This bill, the "Supporting Made in America Energy Act," requires more onshore and offshore oil and natural gas lease sales. For onshore leasing, starting in fiscal year 2025 the Interior Department must run at least four lease sales each year in Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Nevada, and any other State with land available for leasing. The bill says the Department must offer all parcels eligible under each State resource management plan and must hold replacement sales in the same year if a sale is canceled or delayed.
For offshore leasing, starting in fiscal year 2026 the Secretary must hold at least two region-wide lease sales each year in the Gulf of Mexico Region. Those sales must use the same terms as the Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 261 and include the Central and Western Gulf planning areas. The bill lists specific dates by which many of these Gulf sales must occur from March 31, 2026 through August 31, 2035.
The bill extends the moratorium date in the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act from June 30, 2022 to December 31, 2035 and adds certain South Atlantic and Straits of Florida planning areas to that moratorium language. It says valid existing leases are not affected and allows limited environmental-exception leases for shore protection, beach nourishment, wetlands restoration, and habitat protection.
The bill requires at least six offshore lease sales in the Cook Inlet Planning Area (Alaska) over the 10 years after enactment. Each Cook Inlet sale must offer at least 1,000,000 acres, leases with acceptable bids must be issued within 90 days to the high bidder, and the royalty rate for those leases must be 12.5 percent.
It amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to require preparation of subsequent leasing programs within 36 months after the first sale under a program and to approve each subsequent program at least 180 days before the prior program expires.
The bill also prohibits the President from pausing, canceling, delaying, deferring, or otherwise impeding Federal energy mineral leasing processes under several statutes (including the Mineral Leasing Act and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act) or related rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act without congressional approval. It establishes a rebuttable presumption that such attempts are violations.
No publicly available information on overall federal costs or budget estimates is included in the bill text. The bill does set a 12.5 percent royalty rate for leases issued from the Cook Inlet lease sales.
The bill text states its purpose is to promote domestic energy production by requiring regular onshore and offshore lease sales, setting timelines and minimum acreage for some sales, and preventing administrative pauses in leasing processes.
No publicly available information in the bill text about opponents' views or stated objections.