This bill raises maximum civil penalties for violations of several federal laws that govern leasing and production of minerals, oil, and gas on public and offshore lands. It changes penalty amounts in the Mineral Leasing Act, the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Some penalty limits are increased by fixed amounts, and some are set to be adjusted each year for inflation using the Consumer Price Index. The bill also creates a Penalty Revenue Reinvestment Fund. Excess penalty revenue—defined as the portion of a penalty that is larger than what could have been charged under the old law—is to be deposited into the Fund. Half of amounts in the Fund go to States, Indian Tribes, and local governments the Secretary determines were harmed by the violation; the other half goes to three Interior Department offices (Office of Natural Resources Revenue, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and Bureau of Land Management) for enforcement and compliance work. The bill defines key terms and identifies the Secretary as the Secretary of the Interior.
If you operate on federal lands or offshore, the maximum fines for violating these leasing, royalty, and pollution rules could be much larger than before. Some penalties will automatically rise each year with inflation. If a penalty collected is larger than the old legal maximum, that excess money will be sent to the new Penalty Revenue Reinvestment Fund and split between harmed local governments/tribes and federal agencies that do enforcement and compliance.
The bill creates a dedicated fund that receives ‘‘excess revenue’’ from increased penalties. Money in the Fund is available to the Secretary without further appropriation and is split 50% to harmed States, Indian Tribes, and local governments and 50% to the Office of Natural Resources Revenue, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and the Bureau of Land Management for enforcement and compliance activities. No publicly available information on projected total revenue, fiscal impact, or costs is included in the bill text or metadata.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.