Library / Laws / 113th / s / S. 17 / Introduced in Senate
II
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 17
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 27, 2013
Mr. Vitter (for himself,
Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Blunt, Mr.
Chambliss, Mr. Coats,
Mr. Cochran, Mr. Cornyn, Mr.
Crapo, Mr. Cruz,
Mr. Enzi, Mr.
Heller, Mr. Hoeven,
Mr. Inhofe, Mr.
Isakson, Mr. Johnson of
Wisconsin, Mr. Risch,
Mr. Shelby, Mr.
Toomey, Mr. Wicker,
Mr. Sessions, Mr. Lee, and Mr.
Johanns) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources
A BILL
To stimulate the economy, produce domestic
energy, and create jobs at no cost to the taxpayers, and without borrowing
money from foreign governments for which our children and grandchildren will be
responsible, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title; table of contents
(a)
Short title
This Act may be cited as the
Energy Production and Project Delivery
Act of 2013.
(b)
Table of contents
The table of contents of this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of
contents.
TITLE I—Outer Continental Shelf leasing
Sec. 101. Extension of leasing program.
Sec. 102. Lease sales.
Sec. 103. Applications for permits to drill.
Sec. 104. Lease sales for certain areas.
Sec. 105. Disposition of revenues.
TITLE II—Leasing program for land within Coastal
Plain
Sec. 201. Definitions.
Sec. 202. Leasing program for lands within the Coastal
Plain.
Sec. 203. Lease sales.
Sec. 204. Grant of leases by the Secretary.
Sec. 205. Lease terms and conditions.
Sec. 206. Policies regarding buying, building, and working for
America.
Sec. 207. Coastal Plain environmental protection.
Sec. 208. Expedited judicial review.
Sec. 209. Treatment of revenues.
Sec. 210. Rights-of-way across the Coastal Plain.
Sec. 211. Conveyance.
TITLE III—Regulatory streamlining
Sec. 301. Jurisdiction over covered energy
projects.
Sec. 302. Environmental legal fees.
Sec. 303. Master leasing plans.
Sec. 304. National monuments.
Sec. 305. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions
reductions in China, India, and Russia.
Sec. 306. Employment effects of actions under Clean Air
Act.
Sec. 307. Endangered species.
Sec. 308. Central Valley Project.
Sec. 309. Keystone XL permit approval.
Sec. 310. Drakes Bay Oyster Company.
I
Outer Continental Shelf leasing
101.
Extension of leasing program
(a)
In general
Subject to subsection (c), the Draft
Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2010–2015 issued
by the Secretary of the Interior (referred to in this section as the
Secretary) under section 18 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands
Act (43 U.S.C. 1344) shall be considered to be the final oil and gas leasing
program under that section for the period of fiscal years 2013 through
2018.
(b)
Final environmental impact
statement
The Secretary is
considered to have issued a final environmental impact statement for the
program applicable to the period described in subsection (a) in accordance with
all requirements under section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)).
(c)
Exceptions
Lease
Sales 214, 232, and 239 shall not be included in the final oil and gas leasing
program for the period of fiscal years 2013 through 2018.
(d)
Eastern Gulf of
Mexico not included
Nothing in this section affects restrictions
on oil and gas leasing under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (43
U.S.C. 1331 note; Public Law 109–432).
102.
Lease sales
(a)
In general
Except as otherwise provided in this
section, not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act and
every 270 days thereafter, the Secretary of the Interior (referred to in this
section as the Secretary) shall conduct a lease sale in each
outer Continental Shelf planning area for which the Secretary determines that
there is a commercial interest in purchasing Federal oil and gas leases for
production on the outer Continental Shelf.
(b)
Subsequent determinations and
sales
If the Secretary
determines that there is not a commercial interest in purchasing Federal oil
and gas leases for production on the outer Continental Shelf in a planning area
under this section, not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of the
determination and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall—
(1) determine whether there is a commercial
interest in purchasing Federal oil and gas leases for production on the outer
Continental Shelf in the planning area; and
(2) if the Secretary determines that there is a
commercial interest described in subsection (a), conduct a lease sale in the
planning area.
(c)
Exclusion from
5-Year lease program
If a planning area for which there is a
commercial interest described in subsection (a) was not included in a 5-year
lease program, the Secretary shall include leasing in the planning area in the
subsequent 5-year lease program.
(d)
Petitions
If
a person petitions the Secretary to conduct a lease sale for an outer
Continental Shelf planning area in which the person has a commercial interest,
the Secretary shall conduct a lease sale for the area in accordance with
subsection (a).
103.
Applications
for permits to drill
Section 5
of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1334) is amended by adding
at the end the following:
(k)
Applications
for permits To drill
(1)
In
general
Subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary shall approve or
disapprove an application for a permit to drill submitted under this Act not
later than 20 days after the date the application is submitted to the
Secretary.
(2)
Disapproval
If
the Secretary disapproves an application for a permit to drill submitted under
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall—
(A) provide to the
applicant a description of the reasons for the disapproval of the
application;
(B) allow the
applicant to resubmit an application during the 10-day period beginning on the
date of the receipt of the description by the applicant; and
(C) approve or
disapprove any resubmitted application not later than 10 days after the date
the application is submitted to the
Secretary.
.
104.
Lease sales
for certain areas
(a)
In
general
As soon as practicable but not later than 1 year after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall hold
Lease Sale 220 for areas offshore of the State of Virginia.
(b)
Compliance with
other laws
For purposes of the Lease Sales described in
subsection (a), the Environmental Impact Statement for the 2010-2015-Year OCS
Plan and the applicable Multi-Sale Environmental Impact Statement shall be
considered to satisfy the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
(c)
Energy projects
in Gulf of Mexico
(1)
Jurisdiction
The
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit shall have exclusive
jurisdiction over challenges to offshore energy projects and permits to drill
carried out in the Gulf of Mexico.
(2)
Filing
deadline
Any civil action to challenge a project or permit
described in paragraph (1) shall be filed not later than 60 days after the date
of approval of the project or the issuance of the permit.
105.
Disposition of
revenues
(a)
Definitions
Section
102 of the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (43 U.S.C. 1331 note;
Public Law 109–432) is amended—
(1) by redesignating
paragraphs (5) through (11) as paragraphs (6) through (12),
respectively;
(2) by inserting
after paragraph (4) the following:
(5)
Coastal
State
The term coastal State means a State with a
coastal seaward boundary within 200 nautical miles distance of the geographical
center of a leased tract in—
(A) an outer
Continental Shelf area in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Region State Adjacent Zones
and OCS Planning Areas; and
(B) effective for
fiscal year 2024 and each fiscal year thereafter, an outer Continental Shelf
area in any OCS Region State Adjacent Zones and OCS Planning
Areas.
;
(3) in paragraph (10)
(as so redesignated), by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting the
following:
(A)
In
general
The term qualified outer Continental Shelf
revenues means all rentals, royalties, bonus bids, and other sums due
and payable to the United States from leases entered into on or after—
(i) December 20,
2006, with respect to coastal States located in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Region;
or
(ii) October 1, 2023,
with respect to coastal States located in—
(I) the Atlantic OCS
Region;
(II) the Pacific OCS
Region; or
(III) the Alaska OCS
Region.
;
and
(4) in paragraph (11)
(as so redesignated), by striking Gulf producing State each
place it appears and inserting coastal State.
(b)
Disposition of
revenues
Section 105 of the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of
2006 (43 U.S.C. 1331 note; Public Law 109–432) is amended—
(1) in the section
heading, by striking from
181 Area, 181 South Area, and 2002-2007 planning areas of gulf of
mexico;
(2) by striking
Gulf producing State each place it appears (other than
subsection (b)(1)) and inserting coastal State;
(3) in subsection
(a)(2), by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the following:
(B) 25
percent—
(i) of the qualified
outer Continental Shelf revenues described in section 102(10)(A)(i)—
(I) to provide
financial assistance to States in accordance with section 6 of the Land and
Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 460l–8), which
shall be considered to be income to the Land and Water Conservation Fund for
purposes of section 2 of that Act (16 U.S.C. 460l–5), to a
maximum amount of $125,000,000; and
(II) for any amounts
in excess of the amount described in subclause (I), to the Highway Trust Fund
(other than the Mass Transit Account); and
(ii) beginning in
fiscal year 2024, of the qualified outer Continental Shelf revenues described
in section 102(10)(A)(ii), to the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass
Transit
Account).
;
(4) in subsection
(b)—
(A) in the subsection
heading, by striking Gulf
producing States and inserting coastal States;
and
(B) in paragraph
(2)—
(i) in
the paragraph heading, by striking fiscal year 2017 and thereafter and
inserting fiscal years
2017 through 2023; and
(ii) in
subparagraph (A), in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking fiscal
year 2017 and each fiscal year thereafter and inserting each of
fiscal years 2017 through 2023;
(C) by redesignating
paragraph (3) as paragraph (4);
(D) by inserting
after paragraph (2) the following:
(3)
Allocation
among coastal States for fiscal year 2024 and thereafter
(A)
In
general
Subject to subparagraph (B), effective for fiscal years
2024 and each fiscal year thereafter, the amount made available under
subsection (a)(2)(A) shall be allocated to each coastal State in amounts (based
on a formula established by the Secretary by regulation) that are inversely
proportional to the respective distances between the point on the coastline of
each coastal State that is closest to the geographic center of the applicable
leased tract and the geographic center of the leased tract.
(B)
Minimum
allocation
The amount allocated to a coastal State each fiscal
year under subparagraph (A) shall be at least 10 percent of the amounts
available under subsection (a)(2)(A).
;
and
(E) in paragraph (4)
(as redesignated by subparagraph (C)), by striking paragraphs (1) and
(2) and inserting paragraphs (1), (2), and (3);
and
(5) in subsection
(f), by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
(1)
In
general
Subject to paragraph (2), the total amount of qualified
outer Continental Shelf revenues made available under subsection (a)(2) shall
not exceed—
(A) in the case of an
outer Continental Shelf area in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Region State Adjacent
Zones and OCS Planning Areas—
(i) $1,000,000,000
for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2024; and
(ii) $2,000,000,000
for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2055; and
(B) in the case of an
outer Continental Shelf area in OCS Region State Adjacent Zones and OCS
Planning Areas other than the Zones and Areas described in subparagraph (A),
for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2055, $500,000,000 for each such area
located in—
(i) the Atlantic OCS
Region;
(ii) the Pacific OCS
Region; or
(iii) the Alaska OCS
Region.
.
(c)
Effective
date
The amendments made by this section take effect on October
1, 2013.
II
Leasing program for land within Coastal
Plain
201.
Definitions
In this title:
(1)
Coastal
plain
The term Coastal Plain means that area
described in appendix I to part 37 of title 50, Code of Federal
Regulations.
(2)
Peer
reviewed
The term peer
reviewed means reviewed—
(A) by individuals
chosen by the National Academy of Sciences with no contractual relationship
with, or those who have no application for a grant or other funding pending
with, the Federal agency with leasing jurisdiction; or
(B) if individuals
described in subparagraph (A) are not available, by the top individuals in the
specified biological fields, as determined by the National Academy of
Sciences.
(3)
Secretary
The
term Secretary, except as otherwise provided, means the
Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary’s designee.
202.
Leasing program
for lands within the Coastal Plain
(a)
In
general
The Secretary shall take such actions as are
necessary—
(1) to establish and
implement, in accordance with this title and acting through the Director of the
Bureau of Land Management in consultation with the Director of the United
States Fish and Wildlife Service, a competitive oil and gas leasing program
that will result in the exploration, development, and production of the oil and
gas resources of the Coastal Plain; and
(2) to administer the
provisions of this title through regulations, lease terms, conditions,
restrictions, prohibitions, stipulations, and other provisions that ensure the
oil and gas exploration, development, and production activities on the Coastal
Plain will result in no significant adverse effect on fish and wildlife, their
habitat, subsistence resources, and the environment, including, in furtherance
of this goal, by requiring the application of the best commercially available
technology for oil and gas exploration, development, and production to all
exploration, development, and production operations under this title in a
manner that ensures the receipt of fair market value by the public for the
mineral resources to be leased.
(b)
Repeal of
existing restriction
(1)
Repeal
Section
1003 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 3143) is
repealed.
(2)
Conforming
amendment
The table of contents in section 1 of such Act is
amended by striking the item relating to section 1003.
(c)
Compliance with
requirements under certain other laws
(1)
Compatibility
For
purposes of the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (16
U.S.C. 668dd et seq.), the oil and gas leasing program and activities
authorized by this section in the Coastal Plain are deemed to be compatible
with the purposes for which the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was
established, and no further findings or decisions are required to implement
this determination.
(2)
Adequacy of the
Department of the Interior’s legislative environmental impact
statement
The Final Legislative Environmental Impact
Statement (April 1987) on the Coastal Plain prepared pursuant to
section 1002 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (16 U.S.C.
3142) and section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)) is deemed to satisfy the requirements under the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 that apply with respect to prelease activities
under this title, including actions authorized to be taken by the Secretary to
develop and promulgate the regulations for the establishment of a leasing
program authorized by this title before the conduct of the first lease
sale.
(3)
Compliance with
NEPA for other actions
Before conducting the first lease sale
under this title, the Secretary shall prepare an environmental impact statement
under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 with respect to the actions
authorized by this title that are not referred to in paragraph (2).
Notwithstanding any other law, the Secretary is not required to identify
nonleasing alternative courses of action or to analyze the environmental
effects of such courses of action. The Secretary shall only identify a
preferred action for such leasing and a single leasing alternative, and analyze
the environmental effects and potential mitigation measures for those two
alternatives. The identification of the preferred action and related analysis
for the first lease sale under this title shall be completed within 18 months
after the date of enactment of this Act. The Secretary shall only consider
public comments that specifically address the Secretary’s preferred action and
that are filed within 20 days after publication of an environmental analysis.
Notwithstanding any other law, compliance with this paragraph is deemed to
satisfy all requirements for the analysis and consideration of the
environmental effects of proposed leasing under this title.
(d)
Relationship to
State and local authority
Nothing in this title shall be
considered to expand or limit State and local regulatory authority.
(e)
Special
areas
(1)
In
general
The Secretary, after consultation with the State of
Alaska, the city of Kaktovik, and the North Slope Borough, may designate up to
a total of 45,000 acres of the Coastal Plain as a Special Area if the Secretary
determines that the Special Area is of such unique character and interest so as
to require special management and regulatory protection. The Secretary shall
designate as such a Special Area the Sadlerochit Spring area, comprising
approximately 4,000 acres.
(2)
Management
Each
such Special Area shall be managed so as to protect and preserve the area’s
unique and diverse character including its fish, wildlife, and subsistence
resource values.
(3)
Exclusion from
leasing or surface occupancy
The Secretary may exclude any
Special Area from leasing. If the Secretary leases a Special Area, or any part
thereof, for purposes of oil and gas exploration, development, production, and
related activities, there shall be no surface occupancy of the lands comprising
the Special Area.
(4)
Directional
drilling
Notwithstanding the other provisions of this subsection,
the Secretary may lease all or a portion of a Special Area under terms that
permit the use of horizontal drilling technology from sites on leases tracts
located outside the Special Area.
(f)
Limitation on
closed areas
The Secretary’s sole authority to close lands within
the Coastal Plain to oil and gas leasing and to exploration, development, and
production is that set forth in this title.
(g)
Regulations
(1)
In
general
The Secretary shall prescribe such regulations as may be
necessary to carry out this title, including regulations relating to protection
of the fish and wildlife, their habitat, subsistence resources, and environment
of the Coastal Plain, by no later than 15 months after the date of enactment of
this Act.
(2)
Revision of
regulations
The Secretary
shall, through a rule making conducted in accordance with section 553 of title
5, United States Code, periodically review and, if appropriate, revise the
regulations issued under subsection (a) to reflect a preponderance of the best
available scientific evidence that has been peer reviewed and obtained by
following appropriate, documented scientific procedures, the results of which
can be repeated using those same procedures.
203.
Lease
sales
(a)
In
general
Lands may be leased under this title to any person
qualified to obtain a lease for deposits of oil and gas under the Mineral
Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.).
(b)
Procedures
The
Secretary shall, by regulation and no later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, establish procedures for—
(1) receipt and
consideration of sealed nominations for any area of the Coastal Plain for
inclusion in, or exclusion (as provided in subsection (c)) from, a lease
sale;
(2) the holding of
lease sales after such nomination process; and
(3) public notice of
and comment on designation of areas to be included in, or excluded from, a
lease sale.
(c)
Lease sale
bids
Lease sales under this
title may be conducted through an Internet leasing program, if the Secretary
determines that such a system will result in savings to the taxpayer, an
increase in the number of bidders participating, and higher returns than oral
bidding or a sealed bidding system.
(d)
Sale acreages
and schedule
(1) The Secretary
shall offer for lease under this title those tracts the Secretary considers to
have the greatest potential for the discovery of hydrocarbons, taking into
consideration nominations received pursuant to subsection (b)(1).
(2) The Secretary
shall offer for lease under this title no less than 50,000 acres for lease
within 22 months after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(3) The Secretary
shall offer for lease under this title no less than an additional 50,000 acres
at 6-, 12-, and 18-month intervals following offering under paragraph
(2).
(4) The Secretary
shall conduct four additional sales under the same terms and schedule no later
than two years after the date of the last sale under paragraph (3), if
sufficient interest in leasing exists to warrant, in the Secretary’s judgment,
the conduct of such sales.
(5) The Secretary
shall evaluate the bids in each sale and issue leases resulting from such
sales, within 90 days after the date of the completion of such sale.
204.
Grant of leases
by the Secretary
(a)
In
general
The Secretary may grant to the highest responsible
qualified bidder in a lease sale conducted under section 203 any lands to be
leased on the Coastal Plain upon payment by the such bidder of such bonus as
may be accepted by the Secretary.
(b)
Subsequent
transfers
No lease issued under this title may be sold,
exchanged, assigned, sublet, or otherwise transferred except with the approval
of the Secretary. Prior to any such approval the Secretary shall consult with,
and give due consideration to the views of, the Attorney General.
205.
Lease terms and
conditions
(a)
In
general
An oil or gas lease issued under this title shall—
(1) provide for the
payment of a royalty of not less than 12½ percent in
amount or value of the production removed or sold under the lease, as
determined by the Secretary under the regulations applicable to other Federal
oil and gas leases;
(2) provide that the Secretary may close, on a
seasonal basis, portions of the Coastal Plain to exploratory drilling
activities as necessary to protect caribou calving areas and other species of
fish and wildlife based on a preponderance of the best available scientific
evidence that has been peer reviewed and obtained by following appropriate,
documented scientific procedures, the results of which can be repeated using
those same procedures;
(3) require that the
lessee of lands within the Coastal Plain shall be fully responsible and liable
for the reclamation of lands within the Coastal Plain and any other Federal
lands that are adversely affected in connection with exploration, development,
production, or transportation activities conducted under the lease and within
the Coastal Plain by the lessee or by any of the subcontractors or agents of
the lessee;
(4) provide that the
lessee may not delegate or convey, by contract or otherwise, the reclamation
responsibility and liability to another person without the express written
approval of the Secretary;
(5) provide that the
standard of reclamation for lands required to be reclaimed under this title
shall be, as nearly as practicable, a condition capable of supporting the uses
which the lands were capable of supporting prior to any exploration,
development, or production activities, or upon application by the lessee, to a
higher or better use as certified by the Secretary;
(6) contain terms and
conditions relating to protection of fish and wildlife, their habitat,
subsistence resources, and the environment as required pursuant to section
202(a)(2);
(7) provide that the
lessee, its agents, and its contractors use best efforts to provide a fair
share, as determined by the level of obligation previously agreed to in the
1974 agreement implementing section 29 of the Federal Agreement and Grant of
Right of Way for the Operation of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, of employment and
contracting for Alaska Natives and Alaska Native corporations from throughout
the State;
(8) prohibit the
export of oil produced under the lease; and
(9) contain such other
provisions as the Secretary determines necessary to ensure compliance with this
title and the regulations issued under this title.
(b)
Negotiated labor
agreements
The Secretary, as
a term and condition of each lease under this title, shall require that the
lessee and its agents and contractors negotiate to obtain an agreement for the
employment of laborers and mechanics on production, maintenance, and
construction under the lease.
206.
Policies regarding
buying, building, and working for America
(a)
Congressional
intent
It is the intent of the Congress that—
(1) this title will
support a healthy and growing United States domestic energy sector that, in
turn, helps to reinvigorate American manufacturing, transportation, and service
sectors by employing the vast talents of United States workers to assist in the
development of energy from domestic sources; and
(2) Congress will
monitor the deployment of personnel and material onshore and offshore to
encourage the development of American technology and manufacturing to enable
United States workers to benefit from this title through good jobs and careers,
as well as the establishment of important industrial facilities to support
expanded access to American resources.
(b)
Requirement
The
Secretary of the Interior shall when possible, and practicable, encourage the
use of United States workers and equipment manufactured in the United States in
all construction related to mineral development on the Coastal Plain.
207.
Coastal Plain
environmental protection
(a)
No significant
adverse effect standard To govern authorized Coastal Plain
activities
The Secretary shall, consistent with the requirements
of section 202, administer this title through regulations, lease terms,
conditions, restrictions, prohibitions, stipulations, and other provisions
that—
(1) ensure the oil and
gas exploration, development, and production activities on the Coastal Plain
will result in no significant adverse effect on fish and wildlife, their
habitat, and the environment;
(2) require the
application of the best commercially available technology for oil and gas
exploration, development, and production on all new exploration, development,
and production operations; and
(3) ensure that the
maximum amount of surface acreage covered by production and support facilities,
including airstrips and any areas covered by gravel berms or piers for support
of pipelines, does not exceed 10,000 acres on the Coastal Plain for each
100,000 acres of area leased.
(b)
Site-Specific
assessment and mitigation
The Secretary shall also require, with
respect to any proposed drilling and related activities, that—
(1) a
site-specific analysis be made of the probable effects, if any, that the
drilling or related activities will have on fish and wildlife, their habitat,
subsistence resources, and the environment;
(2) a
plan be implemented to avoid, minimize, and mitigate (in that order and to the
extent practicable) any significant adverse effect identified under paragraph
(1); and
(3) the development of
the plan shall occur after consultation with the agency or agencies having
jurisdiction over matters mitigated by the plan.
(c)
Regulations To
protect Coastal Plain fish and wildlife resources, subsistence users, and the
environment
Before implementing the leasing program authorized by
this title, the Secretary shall prepare and promulgate regulations, lease
terms, conditions, restrictions, prohibitions, stipulations, and other measures
designed to ensure that the activities undertaken on the Coastal Plain under
this title are conducted in a manner consistent with the purposes and
environmental requirements of this title.
(d)
Compliance with
Federal and State environmental laws and other requirements
The
proposed regulations, lease terms, conditions, restrictions, prohibitions, and
stipulations for the leasing program under this title shall require compliance
with all applicable provisions of Federal and State environmental law, and
shall also require the following:
(1) Standards at least
as effective as the safety and environmental mitigation measures set forth in
items 1 through 29 at pages 167 through 169 of the Final Legislative
Environmental Impact Statement (April 1987) on the Coastal
Plain.
(2) Seasonal limitations on exploration,
development, and related activities, where necessary, to avoid significant
adverse effects during periods of concentrated fish and wildlife breeding,
denning, nesting, spawning, and migration based on a preponderance of the best
available scientific evidence that has been peer reviewed and obtained by
following appropriate, documented scientific procedures, the results of which
can be repeated using those same procedures.
(3) That exploration
activities, except for surface geological studies, be limited to the period
between approximately November 1 and May 1 each year and that exploration
activities shall be supported, if necessary, by ice roads, winter trails with
adequate snow cover, ice pads, ice airstrips, and air transport methods, except
that such exploration activities may occur at other times if the Secretary
finds that such exploration will have no significant adverse effect on the fish
and wildlife, their habitat, and the environment of the Coastal Plain.
(4) Design safety and
construction standards for all pipelines and any access and service roads,
that—
(A) minimize, to the
maximum extent possible, adverse effects upon the passage of migratory species
such as caribou; and
(B) minimize adverse
effects upon the flow of surface water by requiring the use of culverts,
bridges, and other structural devices.
(5) Prohibitions on
general public access and use on all pipeline access and service roads.
(6) Stringent
reclamation and rehabilitation requirements, consistent with the standards set
forth in this title, requiring the removal from the Coastal Plain of all oil
and gas development and production facilities, structures, and equipment upon
completion of oil and gas production operations, except that the Secretary may
exempt from the requirements of this paragraph those facilities, structures, or
equipment that the Secretary determines would assist in the management of the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and that are donated to the United States for
that purpose.
(7) Appropriate
prohibitions or restrictions on access by all modes of transportation.
(8) Appropriate
prohibitions or restrictions on sand and gravel extraction.
(9) Consolidation of
facility siting.
(10) Appropriate
prohibitions or restrictions on use of explosives.
(11) Avoidance, to the
extent practicable, of springs, streams, and river systems; the protection of
natural surface drainage patterns, wetlands, and riparian habitats; and the
regulation of methods or techniques for developing or transporting adequate
supplies of water for exploratory drilling.
(12) Avoidance or
minimization of air traffic-related disturbance to fish and wildlife.
(13) Treatment and
disposal of hazardous and toxic wastes, solid wastes, reserve pit fluids,
drilling muds and cuttings, and domestic wastewater, including an annual waste
management report, a hazardous materials tracking system, and a prohibition on
chlorinated solvents, in accordance with applicable Federal and State
environmental law.
(14) Fuel storage and
oil spill contingency planning.
(15) Research,
monitoring, and reporting requirements.
(16) Field crew
environmental briefings.
(17) Avoidance of
significant adverse effects upon subsistence hunting, fishing, and trapping by
subsistence users.
(18) Compliance with
applicable air and water quality standards.
(19) Appropriate
seasonal and safety zone designations around well sites, within which
subsistence hunting and trapping shall be limited.
(20) Reasonable
stipulations for protection of cultural and archeological resources.
(21) All other
protective environmental stipulations, restrictions, terms, and conditions
deemed necessary by the Secretary.
(e)
Considerations
In
preparing and promulgating regulations, lease terms, conditions, restrictions,
prohibitions, and stipulations under this section, the Secretary shall consider
the following:
(1) The stipulations
and conditions that govern the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska leasing
program, as set forth in the 1999 Northeast National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska
Final Integrated Activity Plan/Environmental Impact Statement.
(2) The environmental
protection standards that governed the initial Coastal Plain seismic
exploration program under parts 37.31 to 37.33 of title 50, Code of Federal
Regulations.
(3) The land use
stipulations for exploratory drilling on the KIC–ASRC private lands that are
set forth in appendix 2 of the August 9, 1983, agreement between Arctic Slope
Regional Corporation and the United States.
(f)
Facility
consolidation planning
(1)
In
general
The Secretary shall, after providing for public notice
and comment, prepare and update periodically a plan to govern, guide, and
direct the siting and construction of facilities for the exploration,
development, production, and transportation of Coastal Plain oil and gas
resources.
(2)
Objectives
The
plan shall have the following objectives:
(A) Avoiding
unnecessary duplication of facilities and activities.
(B) Encouraging
consolidation of common facilities and activities.
(C) Locating or
confining facilities and activities to areas that will minimize impact on fish
and wildlife, their habitat, and the environment.
(D) Utilizing existing
facilities wherever practicable.
(E) Enhancing
compatibility between wildlife values and development activities.
(g)
Access to public
lands
The Secretary shall—
(1) manage public
lands in the Coastal Plain subject to section 811 of the Alaska National
Interest Lands Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 3121); and
(2) ensure that local
residents shall have reasonable access to public lands in the Coastal Plain for
traditional uses.
208.
Expedited
judicial review
(a)
Filing of
complaint
(1)
Deadline
Subject
to paragraph (2), any complaint seeking judicial review—
(A) of any provision of this title shall be
filed by not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act;
or
(B) of any action of
the Secretary under this title shall be filed—
(i) except as provided
in clause (ii), within the 90-day period beginning on the date of the action
being challenged; or
(ii) in
the case of a complaint based solely on grounds arising after such period,
within 90 days after the complainant knew or reasonably should have known of
the grounds for the complaint.
(2)
Venue
Any
complaint seeking judicial review of any provision of this title or any action
of the Secretary under this title may be filed only in the United States Court
of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
(3)
Limitation on
scope of certain review
Judicial review of a Secretarial decision
to conduct a lease sale under this title, including the environmental analysis
thereof, shall be limited to whether the Secretary has complied with this title
and shall be based upon the administrative record of that decision. The
Secretary’s identification of a preferred course of action to enable leasing to
proceed and the Secretary’s analysis of environmental effects under this title
shall be presumed to be correct unless shown otherwise by clear and convincing
evidence to the contrary.
(b)
Limitation on
other review
Actions of the Secretary with respect to which
review could have been obtained under this section shall not be subject to
judicial review in any civil or criminal proceeding for enforcement.
(c)
Limitation on
attorneys’ fees and court costs
No person seeking judicial review
of any action under this title shall receive payment from the Federal
Government for their attorneys’ fees and other court costs, including under any
provision of law enacted by the Equal Access to Justice Act (5 U.S.C. 504
note).
209.
Treatment of
revenues
Notwithstanding any
other provision of law, 90 percent of the amount of bonus, rental, and royalty
revenues from Federal oil and gas leasing and operations authorized under this
title shall be deposited in the Treasury.
210.
Rights-of-way
across the Coastal Plain
(a)
In
general
The Secretary shall issue rights-of-way and easements
across the Coastal Plain for the transportation of oil and gas produced under
leases under this title—
(1) except as provided
in paragraph (2), under section 28 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 185),
without regard to title XI of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation
Act (16 U.S.C. 3161 et seq.); and
(2) under title XI of
the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (30 U.S.C. 3161 et seq.),
for access authorized by sections 1110 and 1111 of that Act (16 U.S.C. 3170 and
3171).
(b)
Terms and
conditions
The Secretary shall include in any right-of-way or
easement issued under subsection (a) such terms and conditions as may be
necessary to ensure that transportation of oil and gas does not result in a
significant adverse effect on the fish and wildlife, subsistence resources,
their habitat, and the environment of the Coastal Plain, including requirements
that facilities be sited or designed so as to avoid unnecessary duplication of
roads and pipelines.
(c)
Regulations
The
Secretary shall include in regulations under section 202(g) provisions granting
rights-of-way and easements described in subsection (a) of this section.
211.
Conveyance
In order to maximize Federal revenues by
removing clouds on title to lands and clarifying land ownership patterns within
the Coastal Plain, the Secretary, notwithstanding section 1302(h)(2) of the
Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 3192(h)(2)), shall
convey—
(1) to the Kaktovik
Inupiat Corporation the surface estate of the lands described in paragraph 1 of
Public Land Order 6959, to the extent necessary to fulfill the Corporation’s
entitlement under sections 12 and 14 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
(43 U.S.C. 1611 and 1613) in accordance with the terms and conditions of the
Agreement between the Department of the Interior, the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Kaktovik Inupiat
Corporation dated January 22, 1993; and
(2) to the Arctic
Slope Regional Corporation the remaining subsurface estate to which it is
entitled pursuant to the August 9, 1983, agreement between the Arctic Slope
Regional Corporation and the United States of America.
III
Regulatory streamlining
301.
Jurisdiction over covered energy
projects
(a)
Definition of covered energy
project
In this section, the
term covered energy project means any action or decision by a
Federal official regarding—
(1) the leasing of Federal land (including
submerged land) for the exploration, development, production, processing, or
transmission of oil, natural gas, or any other source or form of energy,
including actions and decisions regarding the selection or offering of Federal
land for such leasing; or
(2) any action under such a lease, except that
this section and Act shall not apply to a dispute between the parties to a
lease entered into a provision of law authorizing the lease regarding
obligations under the lease or the alleged breach of the lease.
(b)
Exclusive jurisdiction over causes and
claims relating to covered energy projects
Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
the United States District Court for the District of Columbia shall have
exclusive jurisdiction to hear all causes and claims under this section or any
other Act that arise from any covered energy project, except for any such cause
or claim arising in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth
Circuit.
(c)
Time for filing complaint
(1)
In general
Each case or claim described in subsection
(b) shall be filed not later than the end of the 60-day period beginning on the
date of the action or decision by a Federal official that constitutes the
covered energy project concerned.
(2)
Prohibition
Any cause or claim described in subsection
(b) that is not filed within the time period described in paragraph (1) shall
be barred.
(d)
District court for District of Columbia
deadline
(1)
In general
Each proceeding that is subject to
subsection (b) shall—
(A) be resolved as expeditiously as practicable
and in any event not more than 180 days after the cause or claim is filed;
and
(B) take precedence over all other pending
matters before the district court.
(2)
Failure to comply with
deadline
If an interlocutory
or final judgment, decree, or order has not been issued by the district court
by the deadline required under this section, the cause or claim shall be
dismissed with prejudice and all rights relating to the cause or claim shall be
terminated.
(e)
Ability To seek appellate
review
An interlocutory or
final judgment, decree, or order of the district court under this section may
be reviewed by no other court except the Supreme Court.
302.
Environmental
legal fees
Section 504 of
title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the
following:
(g)
Environmental
legal fees
Notwithstanding section 1304 of title 31, no award may
be made under this section and no amounts may be obligated or expended from the
Claims and Judgment Fund of the United States Treasury to pay any legal fees of
an environmental nongovernmental organization related to an action that (with
respect to the United States)—
(1) prevents,
terminates, or reduces access to or the production of—
(A) energy;
(B) a mineral
resource;
(C) water by
agricultural producers;
(D) a resource by
commercial or recreational fishermen; or
(E) grazing or timber
production on Federal land;
(2) diminishes the
private property value of a property owner; or
(3) eliminates or
prevents 1 or more
jobs.
.
303.
Master leasing
plans
(a)
In
general
Notwithstanding any
other provision of law, the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the
Bureau of Land Management, shall not establish a master leasing plan as part of
any guidance issued by the Secretary.
(b)
Existing master
leasing plans
Instruction Memorandum No. 2010–117 and any other
master leasing plan described in subsection (a) issued on or before the date of
enactment of this Act shall have no force or effect.
304.
National
monuments
Section 2 of the Act
of June 8, 1906 (commonly known as the Antiquities Act of
1906) (16 U.S.C. 431), is amended in the first sentence by
striking , in his discretion, to declare by public proclamation
and inserting to declare, subject to approval by an Act of
Congress,.
305.
Carbon dioxide
and other greenhouse gas emissions reductions in China, India, and
Russia
(a)
Definition of
Administrator
In this section, the term
Administrator means the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency.
(b)
Findings
Congress finds that—
(1) in 1997, the
Senate adopted Senate Resolution 98, 105th Congress, agreed to July 25, 1997,
which expressed the sense of the Senate that the United States should not
accept any agreement that would mandate new commitments to limit or reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by developed countries unless the agreement also
mandated new specific scheduled commitments to limit or reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by developing countries within the same compliance period; and
(2) the Administrator
continues to move forward with the regulation of carbon dioxide emissions,
however, the People’s Republic of China, India, and the Russian Federation do
not impose similar regulations on carbon dioxide emissions.
(c)
Carbon dioxide
or greenhouse gas emissions reductions
Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
the Administrator or the head of any other Federal agency or department shall
not regulate or continue to implement or enforce any regulations, proposals, or
actions establishing any carbon dioxide or greenhouse gas emissions reductions
until the Administrator, the Administrator of the Energy Information Agency,
and the Secretary of Commerce certify in writing that—
(1) the People’s Republic of China, India, and
the Russian Federation have proposed, implemented, and enforced measures
requiring carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions reductions;
and
(2) the reductions described in paragraph (1)
are substantially similar to the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas
emission reductions proposed by the Administrator or the head of any other
Federal agency or department for the United States.
(d)
Repeal
Any regulation, proposal, or action in
effect before, on, or after the date of enactment of this Act, but before the
date on which the certification under subsection (c) is made, that requires any
carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions reduction shall have no force
or effect.
306.
Employment
effects of actions under Clean Air Act
Section 321(b) of the Clean Air Act (42
U.S.C. 7621(b)) is amended—
(1) by designating the first through eighth
sentences as paragraphs (1) through (8), respectively; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
(9)
Economic
analysis
Not later than 30
days before conducting a public hearing or providing notice of a determination
that a hearing is not necessary with respect to a requirement described in
paragraph (1), the Administrator shall—
(A) conduct a full economic analysis of the
requirement; and
(B) make the data,
methodologies, and results of the analysis available to the public.
(10)
Economic
review board
(A)
In
general
Not later than 30 days after the date on which the
Administrator makes the results of an economic analysis of a requirement
available to the public under paragraph (9)(B), the Secretary of Commerce shall
establish an economic review board consisting of a representative from each
Federal agency with jurisdiction over affected industries to assess—
(i) the cumulative
economic impact of the requirement, including the direct, indirect,
quantifiable, and qualitative effects;
(ii) the cost of
compliance with the requirement;
(iii) the effect of
the requirement on the retirement or closure of domestic businesses;
(iv) energy sectors
that could be expected to retire units as a result of the requirement;
(v) the impact of the
requirement on the price of electricity, oil, gas, coal, and renewable
resources;
(vi) the economic
harm to consumers resulting from the requirement;
(vii) the impact of
the requirement on the ability of industries and businesses in the United
States to compete with industries and businesses in other countries, with
respect to competitiveness in both domestic and foreign markets;
(viii) the regions of
the United States that are forecasted to be—
(I) most affected
from the direct and indirect adverse impacts of the requirement from the
retirement of impacted units and increased prices for retail electricity,
transportation fuels, heating oil, and petrochemicals; and
(II) least affected
from adverse impacts described in subclause (I) due to the creation of new jobs
and economic growth that are expected to result directly and indirectly from
energy construction projects;
(ix) the adverse
impacts of the requirement on electric reliability that are expected to result
from the retirement of electric generation;
(x) the geographical
distribution of the projected adverse electric reliability impacts of the
requirement;
(xi) Federal, State,
and local policies that have been or will be implemented to support energy
infrastructure in the United States, including policies that promote fuel
diversity, affordable and reliable electricity, and energy security;
(xii) the potential
economic impacts as a result of outsourcing; and
(xiii) other direct
and indirect impacts that are expected to result from the cumulative obligation
to comply with the requirement.
(B)
Report
Not
later than 30 days after the date on which the economic review board completes
the assessment of a requirement under subparagraph (A), the economic review
board shall submit to Congress, the President, and the Secretary a report that
describes the results of the assessment.
(C)
Regulations
The
Administrator shall not promulgate regulations to implement a requirement
described in paragraph (1) until at least 60 days after the date of submission
of the report on the requirement under subparagraph
(B).
.
307.
Endangered species
(a)
Emergencies
Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act of
1973 (16 U.S.C. 1539) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(k)
Emergencies
On the declaration of an emergency by the
Governor of a State, the Secretary shall, for the duration of the emergency,
temporarily exempt from the prohibition against taking, and the prohibition
against the adverse modification of critical habitat, under this Act any action
that is reasonably necessary to avoid or ameliorate the impact of the
emergency, including fighting or preventing forest fires and the building,
rebuilding, or operation of any water supply or flood control project by a
Federal
agency.
.
(b)
Prohibition of consideration of impact of
greenhouse gases and climate change
(1)
In general
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
19.
Prohibition of consideration of impact of
greenhouse gases and climate change
(a)
Definition of greenhouse gas
In this section, the term greenhouse
gas means any of—
(1) carbon dioxide;
(2) methane;
(3) nitrous oxide;
(4) sulfur hexafluoride;
(5) a hydrofluorocarbon;
(6) a perfluorocarbon; or
(7) any other anthropogenic gas designated by
the Secretary for purposes of this section.
(b)
Impact of greenhouse gases and climate
change
The impact of any
greenhouse gas or climate change on any species of fish or wildlife or plant
shall not be considered for any purpose in the implementation of this
Act.
.
(2)
Conforming amendment
The table of contents in the first section
of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. prec. 1531) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
Sec. 18. Annual cost analysis
by the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Sec. 19. Prohibition of
consideration of impact of greenhouse gases and climate
change.
.
308.
Central Valley
Project
The Act of August 27,
1954 (68 Stat. 879, chapter 1012; 16 U.S.C. 695d et seq.) is amended by adding
at the end the following:
9.
Effect of
biological opinions
Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
in connection with the Central Valley Project, the Bureau of Reclamation and an
agency of the State of California operating a water project in connection with
the Project shall not restrict operations of an applicable project pursuant to
any biological opinion issued under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531
et seq.), if the restriction would result in a level of allocation of water
that is less than the historical maximum level of allocation of water under the
project.
.
309.
Keystone XL permit
approval
(a)
In
general
Notwithstanding Executive Order No. 13337 (3 U.S.C. 301
note), Executive Order No. 11423 (3 U.S.C. 301 note), section 301 of title 3,
United States Code, and any other Executive order or provision of law, no
presidential permit shall be required for the pipeline described in the
application filed on May 4, 2012, by TransCanada Corporation to the Department
of State for the northern portion of the Keystone XL pipeline from the Canadian
border to the border between the States of South Dakota and Nebraska.
(b)
Environmental
impact statement
The final environmental impact statement issued
by the Secretary of State on August 26, 2011, regarding the pipeline referred
to in subsection (a), shall be considered to satisfy all requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
(c)
Intrastate
portion
(1)
In
general
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the route of
the Keystone XL pipeline through the State of Nebraska reviewed in the Final
Evaluation Report conducted pursuant to Neb. Rev. Stat. § 57–1503(1) and
approved by the Governor of the State shall be considered approved.
(2)
Environmental
impact statements
The Final Evaluation Report described in
paragraph (1) shall be considered to satisfy all requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
(d)
Critical
habitat
No area necessary to construct or maintain the Keystone
XL pipeline shall be considered critical habitat under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) or any other provision of law.
(e)
Permits
Any
Federal permit or authorization issued before the date of enactment of this Act
for the pipeline and cross-border facilities described in subsections (a) and
(b), and the related facilities in the United States, shall remain in
effect.
(f)
Federal
judicial review
The pipeline and cross-border facilities
described in subsections (a) and (b), and the related facilities in the United
States, that are approved by this section, and any permit, right-of-way, or
other action taken to construct or complete the project pursuant to Federal
law, shall only be subject to judicial review on direct appeal to the United
States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
310.
Drakes Bay
Oyster Company
Notwithstanding
any other provision of law (including the memorandum of the Secretary of the
Interior dated November 29, 2012, with the subject entitled Point Reyes
National Seashore–Drakes Bay Oyster Company)—
(1) the Secretary of the Interior, acting
through the Director of the National Park Service, shall—
(A) reinstate, for a
period of not less than 10 years, the reservation of use and occupancy and
special use permits to conduct commercial operations within Point Reyes
National Seashore in the State of California held by Drakes Bay Oyster Company,
which expired on November 30, 2012, subject to the terms and conditions
contained in those permits, as in effect on November 29, 2012; and
(B) on receipt of a
request from Drakes Bay Oyster Company (or a successor in interest), renew
those reinstated permits for an additional 10-year period; and
(2) Drakes Estero in
the State of California shall not be converted to a designated
wilderness.