In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.

SECTION 1. CONVEYANCE OF PROPERTY TO CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) the Las Vegas Valley in the State of Nevada is the 
        fastest growing community in the United States;
            (2) helicopter tour operations are conflicting with the 
        needs of long-established residential communities in the 
        Valley; and
            (3) the designation of a public heliport in the Valley that 
        would reduce conflicts between helicopter tour operators and 
        residential communities is in the public interest.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to provide a suitable 
location for the establishment of a commercial service heliport 
facility to serve the Las Vegas Valley in the State of Nevada while 
minimizing and mitigating the impact of air tours on the Sloan Canyon 
National Conservation Area and North McCullough Mountains Wilderness.
    (c) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Conservation area.--The term ``Conservation Area'' 
        means the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area established 
        by section 604(a) of the Clark County Conservation of Public 
        Land and Natural Resources Act of 2002 (116 Stat. 2010).
            (2) County.--The term ``County'' means Clark County, 
        Nevada.
            (3) Helicopter tour.--
                    (A) In general.--The term ``helicopter tour'' means 
                a commercial helicopter tour operated for profit.
                    (B) Exclusion.--The term ``helicopter tour'' does 
                not include a helicopter tour that is carried out to 
                assist a Federal, State, or local agency.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (5) Wilderness.--The term ``Wilderness'' means the North 
        McCullough Mountains Wilderness established by section 
        202(a)(13) of the Clark County Conservation of Public Land and 
        Natural Resources Act of 2002 (116 Stat. 2000).
    (d) Conveyance.--As soon as practicable after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall convey to the County, subject to valid 
existing rights, for no consideration, all right, title, and interest 
of the United States in and to the parcel of land described in 
subsection (e).
    (e) Description of Land.--The parcel of land to be conveyed under 
subsection (d) is the parcel of approximately 229 acres of land 
depicted as tract A on the map entitled ``Clark County Public Heliport 
Facility'' and dated May 3, 2004.
    (f) Use of Land.--
            (1) In general.--The parcel of land conveyed under 
        subsection (d)--
                    (A) shall be used by the County for the operation 
                of a heliport facility under the conditions stated in 
                paragraphs (2) and (3); and
                    (B) shall not be disposed of by the County.
            (2) Imposition of fees.--
                    (A) In general.--Any operator of a helicopter tour 
                originating from or concluding at the parcel of land 
                described in subsection (e) shall pay to the Clark 
                County Department of Aviation a $3 conservation fee for 
                each passenger on the helicopter tour if any portion of 
                the helicopter tour occurs over the Conservation Area.
                    (B) Disposition of funds.--Any amounts collected 
                under subparagraph (A) shall be deposited in a special 
                account in the Treasury of the United States, which 
                shall be available to the Secretary, without further 
                appropriation, for the management of cultural, 
                wildlife, and wilderness resources on public land in 
                the State of Nevada.
            (3) Flight path.--Except for safety reasons, any helicopter 
        tour originating or concluding at the parcel of land described 
        in subsection (e) that flies over the Conservation Area shall 
        not fly--
                    (A) over any area in the Conservation Area except 
                the area that is between 3 and 5 miles north of the 
                latitude of the southernmost boundary of the 
                Conservation Area;
                    (B) lower than 1,000 feet over the eastern segments 
                of the boundary of the Conservation Area; or
                    (C) lower than 500 feet over the western segments 
                of the boundary of the Conservation Area.
            (4) Reversion.--If the County ceases to use any of the land 
        described in subsection (d) for the purpose described in 
        paragraph (1)(A) and under the conditions stated in paragraphs 
        (2) and (3)--
                    (A) title to the parcel shall revert to the United 
                States, at the option of the United States; and
                    (B) the County shall be responsible for any 
                reclamation necessary to revert the parcel to the 
                United States.
    (g) Administrative Costs.--The Secretary shall require, as a 
condition of the conveyance under subsection (d), that the County pay 
the administrative costs of the conveyance, including survey costs and 
any other costs associated with the transfer of title.
Requires the Secretary of the Interior to convey a specified parcel of Federal land to Clark County, Nevada, for operation of a commercial heliport facility. Prohibits the disposal of such conveyed land by the County.

Establishes a conservation fee for, and restricts the flight path of, helicopter tours originating from or concluding at the conveyed land which fly over the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area. Requires collected fees to be deposited into a special account in the Treasury for use by the Secretary for cultural, wildlife, and wilderness resources management on public lands in Nevada.

Provides that title to the conveyed land shall revert to the United States if the County ceases to use the land for the purpose described in this Act. Makes the County responsible for any reclamation necessary for reversion.

Directs the Secretary to require the County to pay the administrative costs of conveying the land.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``California Forest 
Ecosystems Health Act''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Definitions.
Sec. 4. Ecosystem management plans for National Forest System lands in 
                            California.
Sec. 5. Process for full implementation of ecosystem management plans.
Sec. 6. Research and monitoring program.
Sec. 7. Miscellaneous requirements.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Although people have had an active part in the 
        development and maintenance of forest structure and the 
        condition of the National Forest System lands in the State of 
        California for many years, recent forest management policies 
        have often resulted in a degeneration of the forest structure 
        and a loss of forest health and vigor.
            (2) The Forest Service, through the judicious use of 
        ecosystem management, has an opportunity to reverse these 
        forest management policies and restore the health and vigor of 
        National Forest System lands in California.
            (3) Ecosystems are dynamic and in a state of constant 
        change, and it is not possible to preserve a given ecosystem 
        condition in a static state over a period of time.
            (4) The many and varied resources and uses of National 
        Forest System lands provide both tangible and intangible 
        benefits to the people of the United States.
            (5) Although management of National Forest System lands in 
        California has traditionally placed first priority on the need 
        to produce maximum volumes of timber, the other multiple forest 
        resources and services are equally important to the people of 
        California and the United States.
            (6) Ecosystem management must balance the needs of outdoor 
        recreation, range, timber, watershed, fish, and wildlife, as 
        required by the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 (16 
        U.S.C. 528 et seq.), as well as protect soil and air quality 
        and provide for forest research.
            (7) National Forest System lands in California include some 
        of the most unique forest ecosystems in the world, including 
        giant sequoias, coastal redwoods, and bristlecone pines.
            (8) Destructive forest fires classified by the Forest 
        Service as ``intense'' have occurred in unprecedented numbers 
        and size on the National Forest System lands in California in 
        recent years, and these fires pose a threat to the very health 
        of the forests and present a danger to human life and property.
            (9) The Forest Service, through the judicious use of 
        ecosystem management, has an opportunity to reduce the 
        likelihood that fires classified as ``intense'' will occur with 
        such frequency and, at the same time, to improve forest vigor 
        and visitor safety.
            (10) Ecosystem management that considers the needs of all 
        species and their ability to interact with the presence of 
        humans can integrate both the conservation needs of the many 
        species of the ecosystems and the multiple use activities of 
        humans.
            (11) Identification of sound management options is both a 
        biological issue and a social issue, and the resulting 
        management policies must be socially acceptable, ecologically 
        sustainable, scientifically sound, legally responsible, and 
        economically viable.
            (12) The results of management practices in local 
        ecosystems can have a profound effect on the levels of demand 
        for commodity outputs from other ecosystems around the world.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act:
            (1) Adaptive management.--The term ``adaptive management'' 
        means the experimental and monitored application of 
        scientifically derived management decisions to gain knowledge 
        that is then used to improve subsequent management decisions.
            (2) Ecosystem.--The term ``ecosystem'' means a community of 
        organisms and its environment that functions as a unit.
            (3) Ecosystem management.--The term ``ecosystem 
        management'' means the integration of ecological, economic, and 
        social factors to meet the biological needs of all associated 
        organisms and human needs through diverse, healthy, and 
        productive ecosystems, addressing resource supply, 
        conservation, and demand as opposed to a strategy for managing 
        individual species.
            (4) Ecosystem management plans.--The terms ``ecosystem 
        management plans'' and ``plans'' mean the ecosystem management 
        plans for National Forest System lands in the State of 
        California required to be developed by section 4(a).
            (5) National forest system.--The term ``National Forest 
        System'' has the meaning given that term in section 11(a) of 
        the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 
        1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a)).
            (6) Seral stages.--The term ``seral stages'' means the 
        various age or life stages of a vegetative community as it 
        progresses from initial establishment toward a climax stage or 
        equilibrium.
            (7) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.
            (8) Stand.--The term ``stand'' means an area within a 
        forest where the trees have similar characteristics with 
        respect to species composition, size, condition, and age.
            (9) Vigor.--The term ``vigor'', with respect to forest 
        ecosystems, means the relative health of stands of trees and 
        related vegetation, including their actual growth rates as 
        compared with potential growth rates and their ability to 
        protect themselves naturally from forest pests, diseases, and 
        the effects of natural disaster.

SEC. 4. ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT PLANS FOR NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM LANDS IN 
              CALIFORNIA.

    (a) Plans Required.--Notwithstanding the planning provisions of 
section 6 of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act 
of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1604), the Secretary of Agriculture shall develop 
and implement ecosystem management plans pursuant to this Act to 
develop and demonstrate ecosystem management, including adaptive 
management techniques, for National Forest System lands described in 
subsection (b).
    (b) Federal Lands Covered by Plans.--The ecosystem management plans 
required by subsection (a) shall apply to all management units of the 
National Forest System located in the State of California. In the case 
of National Forest System lands in California that have been designated 
by law for special management before the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary shall incorporate into the ecosystem management 
plans applicable to those lands any statutory provisions that are in 
effect on such date and applicable to those lands.
    (c) Principles of Plans.--Ecosystem management plans shall embody 
the following principles:
            (1) Application of management techniques that will enhance 
        the health and vigor of the renewable natural resources on the 
        National Forest System lands covered by the plans and provide 
        for the continued protection of the soil, air, and water 
        resources of these lands.
            (2) Improvement of the forest ecosystems on these lands 
        toward desired forest conditions that--
                    (A) provide a mosaic of forest seral stages--
                            (i) representing a range of wildlife 
                        habitats necessary to meet the needs of the 
                        species indigenous to the ecosystem being 
                        managed; and
                            (ii) designed in such a way as to obviate 
                        the need for corridors or special management 
                        areas to meet the needs of given species or 
                        situations;
                    (B) minimize the danger of stand-destroying 
                uncontrolled wildfire;
                    (C) increase or maintain the health and vigor of 
                stands at a level that will permit the stands to resist 
                naturally, to the greatest degree practicable, insect 
                and disease attacks and the effects of other natural 
                disasters while incorporating the concern that some 
                level of dead-wood, both standing and down, is 
                desirable in healthy ecosystems;
                    (D) maintain the sustainable economic well-being 
                and stability of communities in areas dependent upon 
                national forest resources; and
                    (E) are developed, to the extent possible, with 
                consideration of the conditions that are known to have 
                existed on these lands or on similar lands before the 
                impacts of European settlement.
            (3) Concentration of management activities on the condition 
        of the renewable resources of an ecosystem rather than on 
        producing targeted outputs, with projected outputs based upon 
        attainment of specific stand conditions.
            (4) Emphasis on tangible management results rather than on 
        procedural standards and guidelines, but with development of 
        scientifically credible monitoring standards and guidelines to 
        assess both short- and long-term management results.
            (5) Except for any statutory provisions incorporated under 
        subsection (b) with respect to specific lands, prohibition on 
        requiring the allocation or categorization of tracts of land 
        for specific preselected ecosystem management emphases.
            (6) Consideration of the habitat needs of all species 
        across a broad landscape using management indicator species 
        whose presence will reflect a suitable amount and distribution 
        of particular habitat elements, rather than concentrating on 
        the needs of single species in a limited area.
            (7) Application across the entire unreserved land base in 
        such a manner as to harmonize the various multiple uses.
            (8) Incorporation of maximum flexibility in resource 
        decisionmaking through the use of adaptive management.
    (d) Management to Promote Desired Forest Conditions.--
            (1) In general.--Ecosystem management under the ecosystem 
        management plans shall be planned and practiced in a manner 
        that--
                    (A) considers the entire landscape in a management 
                unit of the National Forest System covered by a plan; 
                and
                    (B) benefits, to the extent practicable, all 
                renewable resources and the human resource in or 
                dependent upon the management unit.
            (2) Individual projects.--Individual management projects in 
        a management unit of the National Forest System covered by the 
        ecosystem management plans shall be designed to provide 
        multiresource benefits, promote the desired forest conditions 
        described in subsection (c)(2), and achieve maximum project 
        operating efficiency.
    (e) Selection of Acres for Ecosystem Management Activities.--
            (1) Minimum acres.--Ecosystem management plans shall 
        specify the minimum number of acres on which ecosystem 
        management activities will be applied annually in any 
        management unit of the National Forest System covered by the 
        plans. Such acreage shall be determined on the basis of the 
        total number of acres in the management unit, the work to be 
        performed across the unit as a whole during the plan period, 
        and the pro rata annual acreage on which ecosystem management 
        activities must be applied in order to establish and maintain 
        the desired forest condition during the specified plan period.
            (2) Effect of natural disasters.--In case of natural 
        disasters, such as wildfire, flood, windthrow, insect or 
        disease attack, a revision of the schedule of acres to be 
        treated may be granted by the Secretary in order to conduct 
        restoration and rehabilitation activities on the acres affected 
        by the natural disaster.
    (f) Participation in Development.--To ensure that the ecosystem 
management plans are economically, scientifically, and socially 
acceptable, the Secretary shall develop the plans through the use of 
public involvement programs that emphasize input from residents of 
local communities to be affected by the plans. The Secretary shall 
continue to consult with all interested persons in evaluating or 
modifying the plans.

SEC. 5. PROCESS FOR FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT PLANS.

    (a) Implementation.--Beginning not later than January 1, 1995, the 
Secretary shall begin to implement the ecosystem management plans. The 
Secretary shall develop and implement the plans progressively over a 
five-year period to ensure full application of all plans not later than 
January 1, 2000, to all National Forest System lands described in 
section 4(b). Upon implementation of an ecosystem management plan for 
any portion of the lands described in such section, the plan shall 
replace and supersede any land and resource management plan (or portion 
of such a plan) then in effect for such lands.
    (b) Yearly Expansion.--During each year of the period specified in 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall expand application of the ecosystem 
management plans to contiguous areas required to be covered by such 
plans, as described in section 4(b). To the extent the Secretary 
considers it to be necessary, the Secretary may modify the ecosystem 
management plans for each new addition in order to incorporate the 
lessons gained from experience. Adaptive management shall be used to 
evaluate management decisions and to develop new information to be used 
to keep the plans and subsequent management decisions up-to-date.
    (c) Modification of Ecosystem Management Plans.--The Secretary 
shall modify the ecosystem management plans to incorporate findings 
from research, adaptive management projects, or monitoring to the 
extent such findings indicate changes in the plans are necessary or 
appropriate to achieve the principles described in section 4(c). Before 
the end of the first two years of the period specified in subsection 
(a), the Secretary shall issue regulations that set forth the process 
to be used for any modification of the ecosystem management plans.
    (d) Consistency.--Resource plans and permits and other instruments 
for the use and occupancy of National Forest System lands covered by an 
ecosystem management plan that are executed subsequent to the 
implementation date of the plan with respect to such lands shall be 
consistent with the plan. If the ecosystem management plan is modified, 
resource plans and permits and other instruments that are executed 
subsequent to the date of the modification shall be consistent with the 
modified plan. Appropriate supplemental documents under the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) shall be 
prepared for those resource plans and permits, contracts, and other 
instruments in existence upon adoption of the ecosystem management plan 
or any modification of the plan. Any revisions in existing resource 
plans and permits, contracts, and other instruments shall be consistent 
with the supplemental document findings and subject to the agreement of 
all contractual parties. Any revision in present or future permits, 
contracts, and other instruments made pursuant to this subsection shall 
be subject to valid existing rights.

SEC. 6. RESEARCH AND MONITORING PROGRAM.

    The Secretary shall describe in detail in the ecosystem management 
plans and implement as part of the plans a targeted program of research 
and monitoring aimed at measuring the effects of the management regimes 
adopted under the plans. The Secretary shall ensure that monitoring is 
sufficient to measure the responses of the various resources to 
management practices and to provide a basis for adjustments of 
subsequent management decisions.

SEC. 7. MISCELLANEOUS REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Increased Use of Certified Professional Practitioners.--With 
respect to National Forest System lands covered by the ecosystem 
management plans, the Secretary shall endeavor to increase the amount 
of field work to be done by professional practitioners certified by the 
Forest Service.
    (b) Accountability Procedures.--The Secretary shall develop 
accountability procedures to annually measure and inform the Congress 
concerning the work (as described in section 4(e)) achieved through the 
use of funds appropriated each year for National Forest System lands 
covered by the ecosystem management plans. The selection of acres upon 
which such work will be performed shall be controlled through the 
planning process. The accountability procedures required by this 
subsection shall be established and in operation before the end of the 
first two years of the period specified in section 5(a) and shall be 
designed to ensure the accomplishment of the work in accordance with 
plan direction.
    (c) Budgetary Considerations.--The Secretary shall develop budgets 
for each management unit of the National Forest System covered by 
ecosystem management plans on the basis of estimated benefits to the 
various resources affected by the ecosystem management activities, and 
such budgets will be justified on such basis. The Secretary shall 
provide the managers of these units the flexibility to accomplish over-
all objectives within over-all budgets in lieu of requiring and 
preparing detailed line-item budgets for each unit of work, except that 
accountability procedures developed under subsection (b) shall include 
requirements for detailed explanations of expenditures and estimates of 
benefits for each resource.
California Forest Ecosystems Health Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to develop and implement ecosystem management plans for National Forest System lands in California.

short title

    Section 1. This Act may be referred to as the ``Federal Oil and Gas 
Lease Management Improvement Act of 1998''.

                         findings and purposes

    Sec. 2. (a) Congress finds that--
            (1) State governments have a long and successful history of 
        regulation of operations to explore for and produce oil and 
        gas. The special role of the States was recognized by Congress 
        in 1935 through its ratification under the Constitution of the 
        Interstate Compact to Conserve Oil and Gas.
            (2) Under the guidance of the Interstate Oil and Gas 
        Compact Commission, States have established effective 
        regulation of the oil and natural gas industry and subject 
        their programs to periodic peer review through the Commission.
            (3) It is significantly less expensive for State 
        governments than for the Federal Government, through its Bureau 
        of Land Management, to regulate oil and gas lease operations on 
        Federal lands.
            (4) Significant cost savings could be achieved, with no 
        reduction in environmental protection or in the conservation of 
        oil and gas resources, by having the Federal Government defer 
        to State regulation of oil and gas lease operations on Federal 
        lands.
            (5) State governments carry out regulatory oversight on 
        State, private, and Federal lands. Oil and gas companies 
        operating on federal lands are burdened with the additional 
        cost and time of duplicative oversight by both State and 
        Federal conservation authorities. Additional cost savings could 
        be achieved within the private sector by having the Bureau of 
        Land Management defer to State regulation.
            (6) The Federal Government is presently cast in dual 
        opposing roles as a mineral owner and regulator. State 
        regulation of oil and gas operations on Federal lands would 
        eliminate this conflict of interest.
            (7) It remains the responsibility of the Secretary of the 
        Interior to carry out the Federal policy set forth in the 
        Mining and Minerals Policy Act of 1970 (30 U.S.C. Sec. 21a) to 
        foster and encourage private sector enterprise in the 
        development of economically sound and stable domestic mineral 
        industries, and the orderly and economic development of 
        domestic mineral resources and reserves, including oil and gas 
        resources.
            (8) Resource management analyses and surveys conducted 
        under the conservation laws of the United States benefit the 
        public at large and are an expense properly borne by the 
        Federal Government.
    (b) The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to transfer from the Bureau of Land Management to each 
        State in which the Federal lands are present authority to 
        regulate oil and gas operations on leased tracts and related 
        operations as fully as if the operations were occurring on 
        privately owned land,
            (2) to share the costs saved through more efficient State 
        enforcement among State governments and the Federal treasury,
            (3) to prevent the imposition of unwarranted delays and 
        recoupments of Federal administrative costs on Federal oil and 
        gas lessees,
            (4) to effect no change in the administration of Indian 
        lands, and
            (5) to ensure that those funds deducted from the States' 
        net receipt share are directly tied to administrative costs 
        related to oil and gas on Federal lands.

                              definitions

    Sec. 3. For purposes of this Act--
            (1) The term ``Federal lands'' means all lands and 
        interests in lands owned by the United States which are subject 
        to the mineral leasing laws, including mineral resources or 
        mineral estates reserved to the United States in the conveyance 
        of a surface or nonmineral estate. The term excludes ``Indian 
        lands'' as that term is defined in 30 U.S.C. Sec. 1702(3) and 
        submerged lands on the ``Outer Continental Shelf'' as that term 
        is defined in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, 43 U.S.C. 
        Sec. Sec. 1331 et seq., other than submerged lands subject to 
        section 8(g) of that Act, 43 U.S.C. Sec. 1337(g).
            (2) The term ``oil and gas conservation authority'' means 
        the agency or agencies in each State responsible for regulating 
        for conservation purposes operations to explore for and produce 
        oil and natural gas.

                           application of act

    Sec. 4. For the purposes of this Act, Federal lands subject to 
section 8(g) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act are deemed to be 
within the state with which revenues from those lands are shared. 
However, nothing in this Act shall be construed to give a State a 
property right or interest in any Federal lease or land.

 TITLE I--DEFERRAL TO STATE REGULATION OF OIL AND GAS LEASE OPERATIONS 
                            ON FEDERAL LANDS

    Sec. 101. (a) No sooner than 6 months from the date of enactment of 
this Act, a State may notify the Secretary of the Interior of its 
intent to accept authority for regulation of operations, as described 
in paragraphs (1) through (11) of this subsection, under oil and gas 
leases on Federal lands within the State. Effective 6 months after the 
Secretary receives the state's notice, the authority is transferred 
from the Bureau of Land Management to the State. This authority 
includes--
            (1) processing and approving Applications for Permits to 
        Drill, subject to surface use agreements and other terms and 
        conditions determined by the Secretary;
            (2) production operations;
            (3) well testing;
            (4) well completion;
            (5) well spacing;
            (6) communization;
            (7) conversion of a producing well to a water well;
            (8) well abandonment procedures;
            (9) inspections;
            (10) enforcement activities; and
            (11) site security.
    (b) Effective on the date of transfer, the Bureau of Land 
Management shall no longer include the charges associated with 
performing those authorities transferred in subsection (a) in costs 
charged against the State under section 35(b) of the Mineral Leasing 
Act (30 U.S.C. Sec. 191(b)).
    (c) The Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service shall 
retain authority over the issuance of leases and the approval of 
surface use plans, and shall spend appropriated funds to assure that 
the agency is making timely decisions respecting oil and gas leasing, 
taking into consideration multiple uses of Federal lands, socioeconomic 
and environmental impacts, and the results of consultations with state 
and local government officials.
    Sec. 102. (a) Following the transfer of authority, no Federal 
agency shall exercise the authority formerly held by the Bureau of Land 
Management as to oil and gas lease operations and related operations on 
Federal lands.
    (b) Following the transfer of authority, each State shall enforce 
its own laws, regulations, and requirements pertaining to oil and gas 
lease operations and related operations with due regard to the national 
interest in the expedited, environmentally sound development of oil and 
gas resources in a manner consistent with oil and gas conservation 
principles.
    (c) The Bureau of Land Management may continue to enforce any 
pending actions respecting acts committed prior to the date authority 
is transferred to a State under section 101(a) until those proceedings 
are concluded.
    (d) All applications respecting oil and gas lease operations and 
related operations on federal lands pending before the Bureau of Land 
Management on the date authority is transferred shall be immediately 
transferred to the oil and gas conservation authority of the State in 
which the given lease is located. The oil and gas conservation 
authority shall act on the application in accordance with its own laws, 
regulations, and requirements.

          TITLE II--USE OF COST SAVINGS FROM STATE REGULATION

    Sec. 201. Subject to available appropriations, the Secretary of the 
Interior shall compensate any State for those costs incurred to carry 
out the authorities transferred under section 101(a). Payment shall be 
made not less than every quarter during the fiscal year. Each State 
seeking compensation shall report to the Secretary a cost breakdown for 
the authorities transferred. Compensation to a State may not exceed 50 
percent of the Bureau of Land Management's allocated cost, under 
section 35(b) of the Mineral Leasing Act, for that State for the fiscal 
year ending September 30, 1997. The Secretary will adjust the maximum 
level of cost compensation at least once every two years to reflect any 
increases in the Consumer Price Index (all items, United States city 
average) as prepared by the Department of Labor, using 1997 as the 
baseline year.
    Sec. 202. Section 35 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 
Sec. 191) is amended by adding at the end of subsection (b) the 
following:
            ``(6) The Secretary shall not include, for the purpose of 
        calculating the deduction under paragraph (1), costs of 
        preparing resource management planning documents and analyses 
        for areas in which oil and gas leasing is excluded or areas in 
        which the primary activity under review is not oil and gas 
        leasing and development.''.

               TITLE III--STREAMLINING AND COST REDUCTION

    Sec. 301. (a) Notwithstanding sections 304 and 504 of Public Law 
94-579 (43 U.S.C. Sec. Sec. 1734 and 1764) and section 9701 of title 
31, United States Code, the Department of the Interior may not recover 
its costs with respect to applications and other documents relating to 
oil and gas leases.
    (b) The Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service shall 
complete any resource management planning documents and analyses within 
90 days of the agency's receipt of any offer, application, or request 
for which planning document or analysis must be prepared. If the agency 
is unable to complete the document or analysis within that time, it 
shall notify the applicant or lessee of the opportunity to prepare the 
required document or analysis for the agency's review and use in 
decision making. The agency for which the document or analysis is 
prepared shall reimburse the applicant or lessee for costs directly 
associated with the preparation of the document or analysis.
    Sec. 302. (a) The Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service 
shall assure the timely issuance of Federal agency decisions respecting 
oil and gas leasing and operations on federal lands.
    (b) The Bureau of Land Management shall accept or reject an offer 
to lease within 90 days of the filing of the offer. If an offer is not 
acted upon within that time, the offer is deemed accepted.
    (c) The Bureau of Land Management and a State that has accepted 
transfer under section 101(a) shall approve or disapprove an 
Application for Permit to Drill within 30 days of receipt of a complete 
application. If the application is not acted upon within that time, the 
application is deemed approved.
    (d) The Bureau of Land Management or the Forest Service, as the 
case may be, shall approve or disapprove a surface use plan within 30 
days of receipt of a complete plan.
    (e) From the time that a Federal oil and gas lessee or operator 
files a notice of administrative appeal of a decision or order of an 
officer or employee of the Department of the Interior or the Forest 
Service respecting a Federal oil and gas Federal lease, the Department 
or Service shall have two years to issue a final decision in that 
appeal. If no final decision has been issued within that time, the 
appeal is deemed granted.
    Sec. 303. (a) The Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service 
shall assure that unwarranted denials and stays of lease issuance and 
unwarranted restrictions on lease operations are eliminated from the 
administration of oil and as leasing on Federal lands.
    (b) Lands designated as available for multiple use under Bureau of 
Land Management resource management plans and Forest Service leasing 
analyses shall be available for oil and gas leasing without lease 
stipulations more stringent than restrictions on surface use and 
operations imposed under the laws and regulations of the relevant State 
oil and gas conservation authority unless the Bureau or Service 
includes in its decision approving the management plan or leasing 
analysis a written explanation of why more stringent stipulations are 
warranted. Any decision to require a more stringent stipulation shall 
be administratively appealable and, following a final agency decision, 
judicially reviewable under the Administrative Procedure Act.
    (c) If the Bureau of Land Management or the Forest Service rejects 
an offer to lease on the ground that the land is unavailable for 
leasing, the respective agency shall provide a written, detailed 
explanation of the reasons the land is unavailable for leasing. Where 
the determination of unavailability is based on a previous resource 
management decision, the explanation shall include a careful assessment 
of whether the reasons underlying the previous decision are still 
persuasive. The agency may not reject an offer to lease lands available 
for leasing on the ground that the offer includes lands unavailable for 
leasing, and it must segregate lands available from those unavailable, 
upon the offeror's request following notice by the agency, before 
acting on the offer to lease.
    (d) The Bureau of Land Management or the Forest Service shall 
provide a written, detailed explanation of the reasons for disapproving 
or requiring modifications of any surface use plan or Application for 
Permit to Drill.
    (e) A decision of the Bureau of Land Management or the Forest 
Service respecting an oil and gas lease shall be effective pending 
administrative appeal to the appropriate office within the Department 
of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture unless that office 
grants a stay in response to a petition satisfying the criteria for a 
stay established by 43 CFR Sec. 4.21(b)(1) (1997).
    Sec. 304. By March 31, 1999, the Secretary of the Interior and the 
Secretary of Agriculture will jointly submit a report to the President 
of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives 
explaining the most efficient means of eliminating overlapping 
jurisdiction, duplication of effort, and inconsistent policymaking and 
policy implementation as between the Bureau of Land Management and the 
Forest Service. The report will include recommendations on changes in 
statute needed to implement the report's conclusions.
    Sec. 305. (a) By March 31, 1999, the Secretary of the Interior will 
publish, through notice in the Federal Register, a national inventory 
of the oil and gas reserves and potential resources underlying Federal 
lands (other than lands governed by section 8(g) of the Outer 
Continental Shelf Lands Act). The inventory will indicate what 
percentage of those reserves and resources is currently available for 
leasing and development. The inventory will further detail what 
percentage of the reserves and resources are on--
            (1) lands now open for leasing but which have never been 
        leased;
            (2) lands open for leasing or development subject to no 
        surface occupancy stipulations; and
            (3) lands open for leasing or development subject to other 
        lease stipulations which have significantly impeded or 
        prevented, or are likely to significantly impede or prevent, 
        development.
    (b) By September 30, 1999, public comments on the inventory will be 
filed. The Secretary of the Interior shall specifically invite comments 
on the effect of Bureau of Land Management resource management 
decisions on past and future oil and gas development.
    (c) By March 31, 2000, the Secretary of the Interior will file a 
report with the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives to be comprised of his revised inventory and other 
responses to the public comments. The report will specifically indicate 
what steps the Bureau of Land Management will take to increase the 
percentage of lands open for development of oil and gas resources.

TABLE OF CONTENTS: 
     Title I:  Deferral to State Regulation of Oil and Gas Lease 
          Operations on Federal Lands 
     Title II:  Use of Cost Savings from State Regulation 
     Title III:  Streamlining and Cost Reduction 
Federal Oil and Gas Lease Management Improvement Act of 1998 - 
Title I:  Deferral to State Regulation of Oil and Gas Lease Operations on Federal Lands
 - Authorizes a State to notify the Secretary of the Interior of its intent to accept authority for oil and gas lease operations on Federal lands within such State.  Transfers such authority by operation of law from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to a State six months after the Secretary receives the State's notice. 
Title II:  Use of Cost Savings from State Regulation
 - Instructs the Secretary to compensate any State for costs incurred to implement the transferred authorities. 
Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to direct the Secretary to exclude from the 50 percent deduction from oil, gas, and geothermal revenues, with respect to calculation of specified Federal payments to States, the costs of preparing resource management planning documents and analyses for areas in which oil and gas leasing is excluded, or areas in which the primary activity under review is not oil and gas leasing and development. 
    Title III:  Streamlining and Cost Reduction
 - Prohibits the Department of the Interior from recovering its costs with respect to applications and other documents relating to oil and gas leases. 
Prescribes guidelines for the decision-making process of the BLM and the Forest Service affecting oil and gas leases and operations. 
Directs the BLM and the Forest Service to assure that unwarranted denials and stays of lease issuance and unwarranted restrictions on lease operations are eliminated from the administration of oil and gas leasing on Federal lands. 
Sets forth a timetable for the Secretary of the Interior to:  (1) report jointly with the Secretary of Agriculture to the Congress on the most efficient means of eliminating overlap and duplication between the BLM and the Forest Service; (2) publish notice in the Federal Register of a national inventory of oil and gas reserves and potential resources underlying Federal lands; and (3) report to the Congress a revised inventory of such reserves and resources as a result of public comment, and specifically indicate BLM steps to increase the percentage of lands open for oil and gas development.