,i  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #cefe  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #bh1 #bjag,mrs4
 ,black 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,fleischmann1
 ,mr4 ,kustoff of ,tennessee1 ,mr4      
,sessions1 ,mr4 ,stewart1 ,mr4 ,gosar1  
,mr4 ,duncan of ,south ,carolina1 ,mr4  
,roe of ,tennessee1 ,mrs4 ,blackburn1   
and ,mr4 ,duncan of ,tennessee7         
introduced the following bill2 which was
 referred to the ,committee on ,natural 
,resources  ,a ,,bill  ,to achieve      
domestic energy independence by         
empowering ,states to control the       
exploration1 development1 and production
 of oil and gas on all available        
,federal land1 and for other purposes4  
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,federal ,land ,freedom ,act4   
#b4 ,findings ,congress finds that--    
7#a7 as of the date of the enactment of 
this ,act-- 7,a7 #aac1jjj1jjj acres of  
onshore ,federal land are open and      
accessible for oil and gas development2 
and  7,b7 approximately #aff1jjj1jjj    

acres of onshore ,federal land are      
off-limits or inaccessible for oil and  
gas development2  7#b7 despite the      
recent oil and gas boom in the ,united  
,states1 the number of acres of ,federal
 land leased for oil and gas exploration
 has decreased by #ca percent since     
#bjjh2  7#c7 in #bjae1 the ,federal     
,government leased only #cf1jjj1jjj     
acres of ,federal land1 in contrast to  
the #aca1jjj1jjj acres that were leased 
in #aihd2  7#d7 the reduction in leasing
 of ,federal land harms economic growth 
and ,federal revenues2  7#e7 in #bjae1  
it took1 on average1 #bbj days to       
process applications for permits to     
drill on ,federal land2 and  7#f7       
,states have extensive and sufficient   
regulatory frameworks for permitting oil
 and gas development4  #c4 ,definitions 
,in this ,act3  7#a7 ,available federal 
land ,the term available ,federal land  
means any ,federal land that1 as of ,may
 #ca1 #bjag-- 7,a7 is located within the
 boundaries of a ,state2  7,b7 is not   

held by the ,united ,states in trust for
 the benefit of a federally recognized  
,indian tribe2  7,c7 is not a unit of   
the ,national ,park ,system2  7,d7 is   
not a unit of the ,national ,wildlife   
,refuge ,system2  7,e7 is not           
,congressionally approved wilderness    
area under the ,wilderness ,act 7#af    
,u4,s4,c4 #aaca et seq472 and  7,f7 has 
been identified as land available for   
lease for the exploration1 development1 
and production of oil or gas--  7i7 by  
the ,bureau of ,land ,management under a
 ,resource ,management ,plan pursuant to
 the process provided for in the        
,federal ,land ,management and ,policy  
,act of #aigf 7#dc ,u4,s4,c4 #agja et   
seq472 or  7ii7 by the ,forest ,service 
under a ,forest ,management ,plan       
pursuant to the process provided for in 
the ,national ,forest ,management ,act  
of #aigf 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #afjj et seq474 
7#b7 ,state ,the term ,state means--    
7,a7 one of the several ,states2 and    
7,b7 the ,district of ,columbia4  7#c7  

,state regulatory program ,the term     
,state regulatory program means a       
program established pursuant to ,state  
law that regulates oil and gas          
exploration1 development1 and production
 on land located in the ,state4  #d4    
,state control of oil and gas           
exploration1 development1 and production
 on all available ,federal land  7a7    
,submission of ,state regulatory program
 ,each ,state in which there may be the 
leasing1 permitting1 or regulating of   
oil and gas exploration1 development1   
and production activities on available  
,federal lands1 and which wishes to     
assume exclusive jurisdiction over the  
leasing1 permitting1 and regulation of  
such oil and gas activities1 shall      
submit to the ,secretaries of the       
,interior and ,agriculture a ,state     
regulatory program which demonstrates   
that such ,state has the capability of  
carrying out the provisions of this ,act
 and meeting its purposes through--     
7#a7 a ,state law which provides for the

 leasing1 regulation and permitting of  
oil and gas exploration1 development1   
and production activities2  7#b7 a      
,state law which provides sanctions for 
violations of ,state laws1 regulations1 
or conditions of permits concerning oil 
and gas exploration1 development1 and   
production activities2  7#c7 a ,state   
regulatory authority with sufficient    
administrative and technical personnel1 
and sufficient funding to enable the    
,state to lease1 regulate and permit oil
 and gas exploration1 development1 and  
production activities2 and  7#d7 a      
,state law which provides for the       
effective implementation1 maintenance1  
and enforcement of a permit system for  
oil and gas exploration1 development1   
and production activities on available  
,federal lands within the ,state4  7b7  
,approval of state regulatory program   
7#a7 ,in general ,the ,state regulatory 
program submitted under subsection 7a7  
shall be deemed approved1 unless1 not   
later than #fj days after submission1   

the ,secretaries of the ,interior and   
,agriculture--  7,a7 find approval of a 
,state regulatory program would result  
in decreased royalty payments to the    
,federal ,government2 or  7,b7 determine
 that the ,state ,regulatory ,program   
submitted under subsection 7a7 does not 
have the capability to carry out the    
provisions of this ,act4  7#b7 ,adverse 
determination ,for any adverse          
determination by the ,secretaries1 the  
,secretaries shall-- 7,a7 notify1 in    
writing1 the ,state applicant of the    
reason for the withholding of approval2 
and  7,b7 provide any additional        
information1 data1 or analysis upon     
which such determination is based4  7c7 
,effect of ,approval of ,state          
regulatory program ,notwithstanding any 
other provision of law1 on approval of a
 ,state regulatory program under        
subsection 7b71 the ,state shall assume 
the ,federal leasing1 permitting and    
regulatory responsibilities for oil and 
gas exploration1 development1 and       

production on available ,federal land   
located in the ,state in accordance with
 the approved plan4  7d7 ,effect of     
,state action ,any action by a ,state to
 lease1 permit1 or regulate oil and gas 
exploration1 development1 and production
 in accordance with an approved ,state  
regulatory program shall not be subject 
to1 or considered a ,federal action1    
,federal permit1 or ,federal license    
under--  7#a7 subchapter ,,ii of chapter
 #e1 and chapter #g1 of title #e1       
,united ,states ,code 7commonly known as
 the #8#8,administrative ,procedure     
,act''72  7#b7 chapter #cjja of title   
#ed1 ,united ,states ,code2  7#c7 the   
,endangered ,species ,act of #aigc 7#af 
,u4,s4,c4 #aeca et seq472 or  7#d7 the  
,national ,environmental ,policy ,act of
 #aifi 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dcba et seq474   
7e7 ,reassumption of regulatory         
authority by the ,secretary  7#a7       
,voluntary surrender of authority ,if a 
,state regulatory program has been      
approved under subsection 7b71 such     

state may voluntarily revoke such       
approval1 and relinquish the duties     
under subsection 7c7 upon providing a   
#fj-;day notice to the ,secretaries of  
the ,interior and ,agriculture4 ,upon   
the expiration of the #fj-;day period1  
the state shall no longer be permitted  
to lease1 regulate1 or permit oil and   
gas exploration1 development1 and       
production activities on available      
,federal lands4  7#b7 ,involuntary      
surrender of authority ,if the          
,secretaries of the ,interior or        
,agriculture determine a ,state         
regulatory program has resulted in a    
#bj-percent decrease in royalties to the
 ,federal government from the preceding 
year1 the ,secretaries shall notify the 
state of such decrease4 ,such notified  
state shall have #ahj days to address   
the royalty deficiency4 ,if a state     
fails to improve the amount of royalties
 paid to the federal government1 then   
the ,secretaries of the ,interior and   
,agriculture may jointly determine to   

revoke the approval of the state        
regulatory program under subsection 7b74
  #e4 ,no effect on ,federal revenues   
7a7 ,in general ,any lease or permit    
issued by a ,state under section #d     
shall include provisions for the        
collection of royalties or other        
revenues in an amount equal to the      
amount of royalties or revenues that    
would have been collected if the lease  
or permit had been issued by the        
,federal ,government4  7b7 ,disposition 
of revenues ,any revenues collected     
under a lease or permit issued by a     
,state under section #d shall be        
deposited in the same ,federal account  
in which the revenues would have been   
deposited if the lease or permit had    
been issued by the ,federal ,government4
  7c7 ,effect on ,state processing fees 
,nothing in this ,act prohibits a ,state
 from collecting and retaining a fee    
from an applicant to cover the          
administrative costs of processing an   
application for a lease or permit4