,,ii  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #cce  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the
 ,,united ,,states  ,february #g        
7legislative day1 ,february #f71        
#bjag,mr4 ,inhofe 7for himself1 ,mr4    
,rubio1 ,mr4 ,cruz1 ,mr4 ,lankford1 ,mr4
 ,crapo1 and ,mrs4 ,capito7 introduced  
the following bill2 which was read twice
 and referred to the ,committee on      
,energy and ,natural ,resources  ,a     
,,bill  ,to achieve domestic energy     
independence by empowering ,states to   
control the development and production  
of all forms of energy on all available 
,federal land4  #a4 ,short title ,this  
,act may be cited as the ,federal ,land 
,freedom ,act of #bjag4  #b4 ,findings  
,congress finds that-- 7#a7 as of the   
date of enactment of this ,act--  7,a7  
#aac1jjj1jjj acres of onshore ,federal  
land are open and accessible for oil and
 natural gas development2 and  7,b7     
approximately #aff1jjj1jjj acres of     
onshore ,federal land are off-limits or 
inaccessible for oil and natural gas    

development2  7#b7 despite the recent   
oil and natural gas boom in the ,united 
,states1 the number of acres of ,federal
 land leased for oil and natural gas    
exploration has decreased by #bd percent
 since #bjjh2  7#c7 in #bjac1 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 #bjac1 it took #aig  
days to process applications for permits
 to drill on ,federal land2 and  7#f7   
the ,states have extensive and          
sufficient regulatory frameworks for    
permitting oil and natural 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     
#bjac--  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 and  7,e7 is not a     
congressionally designated wilderness   
area4  7#b7 ,state ,the term ,state     
means--  7,a7 a ,state2 and  7,b7 the   
,district of ,columbia4  7#c7 ,state    
leasing1 permitting1 and regulatory     
program ,the term ,state leasing1       
permitting1 and regulatory program means
 a program established pursuant to      
,state law that regulates the           
exploration and development of oil1     
natural gas1 and other forms of energy  
on land located in the ,state4  #d4     
,state control of energy development and
 production on all available federal    
land  7a7 ,state leasing1 permitting1   
and regulatory programs ,any ,state that
 has established a ,state leasing1      
permitting1 and regulatory program may--
 7#a7 submit to the ,secretaries of the 
,interior1 ,agriculture1 and ,energy a  

declaration that a ,state leasing1      
permitting1 and regulatory program has  
been established or amended2 and  7#b7  
seek to transfer responsibility for     
leasing1 permitting1 and regulating oil1
 natural gas1 and other forms of energy 
development from the ,federal           
,government to the ,state4  7b7 ,state  
action authorized ,notwithstanding any  
other provision of law1 on submission of
 a declaration under subsection 7a77#a71
 the ,state submitting the declaration  
may lease1 permit1 and regulate the     
exploration and development of oil1     
natural gas1 and other forms of energy  
on ,federal land located in the ,state  
in lieu of the ,federal ,government4    
7c7 ,effect of ,state action ,any action
 by a ,state to lease1 permit1 or       
regulate the exploration and development
 of oil1 natural gas1 and other forms of
 energy pursuant to subsection 7b7 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 division ,a of subtitle ,,iii 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  #e4 ,no effect on ,federal      
revenues  7a7 ,in general ,any lease or 
permit issued by a ,state pursuant to   
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 by a
 ,state from leasing or permitting on   
,federal land pursuant to 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