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Makes minor statutory wording changes to how fees collected for Bureau of Land Management (BLM) oil and gas permit processing are described and accounted for, and establishes an official short title for the Act. The changes rewrite existing language to center fee receipts and transfers on a designated fund without creating new programs, changing fee amounts, or adding new spending.
The bill improves transparency and administrative clarity about where BLM permit fees are held and how they are handled, but it does not reduce taxpayer costs and could restrict funding flexibility for BLM operations that currently depend on broader fee usage.
BLM permit fees will be explicitly directed into a designated Fund, so the public and permit applicants can more clearly see where collected fees are held and used.
Clearer statutory wording for handling BLM permit fees should reduce administrative confusion and help BLM staff process permits more efficiently, potentially speeding decisions for applicants.
If the bill narrows allowable uses of collected fees, BLM programs and operations that currently rely on broader fee transfers could face funding constraints, affecting BLM staff and permit applicants.
Taxpayers receive no guaranteed reduction in costs because the change only clarifies fee language and does not alter program funding or lower fees.
Establishes the official short title for the Act as the "License to Drill Act."
Amends 30 U.S.C. § 191(d) (Mineral Leasing Act §35(d)) by replacing the text of paragraph (1) with new wording.
Amends 30 U.S.C. § 191(d)(3) by replacing the opening phrase "Of the fees collected under this subsection for a fiscal year, the" with the simpler phrase "The."
Amends 30 U.S.C. § 191(d)(3) by striking the clause beginning with "transfer—" and all that follows and replacing it with the words "the Fund."
Amends 30 U.S.C. § 191(d)(4) by replacing the existing text of paragraph (4) with new wording.
Primary direct effects are administrative and legal rather than fiscal or programmatic. The Bureau of Land Management and the Department of the Interior may need to update internal accounting descriptions, guidance documents, and public-facing materials to reflect the new statutory phrasing that centers fee receipts and transfers on a designated fund. Permit applicants and oil and gas operators will not see changes to fee amounts or permit processes based on the provided text. There is no new spending, no new regulatory burdens on states or local governments, and no change to tax law. Overall, the change reduces ambiguity in statutory language and has minimal operational impact beyond wordsmithing and minor bookkeeping or reporting updates.
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Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced March 5, 2026 by Mike Kennedy · Last progress March 5, 2026
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced in House