Topic: Energy — Natural Gas & Oil
Subject: Energy
Date: 2013-08-02 00:00:00

Energy Security and Employment Act - Amends the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 to repeal the moratorium on oil and gas leasing in certain areas of the Gulf of Mexico.

Retains the authority of the Secretary of Defense to designate national defense areas on the outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

Deems the Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2010-2015, issued by the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary), to be the final oil and gas leasing program for FY2013-FY2018 under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA).

Considers the Secretary to have issued a final environmental impact statement for such program in accordance with specified law.

Terminates the Five Year Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2012-2017.

Amends the OCSLA to direct the Secretary to share OCS receipts with states and local governments according to a specified allocation formula composed of bonus bids and royalties to adjacent states, including states that: (1) have a coastline point within 300 miles of the center of the leased tract; and (2) allow leasing within at least 25% of the portion of each state's Adjacent Zone that is within 75 miles of the coastline.

Prescribes payment of allocations to: (1) certain states and coastal county-equivalent political subdivisions, and (2) coastal municipal political subdivisions.

Permits payment of such funds to be used as matching funds for other federal programs.

Directs the Secretary to establish and implement a competitive oil and gas leasing program for the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas resources on the Coastal Plain within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 to repeal the prohibition against leasing or other development leading to production of oil and gas from ANWR.

States that the "Final Legislative Environmental Impact Statement" (April 1987) on the Coastal Plain prepared by the Secretary satisfies the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 regarding prelease activities under this Act, including actions authorized to be taken by the Secretary regarding regulations for the establishment of a leasing program before the first lease sale is conducted.

States the Secretary shall not be required to identify nonleasing alternative courses of action, nor to analyze the environmental effects of those courses of action.

Authorizes the Secretary to designate and exclude from leasing up to 45,000 acres of the Coastal Plain as a special area, and 4,000 acres in the Sadlerochit Spring area as another special area, requiring special management and regulatory protection.

Prohibits surface occupancy of a special area if the Secretary leases all or a portion of it for oil and gas exploration, development, or production.

Authorizes lease terms to permit horizontal drilling technology from sites on lease tracts located outside the special area.

Prohibits the Secretary from closing land within the Coastal Plain to oil and gas leasing, exploration, development, or production except in accordance with this Act.

Directs the Secretary to establish procedures for lease sales to any person qualified to obtain a lease for oil and gas deposits, at a minimum of 200,000 acres for the first lease sale.

Permits lease sales conducted through an Internet leasing program. Prescribes lease sales, terms and conditions, including a timetable for lease sales.

Provides for expedited judicial review.

Directs the Secretary to: (1) issue rights-of-way and easements across the Coastal Plain for oil and gas transportation, (2) convey to the Kaktovik Inupiat Corporation specified surface estate of land in accordance with a certain agreement, and (3) convey to the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation a certain subsurface estate.

Amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 to repeal the prohibition on the use of funds for either a commercial oil shale leasing program or for oil shale lease sales.

Directs the Secretary to open lands for leasing of oil shale resources.

Prescribes a standard for judicial review governing energy projects, including a limitation upon injunctive and prospective relief.

Establishes: (1) the Office of the Federal Oil and Gas Permit Coordinator, and (2) regional offices to coordinate review of federal permits for oil and gas projects on federal lands onshore and on the OCS.

Prohibits both the President and the head of a federal department or agency from promulgating regulations providing for the control of emissions of a greenhouse gas, enforce or implement any law or regulation that provides for the control of emissions of a greenhouse gas, take action relating to or take into consideration the climate effects of emissions of a greenhouse gas, consider climate effects in implementing or enforcing any law or condition or deny any approval based upon climate effects.

Precludes the Secretary of Transportation from exercising any authority regarding greenhouse gases.

Retains specified requirements governing Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards.

Nullifies certain rules and actions taken by EPA before the date of enactment of this Act to regulate greenhouse gases for effects relating to atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases and climate change.

Amends the Clean Air Act to prohibit EPA from granting any state request for a waiver of standards to control emissions of greenhouse gas air pollutants from new motor vehicles or new motor vehicle engines of model year 2017.

Deems stricken from a state implementation plan any designation of greenhouse gases as pollutants subject to regulation or as regulated pollutants, or otherwise authorizing or requiring limitations on the emission of greenhouse gases under state law.

Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to repeal the prohibition against federal procurement of alternative or synthetic fuel unless the contract specifies that the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production and combustion of the fuel supplied must be less than or equal to such emissions from the equivalent conventional fuel produced from conventional petroleum sources.

Amends the Clean Air Act to: (1) prohibit any state from prescribing or attempting to enforce any control or prohibition regarding any characteristic or component of either a fuel or fuel additive in a motor vehicle or motor vehicle engine, (2) require the use of conventional gasoline in a motor vehicle throughout the United States, and (3) repeal certain requirements for oxygenated gasoline.

Requires EPA, upon the request of a state governor or the governing body of an Indian tribe, to enter into a streamlined refinery permitting agreement.

Requires EPA to conduct a research and demonstration program to evaluate the air quality benefits of ultra-clean Fischer-Tropsch transportation fuel, including diesel and jet fuel.