# 119-s-722: Bureau of Land Management Mineral Spacing Act

119-s-722, Bureau of Land Management Mineral Spacing Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Hoeven, John [R-ND] (R-ND); status introduced (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-722
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-722
- Congress: 119
- Title: Bureau of Land Management Mineral Spacing Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-02-25
- Sponsor: Sen. Hoeven, John [R-ND] (R-ND)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Energy
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Streamlines permitting** by creating targeted exemptions from the Mineral Leasing Act for certain oil and gas wells in mixed federal and non‑federal mineral units. It also narrows Interior’s enforcement power on non‑Federal surface when the Federal mineral interest is partial and the directly affected surface is not federal. - Operators and lessees: Would exempt many State drilling permits from MLA federal permit requirements when the Federal Government owns less than 50% of minerals in the unit or when a well on non‑Federal land enters or traverses Federal minerals. Operators must notify the Department of the Interior within 5 days of submitting a State permit application, notify within 45 days after State approval, and provide access agreements before drilling. - Non‑Federal surface owners: Limits Interior’s authority in the covered cases. Interior could not enter non‑Federal land without consent, require bonds to protect non‑Federal land, impose mitigation requirements, or demand approval for surface reclamation. - Federal revenue and Interior authorities: Preserves royalty collection and Interior’s other authorities under the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act. - Tribes and Indian Lands: The exemption would not apply to Indian Lands, and applicable State or Tribal requirements still govern where noted.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY] (R-WY), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cramer, Kevin [R-ND] (R-ND), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT] (R-MT), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Limits on Interior drilling permits: mixed, medium. If enacted, this bill would limit the Interior Secretary's ability to require federal drilling permits inside certain oil and gas spacing units. It would apply when the Federal Government owns less than 50% of the minerals in the unit and does not own or lease the surface directly affected. It woul…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-3752: SAVE America Act
- 119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026
- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025
- 119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act

## Sources
- [119-s-722 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/722)

## Related
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-3752: SAVE America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3752)
- [119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5025)
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241)
- [119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-401)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-722 (as of 2026-09-10).