,,ii #aadth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #abaj ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #f1 #bjae ,mrs4 ,capito 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,cassidy1 and ,ms4 ,heitkamp7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,natural ,resources ,a ,,bill ,to provide for the timely consideration of all licenses1 permits1 and approvals required under ,federal law with respect to oil and gas production and distribution4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,oil and ,gas ,production and ,distribution ,reform ,act of #bjae4 #b4 ,,ferc process coordination with respect to regulatory approval of oil and gas projects 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,agency ,the term agency means a ,federal or ,state agency or unit of local government identified under subsection 7b74 7#b7 ,commission ,the term ,commission means the ,federal ,energy ,regulatory ,commission4 7#c7 ,federal authorization 7,a7 ,in general ,the term ,federal authorization means any authorization required under ,federal law with respect to an application for authorization or a certificate of public convenience and necessity relating to oil and gas production and distribution4 7,b7 ,inclusions ,the term ,federal authorization includes any permits1 special use authorizations1 certifications1 opinions1 or other approvals as may be required under ,federal law with respect to an application for authorization or a certificate of public convenience and necessity relating to oil and gas production and distribution4 7b7 ,identification ,as soon as practicable after an application for ,federal authorization is submitted1 the ,commission shall identify each ,federal or ,state agency or unit of local government that may consider an aspect of that application4 7c7 ,invitation 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,commission shall invite each agency identified under subsection 7b7 to cooperate or participate in the review process for the application4 7#b7 ,deadline ,an invitation issued under paragraph 7#a7 shall establish a deadline by which a response to the invitation shall be submitted1 which may be extended by the ,commission for good cause4 7d7 ,deadline for ,federal authorization ,each agency delegated the authority to review an aspect of the application under subsection 7c77#a7 shall make a final decision on the aspect of the ,federal authorization under consideration by that agency by not later than #ij days after the date on which the ,commission issues the final environmental document of the ,commission1 unless a different schedule is otherwise established by ,federal law4 7e7 ,deference to ,commission ,in making a decision with respect to a ,federal authorization1 each agency shall give deference1 to the maximum extent authorized by law1 to the scope of environmental review that the ,commission determines to be appropriate4 7f7 ,concurrent ,reviews ,each agency considering an aspect of an application for ,federal authorization shall-- 7#a7 carry out the obligations of that agency under applicable law concurrently and in conjunction with the review required by the ,national ,environmental ,policy ,act of #aifi 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dcba et seq471 unless doing so would impair the ability of the agency to conduct needed analysis or otherwise carry out those obligations2 7#b7 formulate and implement administrative1 policy1 and procedural mechanisms to enable the agency to complete the required ,federal authorizations by the deadline described in subsection 7d72 and 7#c7 transmit to the ,commission a statement-- 7,a7 acknowledging notice of the deadline under subsection 7d72 and 7,b7 describing the plan formulated under paragraph 7#b74 7g7 ,issue ,identification and ,resolution 7#a7 ,identification ,each agency considering an aspect of an application for ,federal authorization shall identify1 as soon as practicable1 any issues of concern that may delay or prevent the agency from granting the authorization4 7#b7 ,issue ,resolution ,meeting 7,a7 ,in general ,on request of an agency or applicant1 the ,commission shall convene a meeting with the relevant agencies and the applicant to resolve any issues that may-- 7i7 delay completion of the environmental review document2 or 7ii7 result in the denial of any ,federal authorization4 7,b7 ,meeting ,date ,a meeting requested under subparagraph 7,a7 shall be held not later than #ba days after the date on which the ,commission receives the request for the meeting1 unless the ,commission determines that there is good cause to extend the deadline4 7,c7 ,notification ,on receipt of a request for a meeting under subparagraph 7,a71 the ,commission shall notify all relevant agencies of-- 7i7 the request for the meeting2 7ii7 the nature of the issue to be resolved2 and 7iii7 the date for the meeting4 7#c7 ,elevation of ,issue ,resolution 7,a7 ,in general ,if the issue is not resolved within #cj days after a meeting under this paragraph1 the ,commission shall forward for resolution the dispute to the heads of the relevant agencies4 7,b7 ,inclusion ,in the case of a failure to achieve resolution by a ,state agency or unit of local government1 the ,commission shall forward for resolution the dispute to the head of the ,federal agency overseeing the delegated authority4 7h7 ,failure ,to meet deadline ,if an agency does not complete a proceeding for an approval that is required for a ,federal authorization by the deadline described in subsection 7d71 the head of the relevant ,federal agency 7including1 in the case of a failure by the ,state agency or unit of local government1 the ,federal agency overseeing the delegated authority7 shall-- 7#a7 notify ,congress and the ,commission of the failure2 and 7#b7 describe in that notification an implementation plan to ensure completion4 7i7 ,application ,processing ,the ,commission may allow an applicant seeking ,federal authorization to fund a third-party contractor or ,commission staff to assist the ,commission in reviewing the application4 7j7 ,accountability2 transparency2 efficiency 7#a7 ,in general ,for applications requiring multiple ,federal authorizations1 the ,commission1 in consultation with any agency considering an aspect of the application1 shall track and make available to the public on the website of the ,commission information relating to the actions required to complete permitting1 reviews1 and other requirements4 7#b7 ,inclusions ,information tracked under paragraph 7#a7 shall include the following3 7,a7 ,the deadline described in subsection 7d74 7,b7 ,a list of all the actions required by each applicable agency to complete permitting1 reviews1 and other requirements necessary to obtain a final decision on the ,federal authorization4 7,c7 ,the expected completion date for each action listed under subparagraph 7,b74 7,d7 ,a point of contact at the agency accountable for each action listed under subparagraph 7,b74 7,e7 ,in the event that an action is still pending as of the expected date of completion1 a brief explanation of the reason for the delay4