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119-hr-1194119th Congress

Federal Lands and Waters Leasing Transparency Act

Sponsored By: Representative Higgins, Clay [R-LA-3]

Introduced

Summary

Speed up and make federal oil and gas leasing more transparent. This bill would require detailed post-bid reports when the government says a bid is below fair market value, impose a 60-day deadline for issuing onshore leases after the first lease year, and limit lawsuits that can pause offshore lease sales while preserving courts' power to require fixes.

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  • Bidders and lease applicants would get written explanations when a bid is deemed below fair market value. For qualified bids the report must show how the bid compares to the Mean Range of Values, Delay-adjusted Mean Range of Values, Adjusted Delayed Value, and Revised Arithmetic Average Measure.
  • Onshore lease timing would change by creating a 60-day deadline to issue a lease after the first lease year unless a court finds issuance would violate federal law.
  • Offshore lease litigation would no longer allow courts to vacate or enjoin lease sales or issued leases or to pause review of exploration plans, drilling permits, or other approvals. If a court finds noncompliance it must remand to the Secretary and the Secretary must correct the issue while continuing to process approvals.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Faster onshore leases with 60-day limit

This bill would set a firm 60-day deadline to issue onshore leases after the first lease year. A court could block issuance by that deadline only if issuing the lease would violate federal law. This would start when the bill becomes law.

Fewer court delays for offshore leases

This bill would limit court remedies for offshore lease sales. Lawsuits would not cancel a sale or leases from it. They would not slow plan, permit, or other approval timelines. If a court finds legal errors, it would remand to Interior to fix. Interior would keep processing permits while corrections are made.

Clear reasons when lease bids rejected

If your bid is rejected as below fair market value, you would get a written report explaining why. For qualified bids reviewed by analysts, the report would show how your bid compares to valuation measures. This would apply to tracts with at least one bid where no lease was issued to the top bidder.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Higgins, Clay [R-LA-3]

LA • R

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Hageman, Harriet M. [R-WY-At Large]

    WY • R

    Sponsored 2/11/2025

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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