Oil Shale Leasing Act of 1981

Summary

Oil Shale Leasing Act of 1981 - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to revise the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to lease lands containing oil shale deposits. Permits such leases to exceed 5,120 acres if necessary to permit long-term commercial operations. Permits a person, association, or corporation to be granted additional leases with respect to oil shale (presently only one lease per person, association, or corporation may be granted) if such additional leases are of small acreages of public lands where the oil shale will be extracted and reduced in conjunction with the extraction and reduction of oil shale from adjacent non-federal lands and if such additional leases do not exceed 2,560 acres. Authorizes the Secretary to issue a lease for the extraction and reduction of oil shale if, in addition to other requirements: (1) the Secretary determines that the lease is in the public interest; (2) the Secretary has consulted with the appropriate State officials in any State likely to be significantly affected by the lease; and (3) the Governor of the State in which the lands are located has recommended that the lease not be issued, unless the Secretary finds that despite the Governor's recommendation, there is an overriding national interest. Directs the Secretary to award leases for the extraction and reduction of oil shale by competitive bidding. Requires any lease for the extraction and reduction of oil shale to include conditions requiring: (1) diligent development and continued operation of activities (including the production of oil from shale within ten years); (2) royalty payments of at least eight percent of the value of the oil shale; (3) prepayment of royalties and rental under certain conditions; (4) performance by the lessee of measures to prevent and reduce adverse social, economic, and environmental effects likely to occur; and (5) the performance by the lessee of all operations in accordance with nondiscriminatory laws. Permits the holder of a lease for the extraction and reduction of oil shale to extract and reduce oil shale in conjunction with the extraction of other mineral deposits (excluding coal, except in certain instances). Authorizes the Secretary to suspend the diligence requirements or extend the terms of any lease for exploration for or production or extraction of oil, gas, or minerals other than oil shale, for any period in which operations are impeded or prevented by operations for the extraction and reduction of oil shale. Authorizes the Secretary to issue to the holder of a lease for the extraction and reduction of oil shale an additional (ancillary) lease of not more than 6,400 acres of public lands to be used for any purpose associated with the operation of the oil shale lease, except that the lessee may not mine or extract oil shale or other mineral deposits from lands subject to the ancillary lease. Authorizes the Secretary to issue an ancillary lease if, in addition to other requirements: (1) the Secretary determines that the lease is in the public interest; (2) the Secretary has consulted with the appropriate State officials in any State likely to be significantly affected by the lease; and (3) the Governor of the State in which the lands are located has recommended that the lease not be issued, unless the Secretary finds that despite the Governor's recommendation, there is an overriding national interest. Requires an ancillary lease to provide for: (1) the payment of an annual rental; (2) the performance by the lessee of measures to prevent and reduce adverse social, economic, or environmental effects of operations under the lease; (3) the performance by the lessee of all operations in accordance with nondiscriminatory laws; (4) a prohibition on the transfer of the ancillary lease except in conjunction with the transfer of the associated oil shale lease; and (5) the continued availability of the lands subject to the lease to leasing under other provisions of the Act where such leasing is not incompatible with the purpose for which the ancillary lease was issued. Sets forth provisions concerning consultation with States. Authorizes an affected State to make recommendations to the Secretary regarding a lease. Exempts the Secretary's decision to accept or reject the recommendations from judicial review, except in certain instances. Directs a State to use moneys received under this Act for the prevention and reduction of the adverse social and economic impacts of extraction and reduction operations. Directs the Secretary, for each region in which there is a likelihood that public lands will be leased for the extraction and reduction of oil shale, to create a regional oil shale leasing team to advise the Secretary concerning extraction and reduction activities. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study and report to Congress concerning extraction and reduction activities, including an analysis of alternative levels of long-term development of oil shale deposits on public lands. Prohibits, subject to stated exceptions, the Secretary from issuing the additional leases as authorized under this Act for the extraction and removal of oil shale until the Secretary has filed such report with Congress and has prepared a regional management plan for the balanced management of the Federal lands in the region in which the lands to be leased are located. Transfers to the Secretary of the Interior administrative and jurisdictional functions vested in the Secretary of Energy by the Department of Energy Organization Act concerning Oil Shale Reserves Numbered One, Two, and Three.

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1 official file

• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 17 June 1981

  Open at official source

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