§15921 — Title 42 The Public Health and Welfare | U.S. Code

Summary

Make the Interior Department and the Agriculture Department move faster on oil and gas leases and drilling permits while following environmental and cultural laws. The Interior Secretary must quickly follow section 4332(2)(C) and other environmental and cultural rules, work better with states and the public, and set up improved ways to collect, store, and find lease information. The Agriculture Secretary must also quickly follow environmental and cultural rules and improve how leasing information is handled. Within 18 months after August 8, 2005, the Interior Secretary must create and use best management practices to run onshore leasing and speed up processing. Within 180 days after those practices are made, the Secretary must publish proposed rules for public comment that set deadlines for approving or denying resource management plans, lease applications, permits to drill, surface use plans, and related appeals. Both Secretaries must step up inspections and enforcement of permits. For fiscal years 2006–2010, Congress authorized these amounts: $40,000,000 to the Interior (BLM) for planning and practices, $20,000,000 to the Interior (BLM) for inspections/enforcement, $5,000,000 to the Fish and Wildlife Service, and $5,000,000 to the Forest Service.

Title 42, §15921

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)To ensure timely action on oil and gas leases and applications for permits to drill on land otherwise available for leasing, the Secretary of the Interior (referred to in this section as the “Secretary”) shall—

(A)ensure expeditious compliance with section 4332(2)(C) of this title and any other applicable environmental and cultural resources laws;

(B)improve consultation and coordination with the States and the public; and

(C)improve the collection, storage, and retrieval of information relating to the oil and gas leasing activities.

(2)To ensure timely action on oil and gas lease applications for permits to drill on land otherwise available for leasing, the Secretary of Agriculture shall—

(A)ensure expeditious compliance with all applicable environmental and cultural resources laws; and

(B)improve the collection, storage, and retrieval of information relating to the oil and gas leasing activities.

(b)(1)Not later than 18 months after August 8, 2005, the Secretary shall develop and implement best management practices to—

(A)improve the administration of the onshore oil and gas leasing program under the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.); and

(B)ensure timely action on oil and gas leases and applications for permits to drill on land otherwise available for leasing.

(2)In developing the best management practices under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consider any recommendations from the review under section 361.11 See References in Text note below.

(3)Not later than 180 days after the development of the best management practices under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall publish, for public comment, proposed regulations that set forth specific timeframes for processing leases and applications in accordance with the best management practices, including deadlines for—

(A)approving or disapproving—

(i)resource management plans and related documents;

(ii)lease applications;

(iii)applications for permits to drill; and

(iv)surface use plans; and

(B)related administrative appeals.

(c)The Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture shall improve inspection and enforcement of oil and gas activities, including enforcement of terms and conditions in permits to drill on land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture, respectively.

(d)In addition to amounts made available to carry out activities relating to oil and gas leasing on public land administered by the Secretary and National Forest System land administered by the Secretary of Agriculture, there are authorized to be appropriated for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2010—

(1)to the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management—

(A)$40,000,000 to carry out subsections (a)(1) and (b); and

(B)$20,000,000 to carry out subsection (c);

(2)to the Secretary, acting through the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, $5,000,000 to carry out subsection (a)(1); and

(3)to the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, $5,000,000 to carry out subsections (a)(2) and (c).

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Mineral Leasing Act, referred to in subsec. (b)(1)(A), is act Feb. 25, 1920, ch. 85, 41 Stat. 437, which is classified generally to chapter 3A (§ 181 et seq.) of Title 30, Mineral Lands and Mining. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 181 of Title 30 and Tables. section 361, referred to in subsec. (b)(2), is section 361 of Pub. L. 109–58, title III, Aug. 8, 2005, 119 Stat. 720, which is not classified to the Code.

§15921 Management of Federal oil and gas leasing programs