# 114-hr-4389: Ensuring the Taxpayer a Fair Return for Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Resources Act of 2015

114-hr-4389, Ensuring the Taxpayer a Fair Return for Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Resources Act of 2015, is a 114th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Lowenthal, Alan S. [D-CA-47] (D-CA); status Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-4389
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 114-hr-4389
- Congress: 114
- Title: Ensuring the Taxpayer a Fair Return for Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Resources Act of 2015
- Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
- Introduced: 2016-01-13
- Sponsor: Rep. Lowenthal, Alan S. [D-CA-47] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 16
- Policy area: Energy
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

Ensuring the Taxpayer a Fair Return for Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Resources Act of 2015 This bill amends the Mineral Leasing Act to increase the minimum acceptable bids and rentals for leases of oil, natural gas, and tar sand on federal land. Minimum acceptable bids and rentals shall receive inflation adjustments once every four years. One-third of any amounts received by the United States from sales, bonuses, and royalties, including interest charges collected under the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982, and from rentals of the public lands in Alaska under the Mineral Leasing Act and the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970, shall be made available in specified percentages: for use for oil and gas inspection and enforcement; to remediate, reclaim, and properly plug and abandon orphan oil and gas wells on federal lands; and to the state within whose boundaries the leased land is located, or the deposits were derived, for state use in accordance with specified requirements.

## Cosponsors (16)

- Rep. Grijalva, Raúl M. [D-AZ-7] (D-AZ), 2016-01-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] (D-WI), 2016-02-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Polis, Jared [D-CO-2] (D-CO), 2016-02-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Beyer, Donald S. [D-VA-8] (D-VA), 2016-02-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2] (D-CA), 2016-02-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Napolitano, Grace F. [D-CA-31] (D-CA), 2016-02-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tsongas, Niki [D-MA-3] (D-MA), 2016-02-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] (D-IL), 2016-03-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tonko, Paul [D-NY-20] (D-NY), 2016-03-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2016-03-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lee, Barbara [D-CA-12] (D-CA), 2016-03-17T00:00:00.000Z
- MICHAEL HONDA (D-CA), 2016-03-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cárdenas, Tony [D-CA-29] (D-CA), 2016-03-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Connolly, Gerald E. [D-VA-11] (D-VA), 2016-03-17T00:00:00.000Z
- LOUISE SLAUGHTER (D-NY), 2016-04-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cartwright, Matt [D-PA-8] (D-PA), 2016-06-16T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 114-hr-5044: Making supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2016 to respond to Zika virus.
- 114-hr-4592: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act
- 114-hr-4479: Families of Flint Act
- 114-hr-3381: Childhood Cancer STAR Act
- 114-hr-3268: PAST Act
- 114-hr-3185: Equality Act

## Sources
- [114-hr-4389 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4389)

## Related
- [114-hr-5044: Making supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2016 to respond to Zika viru…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-5044)
- [114-hr-4592: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-4592)
- [114-hr-4479: Families of Flint Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-4479)
- [114-hr-3381: Childhood Cancer STAR Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-3381)
- [114-hr-3268: PAST Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-3268)
- [114-hr-3185: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-3185)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-4389 (as of 2025-11-18).