Given the task definition and input, reply with output. In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.

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.