Oil and Gas Facilitation Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-916
Sponsor: Sen. Bingaman, Jeff [D-NM]
Introduced: 2011-05-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Alaska
Alternative and renewable resources
Atlantic Ocean
Congressional oversight
Department of the Interior
Earth sciences
Energy revenues and royalties
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Executive agency funding and structure
Government studies and investigations
Gulf of Mexico
Historic sites and heritage areas
Licensing and registrations
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Oil and gas
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Pipelines
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats

Summary:
action_date: 2011-05-09
text: 
Oil and Gas Facilitation Act of 2011 - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to authorize appropriations for the coordination and processing of oil and gas use authorizations and for oil and gas inspection and enforcement on onshore federal land under the jurisdiction of Federal Permit Streamlining Pilot Project offices. 
 
Amends the of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to authorize leases for geothermal energy production on land that is under an oil and gas lease that is subject to an approved application for permit to drill and from which oil and gas production is occurring.
 
Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to instruct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a comprehensive inventory of oil and natural gas (including facilitating seismic studies of resources) and prepare a summary regarding how certain resource estimates in OCS areas have changed for the waters of the United States Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in the Atlantic Region, the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, and the Alaska Region.
 
Directs the Secretary to establish a regional joint OCS lease and permit processing office for the Alaska OCS region.
 
Repeals: (1) incentives for natural gas production from deep wells in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and (2) royalty relief for deep water production.
 
Amends the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act to authorize a certificate holder to request the Secretary to extend the period to issue federal loan guarantee instruments following the date of any proceeding relating to the certificate.
 
Repeals the prerequisite that a federal guarantee instrument for a qualified infrastructure project may be issued only if the debt obligation guaranteed by the instrument has been issued by an eligible lender. Repeals the definition of "eligible lender" (Rule 144A(a) of the Securities and Exchange Commission [SEC]).
 
Increases the maximum aggregate principal amount of debt obligations.
 
Amends the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act to exclude the trans-Alaska oil pipeline system from consideration as a district, site, building, structure, or object for purposes of the National Historic Preservation Act.
 
Authorizes the Secretary to issue right-of-way permits for: (1) a high-pressure natural gas transmission pipeline in non-wilderness areas within the boundary of Denali National Park within, along, or near the segment of the George Parks Highway that runs through the Park; and (2) any distribution and transmission pipelines and appurtenances that the Secretary determines necessary to provide natural gas supply to the Park.
 

 

action_date: 2011-08-30
text: 
Oil and Gas Facilitation Act of 2011 -
 Title I: Oil And Gas Leasing 
(Sec. 101) Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to authorize appropriations for the coordination and processing of oil and gas use authorizations and for oil and gas inspection and enforcement on onshore federal land under the jurisdiction of Federal Permit Streamlining Pilot Project offices. and
 
(Sec. 102) Amends the of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to authorize leases for geothermal energy production on land that is under an oil and gas lease that is subject to an approved application for permit to drill and from which oil and gas production is occurring.
 

Title II: Outer Continental Shelf
 (Sec. 201) Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to instruct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a comprehensive inventory of oil and natural gas (including facilitating seismic studies of resources) and prepare a summary regarding how certain resource estimates in OCS areas have changed for the waters of the United States Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in the Atlantic Region, the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, and the Alaska Region.
 
(Sec. 202) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a regional joint OCS lease and permit processing office for the Alaska OCS region, (2) enter into a memorandum of understanding with designated federal agency executives to carry out activities with respect to such office, and (3) request that the Governor of Alaska be a signatory to such memorandum.
 
Authorizes appropriations for FY2012-FY2022.
 
(Sec. 203) Repeals: (1) incentives for natural gas production from deep wells in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and (2) royalty relief for deep water production.
 
States that the Secretary shall not be required to provide for royalty relief in the lease sale terms beginning with the first lease sale held on or after the date of enactment of this Act for which a final notice of sale has not been published.
 

Title III: Miscellaneous
 (Sec. 301) Amends the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act to exclude the trans-Alaska oil pipeline system from consideration as a district, site, building, structure, or object for purposes of the National Historic Preservation Act.
 
 Authorizes the Secretary to identify up to three sections of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline system that possess national or exceptional historic significance, and that should remain after the pipeline is no longer used for oil transportation purposes. Declares that such sections shall be considered historic sites.
 
States also that such authority, however, does not prohibit the owners of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline system from carrying out construction, maintenance, restoration, or rehabilitation activities on or for a section of the system.
 
(Sec. 302) Authorizes the Secretary to issue right-of-way permits for: (1) a high-pressure natural gas transmission pipeline in non-wilderness areas within the boundary of Denali National Park within, along, or near the segment of the George Parks Highway that runs through the Park; and (2) any distribution and transmission pipelines and appurtenances that the Secretary determines necessary to provide natural gas supply to the Park.
 
(Sec. 303) Requires the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration to update periodically: (1) the annual volume of refined petroleum products imported to and exported from Iran, (2) the identity and national origin of persons selling and transporting refined petroleum products to Iran, and (3) the sources of financing for imports to Iran of refined petroleum products.
 
Requires such reports also to describe the involvement of foreign persons in efforts to assist Iran in: (1) importing advanced technology to upgrade existing Iranian refineries, (2) converting existing chemical plants to petroleum refineries, or (3) constructing new refineries.
 
Requires such reporting requirements to remain in effect until all economic sanctions imposed by the United States with respect to Iran have been lifted. 
 

 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-08-30
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 144.
action_date: 2011-08-30
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Bingaman under authority of the order of the Senate of 08/02/2011 with amendments. With written report No. 112-64.
action_date: 2011-08-30
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Bingaman under authority of the order of the Senate of 08/02/2011 with amendments. With written report No. 112-64.
action_date: 2011-07-21
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with amendments favorably.
action_date: 2011-05-17
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 112-51.
action_date: 2011-05-10
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2823-2824)
action_date: 2011-05-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text of measure as introduced: CR S2783-2785)
action_date: 2011-05-09
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2783)
action_date: 2011-05-09
text: Introduced in Senate