirements of section 17(p)(2) of the Mineral Leasing 
Act (30 U.S.C. 226(p)(2)).
    (c) Public Availability of Data.--
            (1) Mineral leasing act.--Section 17 of the Mineral Leasing 
        Act (30 U.S.C. 226) is amended by adding at the end the 
        following:
    ``(s) Public Availability of Data.--
            ``(1) Expressions of interest.--Not later than 30 days 
        after the date of enactment of this subsection, and each month 
        thereafter, the Secretary shall publish on the website of the 
        Department of the Interior the number of pending, approved, and 
        not approved expressions of interest in nominated parcels for 
        future onshore oil and gas lease sales in the preceding month.
            ``(2) Applications for permits to drill.--Not later than 30 
        days after the date of enactment of this subsection, and each 
        month thereafter, the Secretary shall publish on the website of 
        the Department of the Interior the number of pending and 
        approved applications for permits to drill in the preceding 
        month in each State office.
            ``(3) Past data.--Not later than 30 days after the date of 
        enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall publish on 
        the website of the Department of the Interior, with respect to 
        the 5-year period ending on the date of enactment of this 
        subsection--
                    ``(A) the number of approved and not approved 
                expressions of interest for onshore oil and gas lease 
                sales during such 5-year period; and
                    ``(B) the number of approved and not approved 
                applications for permits to drill during such 5-year 
                period.''.
            (2) Outer continental shelf lands act.--Section 8 of the 
        Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1337) is amended 
        by adding at the end the following:
    ``(q) Public Availability of Data.--
            ``(1) Offshore geological and geophysical survey 
        licenses.--Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment 
        of this subsection, and each month thereafter, the Secretary 
        shall publish on the website of the Department of the Interior 
        the number of pending and approved applications for licenses 
        for offshore to geological and geophysical surveys in the 
        preceding month.
            ``(2) Applications for permits to drill.--Not later than 30 
        days after the date of enactment of this subsection, and each 
        month thereafter, the Secretary shall publish on the website of 
        the Department of the Interior the number of pending and 
        approved applications for permits to drill on the outer 
        Continental Shelf in the preceding month in each regional 
        office.
            ``(3) Past data.--Not later than 30 days after the date of 
        enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall publish on 
        the website of the Department of the Interior, with respect to 
        the 5-year period ending on the date of enactment of this 
        subsection--
                    ``(A) the number of approved applications for 
                licenses for offshore geological and geophysical 
                surveys; and
                    ``(B) the number of approved applications for 
                permits to drill on the outer Continental Shelf.''.
    (d) Requirement To Submit Documents and Communications.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
        enactment of this section, the Secretary of the Interior shall 
        submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
        Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 
        Representatives all documents and communications relating to 
        the comprehensive review of Federal oil and gas permitting and 
        leasing practices required under section 208 of Executive Order 
        14008 (86 Fed. Reg. 7624; relating to tackling the climate 
        crisis at home and abroad).
            (2) Inclusions.--The submission under paragraph (1) shall 
        include all documents and communications submitted to the 
        Secretary of the Interior by members of the public in response 
        to any public meeting or forum relating to the comprehensive 
        review described in that paragraph.

SEC. 3. STAFF PLANNING REPORT.

    The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture 
shall each annually submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources of the Senate a report on the staffing capacity of each 
respective agency with respect to issuing oil, gas, coal, and renewable 
energy leases, rights-of-way, easements, and permits. Each such report 
shall include--
            (1) the number of staff assigned to oil, gas, coal, and 
        renewable energy leasing and permitting, respectively; and
            (2) a description of how many staff are needed to meet 
        statutory requirements for such leasing and permitting and how, 
        as applicable, the Department of the Interior or the Department 
        of Agriculture plans to address staffing shortfalls for such 
        leasing and permitting.
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