Today, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a legislative hearing to examine five bills that will help secure American energy dominance. Subcommittee Chairman Pete Stauber (R-Minn.) issued the following statement in response:

“At a time when the world desperately needs more energy, America is helping meet that challenge by achieving record highs of oil and natural gas thanks to President Trump and House Republicans’ prioritization of American energy dominance. Today’s hearing on these five commonsense bills is another important step forward. By streamlining permitting, cutting bureaucratic delays and unlocking new production opportunities, we are providing certainty to American producers and ensuring our nation maintains energy dominance for generations to come.”

Background

H.R. 1555, the Bureau of Land Management Mineral Spacing Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.), amends the Mineral Leasing Act to streamline the oil and gas permitting process and recognize fee ownership for certain oil and gas drilling or spacing units.

H.R. 5639, the Co-Location Energy Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Mike Kennedy (R-Utah), authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to co-locate renewable energy projects on certain existing federal leased areas, subject to leaseholder consent, thereby cutting red tape and increasing the amount of energy that can be developed under leases on public lands.

H.R. 7831, the License to Drill Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Mike Kennedy (R-Utah), amends the Mineral Leasing Act to extend the period of time during which the Secretary of the Interior is required to collect a fee for each new application for a permit to drill. This will help ensure the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has adequate resources to process permits in a timely fashion.

H.R. 7872, introduced by U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), extends coal lease payment schedules, allowing operators to submit bonus bids to BLM in annual 10 percent installments over a 10-year period, which will lower upfront bidding costs for coal operators and incentivize domestic production.

H.R. 7882, introduced by U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), authorizes BLM to lease federal mineral estates underneath the City of Carlsbad, New Mexico. This will allow for increased energy production and increased revenues for the state government and the federal government.