WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) reintroduced the Federal Lands and Waters Leasing Transparency Act, which would hold energy regulators accountable and streamline the federal leasing process for lands and waters.
In the past few years, the oil and gas industry has experienced significant challenges during the leasing process managed by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The current evaluation methods by BOEM do not accurately reflect the true market value of resources, leading to frequent rejections of industry bids with little explanation. This causes uncertainty and discourages investments in new energy exploration and production.
The legislation would:
- Require the Secretary of Interior to provide detailed reports to bidders if their bids are rejected, ensuring transparency by explaining how the bid compares to various valuation metrics;
- Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to prevent court orders from delaying the issuance of onshore oil and gas leases unless said lease violates federal law, thereby streamlining the leasing process;
- Ensures that civil actions that challenge offshore lease sales do not invalidate the leases or delay related approvals and applications.
“Every FedGov bureaucracy will serve the interests of the American people or MAGA Republicans will aggressively restructure that bureaucracy. Through Executive Branch action and Congressional legislation, every alphabet agency is being forced to comply with the America First agenda. The American energy industry produces clean, affordable, abundant, transportable energy for the entire world, and I will continue to fight for American energy dominance,” said Congressman Higgins.
Read the legislation here.
