42 USC 6507 - Authorization of appropriations; Federal financial assistance for increased municipal services and facilities in communities located on or near reserve resulting from authorized exploration and study activities

Collapse to view only § 6507. Authorization of appropriations; Federal financial assistance for increased municipal services and facilities in communities located on or near reserve resulting from authorized exploration and study activities

§ 6501. “Petroleum” defined
§ 6502. Designation of National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska; reservation of lands; disposition and conveyance of mineral materials, lands, etc., preexisting property rights
§ 6503. Transfer of jurisdiction, duties, property, etc., to Secretary of the Interior from Secretary of Navy
§ 6504. Administration of reserve
§ 6505. Executive department responsibility for studies to determine procedures used in development, production, transportation, and distribution of petroleum resources in reserve; reports to Congress by President; establishment of task force by Secretary of the Interior; purposes; membership; report and recommendations to Congress by Secretary; contents
§ 6506. Applicability of antitrust provisions; plans and proposals submitted to Congress to contain report by Attorney General on impact of plans and proposals on competition
§ 6506a. Competitive leasing of oil and gas
§ 6507. Authorization of appropriations; Federal financial assistance for increased municipal services and facilities in communities located on or near reserve resulting from authorized exploration and study activities
§ 6508. Transferred

§ 6501. “Petroleum” defined

As used in this chapter, the term “petroleum” includes crude oil, gases (including natural gas), natural gasoline, and other related hydrocarbons, oil shale, and the products of any of such resources.

(Pub. L. 94–258, title I, § 101, Apr. 5, 1976, 90 Stat. 303.)

§ 6502. Designation of National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska; reservation of lands; disposition and conveyance of mineral materials, lands, etc., preexisting property rights

The area known as Naval Petroleum Reserve Numbered 4, Alaska, established by Executive order of the President, dated February 27, 1923, except for tract Numbered 1 as described in Public Land Order 2344, dated April 24, 1961

(Pub. L. 94–258, title I, § 102, Apr. 5, 1976, 90 Stat. 303; Pub. L. 98–366, § 4(a), July 17, 1984, 98 Stat. 470.)

§ 6503. Transfer of jurisdiction, duties, property, etc., to Secretary of the Interior from Secretary of Navy

(a) Transfer of jurisdiction over reserve; date of transfer

(b) Protection of environmental, fish and wildlife, and historical or scenic values; promulgation of rules and regulations

(d) Equipment, facilities, and other properties used in connection with operation of reserve; transfer without reimbursement

(e) Unexpended funds previously appropriated for use in connection with reserve and civilian personnel ceilings assigned to management and operation of reserve

(Pub. L. 94–258, title I, § 103, Apr. 5, 1976, 90 Stat. 303.)

§ 6504. Administration of reserve

(a) Conduct of exploration within designated areas to protect surface values

(b) Continuation of ongoing petroleum exploration program by Secretary of Navy prior to date of transfer of jurisdiction; duties of Secretary of Navy prior to transfer date

The Secretary of the Navy shall continue the ongoing petroleum exploration program within the reserve until the date of the transfer of jurisdiction specified in section 6503(a) of this title. Prior to the date of such transfer of jurisdiction the Secretary of the Navy shall—

(1) cooperate fully with the Secretary of the Interior providing him access to such facilities and such information as he may request to facilitate the transfer of jurisdiction;

(2) provide to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives copies of any reports, plans, or contracts pertaining to the reserve that are required to be submitted to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives; and

(3) cooperate and consult with the Secretary of the Interior before executing any new contract or amendment to any existing contract pertaining to the reserve and allow him a reasonable opportunity to comment on such contract or amendment, as the case may be.

(c) Commencement of petroleum exploration by Secretary of the Interior as of date of transfer of jurisdiction; powers and duties of Secretary of the Interior in conduct of exploration

The Secretary of the Interior shall commence further petroleum exploration of the reserve as of the date of transfer of jurisdiction specified in section 6503(a) of this title. In conducting this exploration effort, the Secretary of the Interior—

(1) is authorized to enter into contracts for the exploration of the reserve, except that no such contract may be entered into until at least thirty days after the Secretary of the Interior has provided the Attorney General with a copy of the proposed contract and such other information as may be appropriate to determine legal sufficiency and possible violations under, or inconsistencies with, the antitrust laws. If, within such thirty day period, the Attorney General advises the Secretary of the Interior that any such contract would unduly restrict competition or be inconsistent with the antitrust laws, then the Secretary of the Interior may not execute that contract;

(2) shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives any new plans or substantial amendments to ongoing plans for the exploration of the reserve. All such plans or amendments submitted to such committees pursuant to this section shall contain a report by the Attorney General of the United States with respect to the anticipated effects of such plans or amendments on competition. Such plans or amendments shall not be implemented until sixty days after they have been submitted to such committees; and

(3) shall report annually to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives on the progress of, and future plans for, exploration of the reserve.

(Pub. L. 94–258, title I, § 104, Apr. 5, 1976, 90 Stat. 304; Pub. L. 98–366, § 4(b), July 17, 1984, 98 Stat. 470; Pub. L. 103–437, § 15(q), Nov. 2, 1994, 108 Stat. 4594; Pub. L. 109–58, title III, § 347(c), Aug. 8, 2005, 119 Stat. 708.)

§ 6505. Executive department responsibility for studies to determine procedures used in development, production, transportation, and distribution of petroleum resources in reserve; reports to Congress by President; establishment of task force by Secretary of the Interior; purposes; membership; report and recommendations to Congress by Secretary; contents

(a) Omitted

(b)

(1) The President shall direct such Executive departments and/or agencies as he may deem appropriate to conduct a study, in consultation with representatives of the State of Alaska, to determine the best overall procedures to be used in the development, production, transportation, and distribution of petroleum resources in the reserve. Such study shall include, but shall not be limited to, a consideration of—

(A) the alternative procedures for accomplishing the development, production, transportation, and distribution of the petroleum resources from the reserve, and

(B) the economic and environmental consequences of such alternative procedures.

(2) The President shall make semiannual progress reports on the implementation of this subsection to the Committees on Interior and Insular Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives beginning not later than six months after April 5, 1976, and shall, not later than one year after the transfer of jurisdiction of the reserve, and annually thereafter, report any findings or conclusions developed as a result of such study together with appropriate supporting data and such recommendations as he deems desirable. The study shall be completed and submitted to such committees, together with recommended procedures and any proposed legislation necessary to implement such procedures not later than January 1, 1980.

(c)

(1) The Secretary of the Interior shall establish a task force to conduct a study to determine the values of, and best uses for, the lands contained in the reserve, taking into consideration (A) the natives who live or depend upon such lands, (B) the scenic, historical, recreational, fish and wildlife, and wilderness values, (C) mineral potential, and (D) other values of such lands.

(2) Such task force shall be composed of representatives from the government of Alaska, the Arctic slope native community, and such offices and bureaus of the Department of the Interior as the Secretary of the Interior deems appropriate, including, but not limited to, the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the United States Geological Survey, and the United States Bureau of Mines.

(3) The Secretary of the Interior shall submit a report, together with the concurring or dissenting views, if any, of any non-Federal representatives of the task force, of the results of such study to the Committees on Interior and Insular Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives within three years after April 5, 1976, and shall include in such report his recommendations with respect to the value, best use, and appropriate designation of the lands referred to in paragraph (1).

(Pub. L. 94–258, title I, § 105, Apr. 5, 1976, 90 Stat. 305; Pub. L. 102–285, § 10(b), May 18, 1992, 106 Stat. 172.)

§ 6506. Applicability of antitrust provisions; plans and proposals submitted to Congress to contain report by Attorney General on impact of plans and proposals on competition

Unless otherwise provided by Act of Congress, whenever development leading to production of petroleum is authorized, the provisions of subsections (g), (h), and (i) of section 8730 of title 10 shall be deemed applicable to the Secretary of the Interior with respect to rules and regulations, plans of development and amendments thereto, and contracts and operating agreements. All plans and proposals submitted to the Congress under this chapter or pursuant to legislation authorizing development leading to production shall contain a report by the Attorney General of the United States on the anticipated effects upon competition of such plans and proposals.

(Pub. L. 94–258, title I, § 106, Apr. 5, 1976, 90 Stat. 306; Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title VIII, § 809(n)(1), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1844.)

§ 6506a. Competitive leasing of oil and gas

(a) In general

(b) Mitigation of adverse effects

(d) First lease sale

(e) Withdrawals

(f) Bidding systems

(g) Geological structures

(h) Size of lease tracts

(i) Terms

(1) In general

(2) Renewal of leases with discoveries

(3) Renewal of leases without discoveriesAt the end of the primary term of a lease the Secretary shall renew for an additional 10-year term a lease that does not meet the requirements of paragraph (1) if the lessee submits to the Secretary an application for renewal not later than 60 days before the expiration of the primary lease and pays the Secretary a renewal fee of $100 per acre of leased land, and—

(A) the lessee provides evidence, and the Secretary agrees that, the lessee has diligently pursued exploration that warrants continuation with the intent of continued exploration or future potential development of the leased land; or

(B) all or part of the lease—

(i) is part of a unit agreement covering a lease described in subparagraph (A); and

(ii) has not been previously contracted out of the unit.

(4) Applicability

(5) Expiration for failure to produce

(6) Termination

(j) Unit agreements

(1) In general

(2) Consultation

(3) Production allocation methodology

(A) The Secretary may use a production allocation methodology for each participating area within a unit that includes solely Federal land in the Reserve.

(B) The Secretary shall use a production allocation methodology for each participating area within a unit that includes Federal land in the Reserve and non-Federal land based on the characteristics of each specific oil or gas pool, field, reservoir, or like area to take into account reservoir heterogeneity and area variation in reservoir producibility across diverse leasehold interests. The implementation of the foregoing production allocation methodology shall be controlled by agreement among the affected lessors and lessees.

(4) Benefit of operations

(5) Pooling

(k) Exploration incentives

(1) In general

(A) Waiver, suspension, or reduction

(B) Applicability

(2) Suspension of operations and production

(3) Suspension of payments

(l) Receipts

(1) In general

(2) Percent share for fiscal year 2034 and thereafterBeginning in fiscal year 2034, of the receipts from sales, rentals, bonuses, and royalties on leases issued pursuant to this section after July 4, 2025—

(A) 70 percent shall be paid to the State of Alaska; and

(B) 30 percent shall be paid into the Treasury of the United States.

(m) Explorations

(n) Environmental impact statements

(1) Judicial review

(2) Initial lease sales

(o) Regulations

(p) Waiver of administration for conveyed lands

(1) In generalNotwithstanding section 1613(g) of title 43—

(A) the Secretary of the Interior shall waive administration of any oil and gas lease to the extent that the lease covers any land in the Reserve in which all of the subsurface estate is conveyed to the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (referred to in this subsection as the “Corporation”);

(B)

(i) in a case in which a conveyance of a subsurface estate described in subparagraph (A) does not include all of the land covered by the oil and gas lease, the person that owns the subsurface estate in any particular portion of the land covered by the lease shall be entitled to all of the revenues reserved under the lease as to that portion, including, without limitation, all the royalty payable with respect to oil or gas produced from or allocated to that portion;

(ii) in a case described in clause (i), the Secretary of the Interior shall—(I) segregate the lease into 2 leases, 1 of which shall cover only the subsurface estate conveyed to the Corporation; and(II) waive administration of the lease that covers the subsurface estate conveyed to the Corporation; and

(iii) the segregation of the lease described in clause (ii)(I) has no effect on the obligations of the lessee under either of the resulting leases, including obligations relating to operations, production, or other circumstances (other than payment of rentals or royalties); and

(C) nothing in this subsection limits the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to manage the federally-owned surface estate within the Reserve.

(Pub. L. 94–258, title I, § 107, formerly Pub. L. 96–514, title I, Dec. 12, 1980, 94 Stat. 2964; Pub. L. 98–620, title IV, § 402(41), Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3360; Pub. L. 105–83, title I, § 128, Nov. 14, 1997, 111 Stat. 1568; renumbered Pub. L. 94–258, title I, § 107, and amended Pub. L. 109–58, title III, § 347(a)(2), (b), Aug. 8, 2005, 119 Stat. 704; Pub. L. 119–21, title V, § 50105(e), July 4, 2025, 139 Stat. 144.)

§ 6507. Authorization of appropriations; Federal financial assistance for increased municipal services and facilities in communities located on or near reserve resulting from authorized exploration and study activities

(a) There are authorized to be appropriated to the Department of the Interior such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter.

(b) If the Secretary of the Interior determines that there is an immediate and substantial increase in the need for municipal services and facilities in communities located on or near the reserve as a direct result of the exploration and study activities authorized by this chapter and that an unfair and excessive financial burden will be incurred by such communities as a result of the increased need for such services and facilities, then he is authorized to assist such communities in meeting the costs of providing increased municipal services and facilities. The Secretary of the Interior shall carry out the provisions of this section through existing Federal programs and he shall consult with the heads of the departments or agencies of the Federal Government concerned with the type of services and facilities for which financial assistance is being made available.

(Pub. L. 94–258, title I, § 108, formerly § 107, Apr. 5, 1976, 90 Stat. 306; renumbered § 108, Pub. L. 109–58, title III, § 347(a)(1), Aug. 8, 2005, 119 Stat. 704.)

§ 6508. Transferred