zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
North American Energy Access Act - (Sec. 2) Prohibits construction, operation, or maintenance of the oil pipeline and related facilities described in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Keystone XL Pipeline Project issued by the Department of State on August 26, 2011, unless it is in compliance with the terms of a permit prescribed under this Act (including any modified version of that pipeline and related facilities). (Sec. 3) Instructs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), to issue a permit without additional conditions within 30 days after receipt of an application for the pipeline and related facilities, to be implemented in accordance with such Final EIS. States that FERC shall not be required to prepare a specified Record of Decision under of the Code of Federal Regulations with respect to issuance of such permit. Deems a permit to have been issued if FERC has not acted upon a permit application within 30 days after its receipt. Requires a permit applicant to first obtain FERC approval before making any substantial modifications to either the pipeline route or any other term of the Final EIS. Directs FERC to expedite consideration of any such proposal to modify. Directs FERC, within 30 days after enactment of this Act, to: (1) enter into a memorandum of understanding with the state of Nebraska for review under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 of any modification to the proposed pipeline route in Nebraska, and (2) complete consideration and to approve such modification within 30 days after receiving the governor's approval. Deems approval to have been issued if FERC has not acted within 30 days after receiving an application to approve a modification. Authorizes the permit holder, while modification of the proposed pipeline route in Nebraska is under consideration, to commence or continue construction of any portion of the pipeline and related facilities that are not located within Nebraska. (Sec. 4) Declares that no presidential permit shall be required for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the pipeline and related facilities. Declares that nothing in this Act shall affect application to the pipeline and related facilities of: (1) federal pipeline safety requirements of the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011; and (2) FERC authority to regulate oil pipeline rates and services.

Date: 2011-12-02
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Guaranteed Energy Assistance Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax on each barrel of oil extracted pursuant to any lease of federal onshore lands under the Mineral Leasing Act, the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands, or any other federal law, or any lease under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Establishes the amount of such tax at the lesser of 50 cents per barrel or such amount as the Secretary of the Treasury estimates would result in aggregate revenue for a fiscal year equal to the excess of $5.1 billion over the amount appropriated for such fiscal year for providing assistance under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981. Establishes in the Treasury the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program Trust Fund (LIHEAP Trust Fund) to provide assistance under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981. Limits the amount of such assistance to $5.1 billion in any fiscal year. Dedicates revenues from the tax on oil under this Act to such Fund.

Date: 2012-01-23
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Keystone For a Secure Tomorrow Act - Approves a specified permit regarding certain energy-related facilities and land transportation crossings on the international boundaries of the United States for the Keystone XL pipeline project. Prescribes permit requirements, including: (1) reconsideration of routing of the Keystone XL pipeline within Nebraska; (2) a review period during which routing within Nebraska may be reconsidered and the route of the Keystone XL pipeline through the state altered with any accompanying modification to a specified Plan; and (3) the obligation of the President to coordinate review with the state of Nebraska, provide necessary data and reasonable technical assistance material to the review process, and approve the route within Nebraska submitted by its governor to the Secretary of State. Deems approved, within 10 days after its date of submission, the route submitted by the governor of Nebraska pursuant to the permit approved under this Act if the President does not approve that route.

Date: 2012-01-24
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
LNG Excise Tax Equalization Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to adjust the excise tax on liquefied natural gas to 24.3 cents per energy equivalent of a gallon of diesel.

Date: 2012-01-25
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
Refinery Streamlined Permitting Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to offer assistance to states to enable them to assign responsibilities delegated to them under federal law regarding coordinated and expeditious construction or expansion of a petroleum refining facility. Requires all federal agencies and state agencies responsible for approving federal authorization for the construction or expansion of such a facility to: (1) enter into a memorandum of understanding that clearly defines all actions required to be taken for federal permit review and approval; (2) take final action to approve or disapprove the application within one year after receipt of a completed application; (3) give high priority to expediting an application for a refining facility that would allow for production of cleaner burning fuel or result in increased refining capacity; and (4) submit a Statement of Energy Effects to the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), for each proposed significant energy action. Requires the President to designate at least three closed military installations (or portions of them) appropriate for siting a refinery for gasoline or other fuel. Designates DOE as the lead agency for coordinating applicable federal refinery authorizations and related environmental reviews with respect to a designated refinery. Gives the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia exclusive jurisdiction over civil actions relating to federal refinery authorizations.

Date: 2012-02-01
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to ensure that any crude oil and bitumen transported by the Keystone XL pipeline, and all refined petroleum products whose origin was via importation of crude oil or bitumen by the Keystone XL pipeline, will be entered into domestic commerce for final disposition. Authorizes the President to waive such requirement in the national interest under specified conditions, including where: (1) an exchange of crude oil or refined product provides for no net loss of crude oil or refined product consumed domestically, or (2) a waiver is necessary under the Constitution, a law, or an international agreement.

Date: 2012-02-03
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Reaffirming Constitutional Property Rights Act - Amends the Natural Gas Act to prohibit: (1) a holder of a certificate of public convenience and necessity from exercising the right of eminent domain with respect to a pipeline to be constructed for the purpose of transporting natural gas to a liquid natural gas (LNG) terminal for export to a foreign country from the United States, and (2) the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from issuing an order authorizing exportation of natural gas from the United States to a foreign country from a LNG terminal that uses a pipeline for which a certificate holder has exercised the right of eminent domain after January 1, 2012.

Date: 2012-02-07
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Energizing America through Employment Act - Authorizes TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, L.P. to construct, connect, operate, and maintain pipeline facilities for the import of crude oil and other hydrocarbons at the United States-Canada Border at Phillips County, Montana, in accordance with a certain application filed with the Department of State on September 19, 2008. Declares that no permit pursuant to Executive Order 13337 or any other similar Executive Order regulating such activities at the U.S. border, and no additional environmental impact statement (EIS), shall be required for such Pipeline. Deems a certain EIS issued by the Department of State to satisfy all requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) as well as any other law requiring federal agency consultation or review regarding such cross-border facilities. Sets forth conditions governing construction, connection, operation, and maintenance of the cross-border facilities in connection with the Pipeline. Deems sufficient for the purposes of this Act any route and construction, mitigation, and reclamation measures for the Pipeline in the state of Nebraska that is identified by Nebraska and submitted to the Secretary of State. States that any action taken to implement this Act does not constitute a major federal action requiring an EIS under NEPA. Restricts to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit any federal judicial review over actions and facilities implemented under this Act. Instructs the Secretary of State, for purposes of making a national interest determination under Executive Order 13337 (or any successor Executive Order) regarding a pipeline application, to solicit the views of specified congressional committees regarding such application and pertinent information.

Date: 2012-02-09
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Transportation and public works
North America Natural Gas Security and Consumer Protection Act - Prohibits the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from approving, before January 1, 2025, any application under the Natural Gas Act: (1) for the siting, construction, expansion, or operation of an liquid natural gas (LNG) terminal for activities related to exporting natural gas from the United States to a foreign country; or (2) to amend an existing FERC authorization in order to modify an existing authorized facility to an LNG terminal that will be used for such activities. Exempts an application from such prohibition if the natural gas would be exported solely to meet certain requirements of: (1) the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (regarding presidential foreign exchange authorities), (2) Trading with the Enemy Act (regarding transactions in foreign exchange of gold or silver, property transfers, and vested interests), or (3) the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (regarding the International Energy Program).

Date: 2012-02-14
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Keep American Natural Gas Here Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to accept bids on any new oil and gas leases of federal lands (including submerged lands) under the Mineral Leasing Act or the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act only from bidders certifying that all natural gas produced pursuant to such leases will be offered for sale only in the United States. Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to prohibit granting a new right-of-way for a natural gas pipeline unless the right-of-way applicant certifies that all natural gas transported via such pipeline will be offered for sale only in the United States.

Date: 2012-02-14
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Western Hemisphere Energy Security Act of 2012 - Permits U.S. persons (including agents and affiliates) to: (1) engage in any transaction necessary for either exploration and extraction of hydrocarbon resources or for oil spill prevention and clean-up activities from any portion of a foreign exclusive economic zone contiguous to the U.S. exclusive economic zone; (2) export without license authority all equipment necessary for such exploration, extraction, or oil spill prevention and clean-up activities; and (3) import into the United States the hydrocarbon resources and products that are extracted under this Act. Amends the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 to instruct the Secretary of the Treasury to authorize under a general license certain travel-related transactions for travel to, from, or within Cuba in connection with either exploration and extraction of hydrocarbon resources or oil spill prevention and clean-up activities in any such part of a foreign maritime exclusive economic zone contiguous to the U.S. exclusive economic zone. Includes among persons authorized to travel to Cuba under this Act full-time employees, executives, agents, and consultants of oil and gas producers, distributors, shippers, and persons who engage in oil spill prevention and clean-up activities.

Date: 2012-03-05
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: International affairs
Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to prohibit the Secretary of Energy (DOE), except in the case of a severe energy supply interruption, from executing the first drawdown of petroleum products in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) after enactment of this Act until the Secretary has developed a plan to increase the percentage of federal lands (including submerged lands of the Outer Continental Shelf) under the jurisdiction of DOE, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Defense (DOD) leased for oil and gas production by the same percentage as the percentage of petroleum in the SPR that is to be drawn down in such first and subsequent drawdowns. Prohibits such plan from providing for a total increase of more than 10% in the percentage of such federal lands leased for oil and gas production.

Date: 2012-03-05
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
American Energy First Act - Prohibits petroleum product from being drawn down, sold, or exchanged from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) unless the President has taken the actions required by this Act. Instructs the President to direct the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) and the heads of other relevant federal agencies to treat certain Bureau of Land Management final regulations regarding oil shale management as well as the November 17, 2008, U.S. Bureau of Land Management Approved Resource Management Plan Amendments/Record of Decision for Oil Shale and Tar Sands Resources to Address Land Use Allocations in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement as satisfying all legal and procedural requirements under specified laws. Directs the Secretary to implement the oil shale leasing program authorized in those areas covered by the resource management plans amended by such amendments, and covered by such record of decision, without any other administrative action necessary. Instructs the President to direct the Secretary to conduct offshore oil and gas: (1) Lease Sale 216 in the Central Gulf of Mexico within four months after enactment of this Act, (2) Lease Sale 218 in the Western Gulf of Mexico within eight months after enactment of this Act, (3) Lease Sale 222 in the Central Gulf of Mexico not later than June 1, 2012. Deems the Environmental Impact Statement for the 2007-2012 5-Year OCS Plan and the Multi-Sale Environmental Impact Statement to satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for the purposes of such lease sales. Instructs the President to direct the Secretary to: (1) approve a certain permit concerning certain energy-related facilities and land transportation crossings on the international boundaries of the United States for the Keystone XL pipeline project, and (2) expedite permitting of activities under oil and gas leases for federal onshore lands and federal submerged lands in the Gulf of Mexico. Prescribes Keystone XL pipeline permit requirements, including: (1) reconsideration of routing of the Keystone XL pipeline within Nebraska; (2) a review period during which routing within Nebraska may be reconsidered and the route of the Keystone XL pipeline through the state altered with any accompanying modification to a specified Plan; and (3) the obligation of the President to coordinate review with the state of Nebraska, provide necessary data and reasonable technical assistance material to the review process, and approve the route within Nebraska submitted by its governor to the Secretary of State. Deems approved, within 10 days after its date of submission, the route submitted by the governor of Nebraska pursuant to the permit approved under this Act if the President does not approve that route.

Date: 2012-03-19
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Gas Rebate Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal certain tax incentives for oil and gas companies, including: (1) the tax credit for enhanced oil recovery, (2) the tax credit for producing oil and gas from marginal wells, (3) the expensing allowance for intangible drilling and development costs, (4) the tax deduction for tertiary injectant expenses, (5) the exception to passive loss limitations for working interests in oil and gas properties, and (6) percentage depletion for oil and gas wells. Denies a tax deduction for income attributable to the domestic production, refining, processing, transportation, or distribution of oil, gas, or any primary product thereof. Extends to seven years the required amortization period for geological and geophysical expenditures. Allows registered motor vehicle owners a rebate against income tax based on their share of revenues saved from the repeal of the tax incentives for oil and gas companies by this Act.

Date: 2012-03-21
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
Fracturing Regulations are Effective in State Hands Act - Grants any state sole authority to promulgate or enforce any regulation, guidance, or permit requirement with regard to the underground injection of fluids or propping agents pursuant to the hydraulic fracturing process, or any component of such process, relating to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities on or under land within the boundaries of that state. Makes the underground injection of fluids or propping agents pursuant to such process, or any components of such process, relating to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities on federal land subject to the law of the state in which that land is located.

Date: 2012-03-29
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Keep America's Oil Here Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to accept bids on any new oil and gas leases of federal lands (including submerged lands) only from bidders certifying that all crude oil produced under such leases, and all refined petroleum products made from such crude oil, shall be offered for sale only in the United States. Authorizes the President to waive such limited leasing authorization upon specified determinations, including that waiver is in the national interest because it will not lead to: (1) an increase in domestic consumption of crude oil obtained from countries hostile to U.S. interests or that have political and economic instability compromising energy supply security, (2) higher costs to oil refiners purchasing the crude oil than the refiners would have to pay in the absence of such a waiver; and (3) higher gasoline costs paid by consumers than they would have to pay in the absence of such a waiver.

Date: 2012-03-29
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Providing Leasing Certainty for American Energy Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, in conducting lease sales under the Mineral Leasing Act, to offer for sale at least 25% of the annual nominated acreage not previously made available for lease. Shields such acreage from protest and the test of extraordinary circumstances. Makes it eligible, however, for certain categorical exclusions under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 in connection with review under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. (A categorical exclusion is a category of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and for which, as a consequence, neither an environmental assessment nor an environmental impact statement is required.) Directs the Secretary to consider leasing only federal lands that are available for leasing at the time the lease sale occurs. Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to prohibit the Secretary from: (1) withdrawing any covered energy project issued under that Act without finding a violation by the lessee of lease terms; (2) delaying indefinitely issuance of project approvals, drilling and seismic permits, and rights of way for activities under a lease; and (3) cancelling or withdrawing any lease parcel after a competitive lease sale has occurred and a winning bidder has made the last payment for the parcel. Instructs the Secretary to: (1) make nominated areas available for lease within 18 months after an area is designated as open under a current land use plan, (2) issue all leases sold 60 days after the last payment is made, and (3) adjudicate any lease protests filed following a lease sale. Prohibits additional lease stipulations after the parcel is sold without consultation and agreement of the lessee, unless the Secretary deems such stipulations as emergency actions to conserve national resources. Requires federal land managers to follow existing resource management plans and continue to actively lease in areas designated as open when resource management plans are being amended or revised, until such time as a new record of decision is signed. Declares without force or effect Bureau of Land Management Instruction Memorandum 2010-117.

Date: 2012-04-18
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to extend the temporary suspension of duty on parts or accessories of instruments or apparatus for measuring or checking electrical quantities.

Date: 2012-04-18
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to issue right-of-way permits for natural gas pipelines (including all appurtenances used in their operation) that, as of March 1, 2012, are within the boundary of Glacier National Park in Montana. Specifies that each such permit shall be: (1) issued as a right-of-way renewal, (2) for a width of not more than 25 feet on either side of the centerline of the pipeline, and (3) subject to any terms and conditions that are determined by the Secretary to be necessary.

Date: 2012-04-24
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Describes the following as acts that unreasonably burden and discriminate against interstate commerce, and prohibits states, political subdivisions, and any other taxing authority from: (1) assessing natural gas pipeline property at a value that has a higher ratio to its true market value than the ratio used to assess other commercial and industrial property in the same assessment jurisdiction, (2) levying or collecting a tax on such an assessment, (3) levying or collecting an ad valorem property tax on natural gas pipeline property at a rate that exceeds the rate applicable to commercial and industrial property in the same assessment jurisdiction, or (4) imposing any other tax that discriminates against a natural gas pipeline providing transportation subject to the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Grants jurisdiction to U.S. District Courts for claims involving discriminatory taxation of natural gas pipeline property and provides for relief for such claims.

Date: 2012-04-26
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
Investing to Modernize the Production of American Clean Energy and Technology Act of 2012 or the IMPACT Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to tax incentives for investment in renewable energy, to: (1) extend through 2020 the date by which wind facilities must be placed in service to qualify for the electricity production tax credit; (2) extend through 2021 the date by which other specified alternative or renewable energy facilities (i.e., biomass, geothermal or solar energy, landfill gas, qualified hydropower, and marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy facilities) must be placed in service to qualify for the electricity production tax credit; and (3) extend through 2021 the taxpayer election to treat certain renewable energy facilities used for producing electricity, including offshore wind facilities, as investment properties for purposes of the energy tax credit. Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to extend through 2013 the grant program for investment in renewable energy property in lieu of the tax credits allowed for such property. Increases to $5 billion the limitation on the total amount of credits that may be allocated under the qualifying advanced energy project program. Extends through 2012: (1) the tax credit for energy-efficient new homes, and (2) the tax credit for energy-efficient household appliances. Increases or extends tax credits for qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles, heavy natural gas vehicles, and alternative fuel vehicle refueling property. Provides for tax-exempt financing of electric, natural gas, and hydrogen vehicle refueling property. Limits or repeals tax incentives for major integrated oil companies, including: (1) the use of last-in, first-out accounting (LIFO); (2) the foreign tax credit for such companies that are dual capacity taxpayers; (3) the tax deduction for income attributable to the domestic production of oil, natural gas, or primary products thereof; (4) the tax deduction for intangible drilling and development costs; (5) percentage depletion for oil and gas wells; and (6) the tax deduction for tertiary injectant expenditures.

Date: 2012-04-27
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
End Polluter Welfare Act of 2012 - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to reduce or eliminate royalty payments for oil and natural gas leases in the Outer Continental Shelf. Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to increase minimum royalty payments for coal, oil, and natural gas leases. Repeals the program for ultra-deepwater and unconventional natural gas and other petroleum resource exploration and production. Amends the Oil Pollution Act to eliminate the limitation on liability for offshore facilities and pipeline operators for oil spills. Rescinds all unobligated balances made available to the World Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the Export-Import Bank, the Advanced Research Projects Agency in the Department of Defense (DOD), and other international financing entities to carry out any project that supports coal, oil, or natural gas. Terminates the Office of Fossil Energy Research and Development in the Department of Energy (DOE) and the authority to carry out any of its programs. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to eliminate from the categories of projects eligible for loan guarantees for innovative technologies: (1) projects involving advanced fossil energy technology, and (2) and crude oil refineries. Prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture from making loans under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to carry out projects that will use coal, oil, or natural gas. Prohibits the use of Department of Transportation (DOT) funds to award any grant or other direct assistance to any rail or port project that transports coal, oil, or natural gas. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to limit or repeal provisions allowing tax incentives for investment in fossil fuels. Increases the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund financing rate. Imposes a 13% tax on the removal price of any taxable crude oil or natural gas from the Outer Continental Shelf in the Gulf of Mexico. Designates the Powder River Basin in southeast Montana and northeast Wyoming as a coal producing region. Eliminates accelerated depreciation for property that is receiving a subsidy for fossil fuel production.

Date: 2012-05-15
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Hire Now Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow certain employers a tax credit for 10% of the excess (if any) of the wages and compensation paid to their employees in 2012 over the amount of such wages paid in 2011, up to a maximum amount of $5 million; (2) prohibit major integrated oil companies from using the last-in, first-out (LIFO) accounting method; and (3) deny major integrated oil companies a tax deduction for intangible drilling and development costs.

Date: 2012-06-27
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
Wind Powering American Jobs Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend through 2013 the tax credit for the production of electricity from wind facilities and the energy tax credit for investment in wind facilities, and (2) limit the foreign tax credit and tax deferrals for amounts paid or accrued by a major integrated oil company that is a dual capacity taxpayer. Defines "dual capacity taxpayer" as a person who is subject to a levy of a foreign country or U.S. possession and receives (or will receive) directly or indirectly a specific economic benefit from such county or possession.

Date: 2012-06-27
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
Congressional Replacement of President Obama's Energy-Restricting and Job-Limiting Offshore Drilling Plan - (Sec. 3) Directs the Secretary of the Interior to implement the Proposed Final Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Leasing Program (2012-2017) in accordance with the schedule for conducting oil and gas lease sales set forth in it and in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Instructs the Secretary to conduct each of specified oil and gas lease sales in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Planning Areas, including certain ones in the Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program (2010-2015), during its specified year. (Sec. 4) Requires the Secretary to offer for sale, by December 31, 2013, leases of tracts in the Santa Maria and Santa Barbara/Ventura Basins of the Southern California OCS Planning Area. Requires the Secretary to include in such leases any terms and conditions necessary to require that development and production may occur only from offshore infrastructure in existence on the date of the enactment of this Act or from onshore-based drilling. (Sec. 5) Retains the authority of the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to designate national defense areas on the OCS. Prohibits exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas on the OCS under a lease issued under this Act that would conflict with any military operation determined in accordance with the Memorandum of Agreement between the Department of Defense and the Department of the Interior on Mutual Concerns on the Outer Continental Shelf signed July 20, 1983, including any revision or replacement for that agreement agreed to after that date but before the issuance of the lease under which such exploration, development, or production is conducted. (Sec. 6) Requires the Secretary to prepare a multisale environmental impact statement pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for lease sales required under this Act that are not included in the Proposed Final Leasing Program (2012-2017). States that the Secretary is not required to identify nonleasing alternative courses of action or to analyze the environmental effects of such alternative courses of action. Requires the Secretary only to: (1) identify a preferred action for leasing and not more than one alternative leasing proposal, and (2) analyze the environmental effects and potential mitigation measures for such preferred action and such alternative leasing proposal. (Sec. 7) Declares that nothing in this Act affects restrictions on oil and gas leasing under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006. (Sec. 8) Directs the Secretary, in determining the areas off the coasts of South Carolina and California to be made available for leasing under this Act, to: (1) consult with the governor and legislature of each state; and (2) focus on areas considered to have the most geologically promising energy resources.

Date: 2012-07-09
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Declares that no presidential permit shall be required for the pipeline application filed on May 4, 2012, by TransCanada Corporation for the northern portion of the Keystone XL pipeline from the Canadian border to the South Dakota/Nebraska border. Deems the final environmental impact statement issued by the Secretary of State on August 26, 2011, to satisfy all requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Declares that this Act does not affect the ongoing work of the state of Nebraska with regard to the fully intrastate portion of the Keystone XL pipeline.

Date: 2012-07-23
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
President Obama's Proposed 2012-2017 Offshore Drilling Lease Sale Plan Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to implement the Proposed Final Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Leasing Program (2012-2017) in accordance with the schedule for conducting oil and gas lease sales set forth in it and in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

Date: 2012-07-24
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Retaining Essential Environmental Fishing Structures Act or REEFS Act - Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior, during a two-year period, from requiring or authorizing either the removal or movement of any facility used for oil or gas activities under a lease under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Exempts from this prohibition any removal or movement of a facility for purposes of temporary abandonment of a well, in accordance with specified federal regulations, because of an emergency identified by the Secretary.

Date: 2012-07-26
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
American Energy Independence and Domestic Refining Capacity Act - Establishes the Commission on Energy Independence and Domestic Refining Capacity, which shall, at the request of the President, conduct a study to determine whether the consolidation or closing of a refinery will result in an adverse decline in the nation's domestic refining capacity. Requires that such study examine: (1) the state of the domestic refining industry, including the effect of the consolidation or refinery closure on overall production, domestic economic growth, and national gas prices; (2) the possibilities for the federal government to form public-private partnerships that would lead to increased domestic refining capacity; (3) the potential positive and adverse consequences of federal partnerships and incentives on growth within the industry; (4) the potential benefits of reinvesting a portion of revenues from public-private partnerships into energy related science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, and seeding future federally funded energy research; and (5) the types of federal incentives that could be used to maintain domestic refining capacity. Requires the Commission to report the results of such study within three months after it is requested. Authorizes the Secretary of Energy (DOE), if the study finds that a plant consolidation or closure will have an adverse effect on the nation's domestic refining capacity, to offer federal incentives to prevent the diminishment of refining capacity.

Date: 2012-08-02
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include tar sands in the definition of "crude oil" for purposes of the excise tax on petroleum.

Date: 2012-09-20
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
Tapping America's Energy Potential through Research and Development Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Energy (Secretary), acting through the Assistant Secretary of Energy for Fossil Energy, to implement research, development, and demonstration (R&D) activities of technologies to: (1) enable safe and responsible production of domestic unconventional oil and gas resources; (2) facilitate commercial application of energy technologies for the exploration, development, and production of oil shale resources including oil, natural gas, and other liquid resources from shale formations; and (3) use produced water, in an environmentally sustainable manner, for agricultural, irrigational, recreational, power generation, municipal, and industrial purposes. Requires oil shale R&D activities to include: (1) oil shale resource characterization, (2) modeling and simulation of oil shale exploration and production technologies, and (3) minimization and re-use of water. Requires shale extraction R&D activities to include: (1) water use and demand, (2) water sourcing, (3) materials used in shale oil and natural gas operations, and (4) diagnostic imaging and monitoring. Includes among produced water utilization R&D activities: (1) produced water recovery, (2) use of produced water for specified environmentally sustainable purposes, and (3) re-injection of produced water into subsurface geological formations to increase energy production. Limits such activities to technology areas that industry by itself is not likely to undertake because of technical and financial uncertainty.

Date: 2012-11-27
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Liquefied Natural Gas for NATO Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to treat each North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member nation as a nation with which there is in effect a free trade agreement and thus eligible for expedited application and approval for the importation or exportation of natural gas.

Date: 2012-12-20
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Mobile Mammography Promotion Act of 2011- Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the motor fuel excise tax fuel used in any highway vehicle designed exclusively to provide mobile mammography services.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2011 - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from issuing a lease for the exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas in any area of the outer Continental Shelf off the coast of California, Oregon, or Washington.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Alaska Adjacent Zone Safe Oil Transport and Revenue Sharing Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) require oil produced from federal leases in certain Arctic waters, except in preproduction phases (including explorations), to be transported by pipeline to onshore facilities; and (2) provide for, and issue appropriate permits for, the transportation of oil from such leases in preproduction phases (including exploration) by means other than pipeline. Requires that the state of Alaska receive 37.5% of: (1) any bonus bid paid for leasing rights for any area in the Alaska Adjacent Zone; and (2) specified post-leasing revenues including lease rental payments and lease royalty payments, as well as royalty proceeds from a sale of royalties taken in kind. Sets forth an allocation scheme under which the Secretary of the Interior is directed to pay: (1) 20% of any allocable state share directly to coastal political subdivisions, (2) 33% of any allocable state share to certain Regional Corporations, and (3) 7% of any allocable state share directly to Indian tribes. Instructs the Secretary to distribute 6.25% of certain federal royalty revenues into: (1) a specified land and water conservation fund to provide financial assistance to states, and (2) direct federal deficit reduction.

Date: 2011-01-26
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Big Oil Bailout Prevention Trust Fund Act of 2011- Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate: (1) the $1 billion per incident limitation on expenditures from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for cleanup of oil spills, and (2) restrictions on the borrowing authority of such Trust Fund. Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to direct the President to promulgate regulations to allow advance payments from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to states and localities to prepare for and mitigate substantial threats from the discharge of oil.

Date: 2011-01-27
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Environmental protection
Close Big Oil Tax Loopholes Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny to taxpayers with gross revenues in excess of $100 million in a taxable year (applicable large taxpayers): (1) the tax deduction for intangible drilling and development costs, (2) the tax deduction for qualified tertiary injectant expenses, (3) the exemption from restrictions on the deductibility of passive losses, (4) the percentage depletion allowance for oil and gas wells, and (5) the tax deduction for income attributable to domestic production of oil, natural gas, or primary products thereof. Requires applicable large taxpayers to amortize their geological and geophysical expenditures over a seven-year period. Imposes on producers of taxable crude oil or natural gas a 13% excise tax on the removal price of such oil and natural gas produced from lands on the Outer Continental Shelf in the Gulf of Mexico. Allows a nonrefundable credit against such tax for royalties paid under federal law with respect to the production of such crude oil and natural gas. Denies a foreign tax credit to any large integrated oil company that is subject to a levy of a foreign country or possession of the United States and receives an economic benefit from such country or possession (dual capacity taxpayer) if such country or possession does not impose a generally applicable income tax.

Date: 2011-02-02
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to issue right-of-way permits, subject to certain terms and conditions, for: (1) a high-pressure natural gas transmission pipeline (including appurtenances) in nonwilderness areas within the boundary of Denali National Park within, along, or near the approximately seven-mile segment of the George Parks Highway that runs through the Park; and (2) any distribution and transmission pipelines and appurtenances that the Secretary determines to be necessary to provide natural gas supply to the Park.

Date: 2011-02-08
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Deepwater Drilling Royalty Relief Prohibition Act - Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from issuing any oil or gas lease sale under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act with royalty-based incentives in any tract located in water depths of 400 meters or more on the outer Continental Shelf. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal royalty relief (suspension of royalties) for deep water oil and gas production in the Western and Central Planning Area of the Gulf of Mexico (including the portion of the Eastern Planning Area encompassing whole lease blocks lying west of 87 degrees, 30 minutes West longitude). Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Secretary from reducing or eliminating any royalty or net profit share for any lease or unit located in water depths of 400 meters or more on the outer Continental Shelf.

Date: 2011-02-14
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
No Surface Occupancy Western Arctic Coastal Plain Domestic Energy Security Act - Authorizes exploration, leasing, development, and production of oil and gas from the Western Coastal Plain. Defines the Western Coastal Plain as the area of Coastal Plain: (1) that borders the land of Alaska to the west and Alaska offshore waters of the Beaufort Sea on the north, and (2) from which the Secretary of the Interior finds oil and gas can be produced through horizontal drilling or other subsurface technology from sites outside or underneath the Coastal Plain surface. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a competitive oil and gas leasing program that will result in an environmentally sound program for the exploration, development, and production of the oil and gas resources of the Western Coastal Plain. Considers such program to be compatible with the purposes for which the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was established. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish lease sale procedures, and (2) offer for lease those tracts the Secretary considers to have the greatest potential for the discovery of hydrocarbons. Authorizes the Secretary to grant a lease for land on the Western Coastal Plain to the highest responsible qualified bidder. Prescribes lease terms and conditions. Provides for expedited judicial review.Directs the Secretary to establish in the Treasury the Coastal Plain Local Government Impact Aid Assistance Fund to offset any planning, land use-related, or service-related impacts of offshore development caused by this Act. Prescribes a scheme for the allocation of revenues produced by bonus, rental, and royalty revenues from the federal oil and gas leasing and operations authorized under this Act.

Date: 2011-02-15
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
American Energy Independence and Security Act of 2011 - Authorizes the exploration, leasing, development, production, and transportation of oil and gas in and from the Coastal Plain in Alaska. Instructs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a competitive oil and gas leasing program for oil and gas exploration, development, and production in the Coastal Plain. Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act to repeal the prohibition against production of oil and gas from Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. States that, in connection with specified environmental protection laws, the Secretary shall not be required to: (1) identify nonleasing alternative courses of action, or (2) analyze the environmental effects of those actions. Authorizes the Secretary to designate not more than 45,000 acres of the Coastal Plain as a special area (including the Sadlerochit Spring area).Prohibits surface occupancy of land comprising the special area if the Secretary leases all or a portion of such special area for oil and gas exploration and development.Authorizes the Secretary to lease all or a portion of a special area under terms that permit the use of horizontal drilling technology from sites on leases located outside the special area (directional drilling). Sets forth procedures for lease sales and lease grants. Prohibits the Secretary from closing land within the Coastal Plain to oil and gas leasing, exploration, or development, except in accordance with this Act. Sets forth procedures for: (1) Coastal Plain environmental protection, (2) expedited judicial review, (3) rights-of-way and easements, and (4) local government impact aid and community service assistance, including Alaska establishment of a Coastal Plain Local Government Impact Aid Assistance Fund. Prescribes a revenue allocation scheme derived from adjusted bonus, rental, and royalty receipts from federal oil and gas leasing and operations authorized under this Act.

Date: 2011-02-15
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy