Faster Oil and Gas Leasing: Limiting Court Delays and Increasing Bid Transparency.
This law aims to speed up the process of issuing oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters by limiting the power of courts to halt development activities. It ensures that even if a lease sale is challenged in court, the permits for drilling and exploration can continue to be processed. It also requires the government to explain to bidders why their offshore lease offers were rejected.
Key points
Courts are restricted from stopping the issuance of onshore oil and gas leases unless a specific violation of federal law is found.
If an offshore lease sale is found illegal, courts cannot cancel the leases; they must send the issue back to the Interior Secretary for correction while development permits continue to be processed.
Increased transparency: The government must provide detailed reports explaining why bids for offshore leases were rejected for not meeting fair market value.
Expired
Citizen Poll