119-hr678

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 678 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 678

 To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to improve the assessment of 
 expression of interest fees, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 January 23, 2025

 Ms. Hageman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to improve the assessment of 
 expression of interest fees, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Expression of Interest Sensibility 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FEE FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST.

    (a) Deadline To Issue Lease.--

Section 17

    (b)

    (1)
        (A) of the Mineral 
Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226

    (b)

    (1)
        (A) ) is amended by striking ``the 
remainder of the bonus bid, if any,'' and inserting ``, as applicable, 
the remainder of the bonus bid, the fee for the expression of interest 
under subsection

    (q)

    (2)
        (B) ,''.

    (b) Expressions of Interest.--

Section 17

    (q) of the Mineral Leasing 
Act (30 U.S.C. 226

    (q) ) is amended--

    (1) in the heading, by striking ``Fee for'';

    (2) by redesignating paragraph

    (2) as paragraph

    (3) ;

    (3) by amending paragraph

    (1) to read as follows:
 ``

    (1) Submission of expression of interest.--A person may, 
 in accordance with procedures established by the Secretary to 
 carry out this subsection, submit an expression of interest in 
 leasing land available for disposition under this section for 
 exploration for, and development of, oil or gas.
 ``

    (2) Assessment of fees.--
 ``
        (A) No bid.--If land covered by an expression of 
 interest submitted under paragraph

    (1) is offered at a 
 lease sale and no bid is received for such land, the 
 Secretary shall assess at the time of the sale a fee 
 for the expression of interest against the person that 
 submitted the first expression of interest for the 
 land.
 ``
        (B) Successful bid.--If land covered by an 
 expression of interest submitted under paragraph

    (1) receives a successful bid at a lease sale, the 
 Secretary shall assess a fee for the expression of 
 interest against the successful bidder.'';

    (4) in paragraph

    (3) , as so redesignated, by striking 
 ``paragraph

    (1) '' and inserting ``paragraph

    (2) ''; and

    (5) by adding at the end the following:
 ``

    (4) Term.--An expression of interest submitted under this 
 section shall remain active for a term of not less than 5 years 
 unless the land covered by the expression of interest is 
 offered at a lease sale.''.
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