In this title:

(1) BYPRODUCT.—The term “byproduct” has the meaning given such term in section 7002(a) of the Energy Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(a)).

(2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term “Indian Tribe” has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).

(3) MINERAL.—The term “mineral” means any mineral of a kind that is locatable (including, but not limited to, such minerals located on “lands acquired by the United States”, as such term is defined in section 2 of the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands) under the Act of May 10, 1872 (Chapter 152; 17 Stat. 91).

(4) SECRETARY.—Except as otherwise provided, the term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Interior.

(5) STATE.—The term “State” means—

(A) a State;

(B) the District of Columbia;

(C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;

(D) Guam;

(E) American Samoa;

(F) the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; and

(G) the United States Virgin Islands.

Section 40206 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (30 U.S.C. 1607) is amended—

(1) in the section heading, by striking “Critical minerals” and inserting “Minerals”;

(2) by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:

“(a) Definitions.—In this section:

“(1) LEAD AGENCY.—The term ‘lead agency’ means the Federal agency with primary responsibility for issuing a mineral exploration or mine permit or lease for a mineral project.

“(2) MINERAL.—The term ‘mineral’ has the meaning given such term in section 20301 of the TAPP American Resources Act.

“(3) MINERAL EXPLORATION OR MINE PERMIT.—The term ‘mineral exploration or mine permit’ means—

“(A) an authorization of the Bureau of Land Management or the Forest Service, as applicable, for exploration for minerals that requires analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969;

“(B) a plan of operations for a mineral project approved by the Bureau of Land Management or the Forest Service; or

“(C) any other Federal permit or authorization for a mineral project.

“(4) MINERAL PROJECT.—The term ‘mineral project’ means a project—

“(A) located on—

“(i) a mining claim, millsite claim, or tunnel site claim for any mineral;

“(ii) lands open to mineral entry; or

“(iii) a Federal mineral lease; and

“(B) for the purposes of exploring for or producing minerals.”;

(3) in subsection (b), by striking “critical” each place such term appears;

(4) in subsection (c)—

(A) by striking “critical mineral production on Federal land” and inserting “mineral projects”;

(B) by inserting “, and in accordance with subsection (h)” after “to the maximum extent practicable”;

(C) by striking “shall complete the” and inserting “shall complete such”;

(D) in paragraph (1), by striking “critical mineral-related activities on Federal land” and inserting “mineral projects”;

(E) in paragraph (8), by striking the “and” at the end;

(F) in paragraph (9), by striking “procedures.” and inserting “procedures; and”; and

(G) by adding at the end the following:

“(10) deferring to and relying on baseline data, analyses, and reviews performed by State agencies with jurisdiction over the environmental or reclamation permits for the proposed mineral project.”;

(5) in subsection (d)—

(A) by striking “critical” each place such term appears; and

(B) in paragraph (3), by striking “mineral-related activities on Federal land” and inserting “mineral projects”;

(6) in subsection (e), by striking “critical”;

(7) in subsection (f), by striking “critical” each place such term appears;

(8) in subsection (g), by striking “critical” each place such term appears; and

(9) by adding at the end the following:

“(h) Other requirements.—

“(1) MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT.—For purposes of maximizing efficiency and effectiveness of the Federal permitting and review processes described under subsection (c), the lead agency in the Federal permitting and review processes of a mineral project shall (in consultation with any other Federal agency involved in such Federal permitting and review processes, and upon request of the project applicant, an affected State government, local government, or an Indian Tribe, or other entity such lead agency determines appropriate) enter into a memorandum of agreement with a project applicant where requested by the applicant to carry out the activities described in subsection (c).

“(2) TIMELINES AND SCHEDULES FOR NEPA REVIEWS.—

“(A) EXTENSION.—A project applicant may enter into 1 or more agreements with a lead agency to extend the deadlines described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection (h)(1) of section 107 of title I of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 by, with respect to each such agreement, not more than 6 months.

“(B) ADJUSTMENT OF TIMELINES.—At the request of a project applicant, the lead agency and any other entity which is a signatory to a memorandum of agreement under paragraph (1) may, by unanimous agreement, adjust—

“(i) any deadlines described in subparagraph (A); and

“(ii) any deadlines extended under subparagraph (B).

“(3) EFFECT ON PENDING APPLICATIONS.—Upon a written request by a project applicant, the requirements of this subsection shall apply to any application for a mineral exploration or mine permit or mineral lease that was submitted before the date of the enactment of the TAPP American Resources Act”..”.

Section 7002(f) of the Energy Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(f)) is amended—

(1) in paragraph (2), by striking “critical” both places such term appears; and

(2) by striking paragraph (4).

Section 41001(6)(A) of the FAST Act (42 U.S.C. 4370m(6)(A)) is amended by inserting “mineral production,” before “or any other sector”.

(a) In general.—Except as provided by subsection (c), an action described in subsection (b) shall be—

(1) treated as a covered project, as defined in section 41001(6) of the FAST Act (42 U.S.C. 4370m(6)), without regard to the requirements of that section; and

(2) included in the Permitting Dashboard maintained pursuant to section 41003(b) of that Act (42 13 U.S.C. 4370m–2(b)).

(b) Actions described.—An action described in this subsection is an action taken by the Secretary of Defense pursuant to Presidential Determination 2022–11 (87 Fed. Reg. 19775; relating to certain actions under section 303 of the Defense Production Act of 1950) or the Presidential Memorandum of February 27, 2023, titled “Presidential Waiver of Statutory Requirements Pursuant to Section 303 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended, on Department of Defense Supply Chains Resilience” (88 Fed. Reg. 13015) to create, maintain, protect, expand, or restore sustainable and responsible domestic production capabilities through—

(1) supporting feasibility studies for mature mining, beneficiation, and value-added processing projects;

(2) byproduct and co-product production at existing mining, mine waste reclamation, and other industrial facilities;

(3) modernization of mining, beneficiation, and value-added processing to increase productivity, environmental sustainability, and workforce safety; or

(4) any other activity authorized under section 303(a)(1) of the Defense Production Act of 1950 15 (50 U.S.C. 4533(a)(1)).

(c) Exception.—An action described in subsection (b) may not be treated as a covered project or be included in the Permitting Dashboard under subsection (a) if the project sponsor (as defined in section 41001(18) of the FAST Act (42 U.S.C. 21 4370m(18))) requests that the action not be treated as a covered project.

(a) In general.—Not later than 15 days before commencing an exploration activity with a surface disturbance of not more than 5 acres of public lands, the operator of such exploration activity shall submit to the Secretary concerned a complete notice of such exploration activity.

(b) Inclusions.—Notice submitted under subsection (a) shall include such information the Secretary concerned may require, including the information described in section 3809.301 of title 43, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation).

(c) Review.—Not later than 15 days after the Secretary concerned receives notice submitted under subsection (a), the Secretary concerned shall—

(1) review and determine completeness of the notice; and

(2) allow exploration activities to proceed if—

(A) the surface disturbance of such exploration activities on such public lands will not exceed 5 acres;

(B) the Secretary concerned determines that the notice is complete; and

(C) the operator provides financial assurance that the Secretary concerned determines is adequate.

(d) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) EXPLORATION ACTIVITY.—The term “exploration activity”—

(A) means creating surface disturbance greater than casual use that includes sampling, drilling, or developing surface or underground workings to evaluate the type, extent, quantity, or quality of mineral values present;

(B) includes constructing drill roads and drill pads, drilling, trenching, excavating test pits, and conducting geotechnical tests and geophysical surveys; and

(C) does not include activities where material is extracted for commercial use or sale.

(2) SECRETARY CONCERNED.—The term “Secretary concerned” means—

(A) with respect to lands administered by the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of the Interior; and

(B) with respect to National Forest System lands, the Secretary of Agriculture.

Section 10101 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (30 U.S.C. 28f) is amended by adding at the end the following:

“(e) Security of tenure.—

“(1) IN GENERAL.—

“(A) IN GENERAL.—A claimant shall have the right to use, occupy, and conduct operations on public land, with or without the discovery of a valuable mineral deposit, if—

“(i) such claimant makes a timely payment of the location fee required by section 10102 and the claim maintenance fee required by subsection (a); or

“(ii) in the case of a claimant who qualifies for a waiver under subsection (d), such claimant makes a timely payment of the location fee and complies with the required assessment work under the general mining laws.

“(B) OPERATIONS DEFINED.—For the purposes of this paragraph, the term ‘operations’ means—

“(i) any activity or work carried out in connection with prospecting, exploration, processing, discovery and assessment, development, or extraction with respect to a locatable mineral;

“(ii) the reclamation of any disturbed areas; and

“(iii) any other reasonably incident uses, whether on a mining claim or not, including the construction and maintenance of facilities, roads, transmission lines, pipelines, and any other necessary infrastructure or means of access on public land for support facilities.

“(2) FULFILLMENT OF FEDERAL LAND POLICY AND MANAGEMENT ACT.—A claimant that fulfills the requirements of this section and section 10102 shall be deemed to satisfy the requirements of any provision of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act that requires the payment of fair market value to the United States for use of public lands and resources relating to use of such lands and resources authorized by the general mining laws.

“(3) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this subsection may be construed to diminish the rights of entry, use, and occupancy, or any other right, of a claimant under the general mining laws.”.

(a) In general.—Section 7002(a)(3)(B)(i) of the Energy Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(a)(3)(B)(i)) is amended to read as follows:

“(i) oil, oil shale, coal, or natural gas;”.

(b) Update.—Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary, acting through the Director of the United States Geological Survey, shall publish in the Federal Register an update to the final list established in section 7002(c)(3) of the Energy Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(c)(3)) in accordance with subsection (a) of this section.

A mining claimant shall be barred from the right to use, occupy, and conduct operations on Federal land if the Secretary of the Interior finds the claimant has a foreign parent company that has (including through a subsidiary)—

(1) a known record of human rights violations; or

(2) knowingly operated an illegal mine in another country.

(a) Resource assessments required.—Federal lands and waters may not be withdrawn from entry under the mining laws or operation of the mineral leasing and mineral materials laws unless—

(1) a quantitative and qualitative geophysical and geological mineral resource assessment of the impacted area has been completed during the 10-year period ending on the date of such withdrawal;

(2) the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Energy, and the Secretary of Defense, conducts an assessment of the economic, energy, strategic, and national security value of mineral deposits identified in such mineral resource assessment;

(3) the Secretary conducts an assessment of the reduction in future Federal revenues to the Treasury, States, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, and the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund resulting from the proposed mineral withdrawal;

(4) the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, conducts an assessment of military readiness and training activities in the proposed withdrawal area; and

(5) the Secretary submits a report to the Committees on Natural Resources, Agriculture, Energy and Commerce, and Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committees on Energy and Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Foreign Affairs of the Senate, that includes the results of the assessments completed pursuant to this subsection.

(b) Land use plans.—Before a resource management plan under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) or a forest management plan under the National Forest Management Act is updated or completed, the Secretary or Secretary of Agriculture, as applicable, in consultation with the Director of the United States Geological Survey, shall—

(1) review any quantitative and qualitative mineral resource assessment that was completed or updated during the 10-year period ending on the date that the applicable land management agency publishes a notice to prepare, revise, or amend a land use plan by the Director of the United States Geological Survey for the geographic area affected by the applicable management plan;

(2) the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Energy, and the Secretary of Defense, conducts an assessment of the economic, energy, strategic, and national security value of mineral deposits identified in such mineral resource assessment; and

(3) submit a report to the Committees on Natural Resources, Agriculture, Energy and Commerce, and Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committees on Energy and Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Foreign Affairs of the Senate, that includes the results of the assessment completed pursuant to this subsection.

(c) New information.—The Secretary shall provide recommendations to the President on appropriate measures to reduce unnecessary impacts that a withdrawal of Federal lands or waters from entry under the mining laws or operation of the mineral leasing and mineral materials laws may have on mineral exploration, development, and other mineral activities (including authorizing exploration and development of such mineral deposits) not later than 180 days after the Secretary has notice that a resource assessment completed by the Director of the United States Geological Survey, in coordination with the State geological surveys, determines that a previously undiscovered mineral deposit may be present in an area that has been withdrawn from entry under the mining laws or operation of the mineral leasing and mineral materials laws pursuant to—

(1) section 204 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1714); or

(2) chapter 3203 of title 54, United States Code.

(a) Prohibitions.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the President shall not carry out any action that would pause, restrict, or delay the process for or issuance of any of the following on Federal land, unless such lands are withdrawn from disposition under the mineral leasing laws, including by administrative withdrawal:

(1) New oil and gas lease sales, oil and gas leases, drill permits, or associated approvals or authorizations of any kind associated with oil and gas leases.

(2) New coal leases (including leases by application in process, renewals, modifications, or expansions of existing leases), permits, approvals, or authorizations.

(3) New leases, claims, permits, approvals, or authorizations for development or exploration of minerals.

(b) Prohibition on rescission of leases, permits, or claims.—The President, the Secretary, or Secretary of Agriculture as applicable, may not rescind any existing lease, permit, or claim for the extraction and production of any mineral under the mining laws or mineral leasing and mineral materials laws on National Forest System land or land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, unless specifically authorized by Federal statute, or upon the lessee, permittee, or claimant’s failure to comply with any of the provisions of the applicable lease, permit, or claim.

(c) Mineral defined.—In subsection (a)(3), the term “mineral” means any mineral of a kind that is locatable (including such minerals located on “lands acquired by the United States”, as such term is defined in section 2 of the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands) under the Act of May 10, 1872 (Chapter 152; 17 Stat. 91).

In this title:

(1) FEDERAL LAND.—The term “Federal land” means—

(A) National Forest System land;

(B) public lands (as defined in section 103 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702));

(C) the outer Continental Shelf (as defined in section 2 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331)); and

(D) land managed by the Secretary of Energy.

(2) PRESIDENT.—The term “President” means—

(A) the President; and

(B) any designee of the President, including—

(i) the Secretary of Agriculture;

(ii) the Secretary of Commerce;

(iii) the Secretary of Energy; and

(iv) the Secretary of the Interior.

(3) PREVIOUSLY UNDISCOVERED DEPOSIT.—The term “previously undiscovered mineral deposit” means—

(A) a mineral deposit that has been previously evaluated by the United States Geological Survey and found to be of low mineral potential, but upon subsequent evaluation is determined by the United States Geological Survey to have significant mineral potential; or

(B) a mineral deposit that has not previously been evaluated by the United States Geological Survey.

(4) SECRETARY.—The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Interior.

(a) Offshore oil and gas royalty rate.—Section 8(a)(1) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1337(a)(1)) is amended—

(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking “not less than 16²⁄3 percent, but not more than 18³⁄4 percent, during the 10-year period beginning on the date of enactment of the Act titled ‘An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. 14’, and not less than 16²⁄3 percent thereafter,” each place it appears and inserting “not less than 12.5 percent”;

(2) in subparagraph (C), by striking “not less than 16²⁄3 percent, but not more than 18³⁄4 percent, during the 10-year period beginning on the date of enactment of the Act titled ‘An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. 14’, and not less than 16²⁄3 percent thereafter,” each place it appears and inserting “not less than 12.5 percent”;

(3) in subparagraph (F), by striking “not less than 16²⁄3 percent, but not more than 18³⁄4 percent, during the 10-year period beginning on the date of enactment of the Act titled ‘An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. 14’, and not less than 16²⁄3 percent thereafter,” and inserting “not less than 12.5 percent”; and

(4) in subparagraph (H), by striking “not less than 16²⁄3 percent, but not more than 18³⁄4 percent, during the 10-year period beginning on the date of enactment of the Act titled ‘An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. 14’, and not less than 16²⁄3 percent thereafter,” and inserting “not less than 12.5 percent”.

(b) Mineral leasing act.—

(1) ONSHORE OIL AND GAS ROYALTY RATES.—

(A) LEASE OF OIL AND GAS LAND.—Section 17 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226) is amended—

(i) in subsection (b)(1)(A)—

(I) by striking “not less than 16²⁄3 ” and inserting “not less than 12.5”; and

(II) by striking “or, in the case of a lease issued during the 10-year period beginning on the date of enactment of the Act titled ‘An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. 14’, 16²⁄3 percent in amount or value of the production removed or sold from the lease”; and

(ii) by striking “16²⁄3 percent” each place it appears and inserting “12.5 percent”.

(B) CONDITIONS FOR REINSTATEMENT.—Section 31(e)(3) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 188(e)(3)) is amended by striking “20” inserting “16²⁄3 ”.

(2) OIL AND GAS MINIMUM BID.—Section 17(b) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226(b)) is amended—

(A) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking “$10 per acre during the 10-year period beginning on the date of enactment of the Act titled ‘An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. 14’.” and inserting “$2 per acre for a period of 2 years from the date of the enactment of the Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act of 1987.”; and

(B) in paragraph (2)(C), by striking “$10 per acre” and inserting “$2 per acre”.

(3) FOSSIL FUEL RENTAL RATES.—Section 17(d) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226(d)) is amended to read as follows:

“(d) All leases issued under this section, as amended by the Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act of 1987, shall be conditioned upon payment by the lessee of a rental of not less than $1.50 per acre per year for the first through fifth years of the lease and not less than $2 per acre per year for each year thereafter. A minimum royalty in lieu of rental of not less than the rental which otherwise would be required for that lease year shall be payable at the expiration of each lease year beginning on or after a discovery of oil or gas in paying quantities on the lands leased.”.

(4) EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FEE.—Section 17 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226) is further amended by repealing subsection (q).

(5) ELIMINATION OF NONCOMPETITIVE LEASING.—Section 17 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226) is further amended—

(A) in subsection (b)—

(i) in paragraph (1)(A)—

(I) in the first sentence, by striking “paragraph (2)” and inserting “paragraphs (2) and (3)”; and

(II) by adding at the end “Lands for which no bids are received or for which the highest bid is less than the national minimum acceptable bid shall be offered promptly within 30 days for leasing under subsection (c) of this section and shall remain available for leasing for a period of 2 years after the competitive lease sale.”; and

(ii) by adding at the end the following:

“(3) (A) If the United States held a vested future interest in a mineral estate that, immediately prior to becoming a vested present interest, was subject to a lease under which oil or gas was being produced, or had a well capable of producing, in paying quantities at an annual average production volume per well per day of either not more than 15 barrels per day of oil or condensate, or not more than 60,000 cubic feet of gas, the holder of the lease may elect to continue the lease as a noncompetitive lease under subsection (c)(1).

“(B) An election under this paragraph is effective—

“(i) in the case of an interest which vested after January 1, 1990, and on or before October 24, 1992, if the election is made before the date that is 1 year after October 24, 1992;

“(ii) in the case of an interest which vests within 1 year after October 24, 1992, if the election is made before the date that is 2 years after October 24, 1992; and

“(iii) in any case other than those described in clause (i) or (ii), if the election is made prior to the interest becoming a vested present interest.”;

(B) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following:

“(c) Lands subject to leasing under subsection (b); first qualified applicant.—

“(1) If the lands to be leased are not leased under subsection (b)(1) of this section or are not subject to competitive leasing under subsection (b)(2) of this section, the person first making application for the lease who is qualified to hold a lease under this chapter shall be entitled to a lease of such lands without competitive bidding, upon payment of a non-refundable application fee of at least $75. A lease under this subsection shall be conditioned upon the payment of a royalty at a rate of 12.5 percent in amount or value of the production removed or sold from the lease. Leases shall be issued within 60 days of the date on which the Secretary identifies the first responsible qualified applicant.

“(2) (A) Lands (i) which were posted for sale under subsection (b)(1) of this section but for which no bids were received or for which the highest bid was less than the national minimum acceptable bid and (ii) for which, at the end of the period referred to in subsection (b)(1) of this section no lease has been issued and no lease application is pending under paragraph (1) of this subsection, shall again be available for leasing only in accordance with subsection (b)(1) of this section.

“(B) The land in any lease which is issued under paragraph (1) of this subsection or under subsection (b)(1) of this section which lease terminates, expires, is cancelled or is relinquished shall again be available for leasing only in accordance with subsection (b)(1) of this section.”; and

(C) by striking subsection (e) and inserting the following:

“(e) Primary term.—Competitive and noncompetitive leases issued under this section shall be for a primary term of 10 years: Provided, however, That competitive leases issued in special tar sand areas shall also be for a primary term of 10 years. Each such lease shall continue so long after its primary term as oil or gas is produced in paying quantities. Any lease issued under this section for land on which, or for which under an approved cooperative or unit plan of development or operation, actual drilling operations were commenced prior to the end of its primary term and are being diligently prosecuted at that time shall be extended for two years and so long thereafter as oil or gas is produced in paying quantities.”.

(6) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 31 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 188) is amended—

(A) in subsection (d)(1), by striking “section 17(b)” and inserting “subsection (b) or (c) of section 17 of this Act”;

(B) in subsection (e)—

(i) in paragraph (2)—

(I) insert “either” after “rentals and”; and

(II) insert “or the inclusion in a reinstated lease issued pursuant to the provisions of section 17(c) of this Act of a requirement that future rentals shall be at a rate not less than $5 per acre per year, all” before “as determined by the Secretary”; and

(ii) by amending paragraph (3) to read as follows:

“(3) (A) payment of back royalties and the inclusion in a reinstated lease issued pursuant to the provisions of section 17(b) of this Act of a requirement for future royalties at a rate of not less than 16²⁄3 percent computed on a sliding scale based upon the average production per well per day, at a rate which shall be not less than 4 percentage points greater than the competitive royalty schedule then in force and used for royalty determination for competitive leases issued pursuant to such section as determined by the Secretary: Provided, That royalty on such reinstated lease shall be paid on all production removed or sold from such lease subsequent to the termination of the original lease;

“(B) payment of back royalties and inclusion in a reinstated lease issued pursuant to the provisions of section 17(c) of this Act of a requirement for future royalties at a rate not less than 16²⁄3 percent: Provided, That royalty on such reinstated lease shall be paid on all production removed or sold from such lease subsequent to the cancellation or termination of the original lease; and”;

(C) in subsection (f)—

(i) in paragraph (1), strike “in the same manner as the original lease issued pursuant to section 17” and insert “as a competitive or a noncompetitive oil and gas lease in the same manner as the original lease issued pursuant to subsection (b) or (c) of section 17 of this Act”;

(ii) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as paragraph (3) and (4), respectively; and

(iii) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:

“(2) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the issuance of a lease in lieu of an abandoned patented oil placer mining claim shall be treated as a noncompetitive oil and gas lease issued pursuant to section 17(c) of this Act.”;

(D) in subsection (g), by striking “subsection (d)” and inserting “subsections (d) and (f)”;

(E) by amending subsection (h) to read as follows:

“(h) Royalty reductions.—

“(1) In acting on a petition to issue a noncompetitive oil and gas lease, under subsection (f) of this section or in response to a request filed after issuance of such a lease, or both, the Secretary is authorized to reduce the royalty on such lease if in his judgment it is equitable to do so or the circumstances warrant such relief due to uneconomic or other circumstances which could cause undue hardship or premature termination of production.

“(2) In acting on a petition for reinstatement pursuant to subsection (d) of this section or in response to a request filed after reinstatement, or both, the Secretary is authorized to reduce the royalty in that reinstated lease on the entire leasehold or any tract or portion thereof segregated for royalty purposes if, in his judgment, there are uneconomic or other circumstances which could cause undue hardship or premature termination of production; or because of any written action of the United States, its agents or employees, which preceded, and was a major consideration in, the lessee's expenditure of funds to develop the property under the lease after the rent had become due and had not been paid; or if in the judgment of the Secretary it is equitable to do so for any reason.”;

(F) by redesignating subsections (f) through (i) as subsections (g) through (j), respectively; and

(G) by inserting after subsection (e) the following:

“(f) Issuance of noncompetitive oil and gas lease; conditions.—Where an unpatented oil placer mining claim validly located prior to February 24, 1920, which has been or is currently producing or is capable of producing oil or gas, has been or is hereafter deemed conclusively abandoned for failure to file timely the required instruments or copies of instruments required by section 1744 of title 43, and it is shown to the satisfaction of the Secretary that such failure was inadvertent, justifiable, or not due to lack of reasonable diligence on the part of the owner, the Secretary may issue, for the lands covered by the abandoned unpatented oil placer mining claim, a noncompetitive oil and gas lease, consistent with the provisions of section 17(e) of this Act, to be effective from the statutory date the claim was deemed conclusively abandoned. Issuance of such a lease shall be conditioned upon:

“(1) a petition for issuance of a noncompetitive oil and gas lease, together with the required rental and royalty, including back rental and royalty accruing from the statutory date of abandonment of the oil placer mining claim, being filed with the Secretary- (A) with respect to any claim deemed conclusively abandoned on or before January 12, 1983, on or before the one hundred and twentieth day after January 12, 1983, or (B) with respect to any claim deemed conclusively abandoned after January 12, 1983, on or before the one hundred and twentieth day after final notification by the Secretary or a court of competent jurisdiction of the determination of the abandonment of the oil placer mining claim;

“(2) a valid lease not having been issued affecting any of the lands covered by the abandoned oil placer mining claim prior to the filing of such petition: Provided, however, That after the filing of a petition for issuance of a lease under this subsection, the Secretary shall not issue any new lease affecting any of the lands covered by such abandoned oil placer mining claim for a reasonable period, as determined in accordance with regulations issued by him;

“(3) a requirement in the lease for payment of rental, including back rentals accruing from the statutory date of abandonment of the oil placer mining claim, of not less than $5 per acre per year;

“(4) a requirement in the lease for payment of royalty on production removed or sold from the oil placer mining claim, including all royalty on production made subsequent to the statutory date the claim was deemed conclusively abandoned, of not less than 12¹⁄2 percent; and

“(5) compliance with the notice and reimbursement of costs provisions of paragraph (4) of subsection (e) but addressed to the petition covering the conversion of an abandoned unpatented oil placer mining claim to a noncompetitive oil and gas lease.”.

(a) Distribution of outer continental shelf revenue to gulf producing States.—Section 105 of the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (43 U.S.C. 1331 note) is amended—

(1) in subsection (a)—

(A) in paragraph (1), by striking “50” and inserting “37.5”; and

(B) in paragraph (2)—

(i) by striking “50” and inserting “62.5”;

(ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking “75” and inserting “80”; and

(iii) in subparagraph (B), by striking “25” and inserting “20”; and

(2) by striking subsection (f) and inserting the following:

“(f) Treatment of amounts.—Amounts disbursed to a Gulf producing State under this section shall be treated as revenue sharing and not as a Federal award or grant for the purposes of part 200 of title 2, Code of Federal Regulations.”.

(b) Exemption of certain payments from sequestration.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 255(g)(1)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 905(g)(1)(A)) is amended by inserting after “Payments to Social Security Trust Funds (28–0404–0–1–651).” the following:

(2) APPLICABILITY.—The amendment made by this subsection shall apply to any sequestration order issued under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 900 et seq.) on or after the date of enactment of this Act.

(a) Payments and revenues.—Section 8(p)(2) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1337(p)(2)) is amended—

(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking “(A) The Secretary” and inserting the following:

“(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subparagraphs (B) and (C), the Secretary”;

(2) in subparagraph (B), by striking “(B) The Secretary” and inserting the following:

“(B) DISPOSITION OF REVENUES FOR PROJECTS LOCATED WITHIN 3 NAUTICAL MILES SEAWARD OF STATE SUBMERGED LAND.—The Secretary”; and

(3) by adding at the end the following:

“(C) DISPOSITION OF REVENUES FOR OFFSHORE WIND PROJECTS IN CERTAIN AREAS.—

“(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this subparagraph:

“(I) COVERED OFFSHORE WIND PROJECT.—The term ‘covered offshore wind project’ means a wind powered electric generation project in a wind energy area on the outer Continental Shelf that is not wholly or partially located within an area subject to subparagraph (B).

“(II) ELIGIBLE STATE.—The term ‘eligible State’ means a State a point on the coastline of which is located within 75 miles of the geographic center of a covered offshore wind project.

“(III) QUALIFIED OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF REVENUES.—The term ‘qualified outer Continental Shelf revenues’ means all royalties, fees, rentals, bonuses, or other payments from covered offshore wind projects carried out pursuant to this subsection on or after the date of enactment of this subparagraph.

“(ii) REQUIREMENT.—

“(I) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Treasury shall deposit—

“(aa) 12.5 percent of qualified outer Continental Shelf revenues in the general fund of the Treasury;

“(bb) 37.5 percent of qualified outer Continental Shelf revenues in the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund; and

“(cc) 50 percent of qualified outer Continental Shelf revenues in a special account in the Treasury from which the Secretary shall disburse to each eligible State an amount determined pursuant to subclause (II).

“(II) ALLOCATION.—

“(aa) IN GENERAL.—Subject to item (bb), for each fiscal year beginning after the date of enactment of this subparagraph, the amount made available under subclause (I)(cc) shall be allocated to each eligible State in amounts (based on a formula established by the Secretary by regulation) that are inversely proportional to the respective distances between the point on the coastline of each eligible State that is closest to the geographic center of the applicable leased tract and the geographic center of the leased tract.

“(bb) MINIMUM ALLOCATION.—The amount allocated to an eligible State each fiscal year under item (aa) shall be at least 10 percent of the amounts made available under subclause (I)(cc).

“(cc) PAYMENTS TO COASTAL POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS.—

“(AA) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall pay 20 percent of the allocable share of each eligible State, as determined pursuant to item (aa), to the coastal political subdivisions of the eligible State.

“(BB) ALLOCATION.—The amount paid by the Secretary to coastal political subdivisions under subitem (AA) shall be allocated to each coastal political subdivision in accordance with subparagraphs (B) and (C) of section 31(b)(4) of this Act.

“(iii) TIMING.—The amounts required to be deposited under subclause (I) of clause (ii) for the applicable fiscal year shall be made available in accordance with such subclause during the fiscal year immediately following the applicable fiscal year.

“(iv) AUTHORIZED USES.—

“(I) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subclause (II), each eligible State shall use all amounts received under clause (ii)(II) in accordance with all applicable Federal and State laws, only for 1 or more of the following purposes:

“(aa) Projects and activities for the purposes of coastal protection and resiliency, including conservation, coastal restoration, estuary management, beach nourishment, hurricane and flood protection, and infrastructure directly affected by coastal wetland losses.

“(bb) Mitigation of damage to fish, wildlife, or natural resources, including through fisheries science and research.

“(cc) Implementation of a federally approved marine, coastal, or comprehensive conservation management plan.

“(dd) Mitigation of the impact of outer Continental Shelf activities through the funding of onshore infrastructure projects.

“(ee) Planning assistance and the administrative costs of complying with this section.

“(ff) Infrastructure improvements at ports, including modifications to Federal navigation channels, to support installation of offshore wind energy projects.

“(II) LIMITATION.—Of the amounts received by an eligible State under clause (ii)(II), not more than 3 percent shall be used for the purposes described in subclause (I)(ee).

“(v) ADMINISTRATION.—Subject to clause (vi)(III), amounts made available under items (aa) and (cc) of clause (ii)(I) shall—

“(I) be made available, without further appropriation, in accordance with this subparagraph;

“(II) remain available until expended; and

“(III) be in addition to any amount appropriated under any other Act.

“(vi) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—

“(I) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the end of each fiscal year, the Governor of each eligible State that receives amounts under clause (ii)(II) for the applicable fiscal year shall submit to the Secretary a report that describes the use of the amounts by the eligible State during the period covered by the report.

“(II) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—On receipt of a report submitted under subclause (I), the Secretary shall make the report available to the public on the website of the Department of the Interior.

“(III) LIMITATION.—If the Governor of an eligible State that receives amounts under clause (ii)(II) fails to submit the report required under subclause (I) by the deadline specified in that subclause, any amounts that would otherwise be provided to the eligible State under clause (ii)(II) for the succeeding fiscal year shall be deposited in the Treasury.

“(vii) TREATMENT OF AMOUNTS.—Amounts disbursed to an eligible State under this subsection shall be treated as revenue sharing and not as a Federal award or grant for the purposes of part 200 of title 2, Code of Federal Regulations.”.

(b) Wind lease sales for areas of the outer Continental Shelf offshore of territories of the United States.—Section 33 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1356c) is amended by adding at the end the following:

“(b) Wind lease sale procedure.—Any wind lease granted pursuant to this section shall be considered a wind lease granted under section 8(p), including for purposes of the disposition of revenues pursuant to subparagraphs (B) and (C) of section 8(p)(2).”.

(c) Exemption of certain payments from sequestration.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 255(g)(1)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 905(g)(1)(A)) is amended by inserting after “Payments to Social Security Trust Funds (28–0404–0–1–651).” the following:

(2) APPLICABILITY.—The amendment made by this subsection shall apply to any sequestration order issued under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 900 et seq.) on or after the date of enactment of this Act.

(a) In general.—Section 35 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 191) is amended—

(1) in subsection (a), in the first sentence, by striking “and, subject to the provisions of subsection (b),”;

(2) by striking subsection (b);

(3) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections (b) and (c), respectively;

(4) in paragraph (3)(B)(ii) of subsection (b) (as so redesignated), by striking “subsection (d)” and inserting “subsection (c)”; and

(5) in paragraph (3)(A)(ii) of subsection (c) (as so redesignated), by striking “subsection (c)(2)(B)” and inserting “subsection (b)(2)(B)”.

(b) Conforming amendments.—

(1) Section 6(a) of the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands (30 U.S.C. 355(a)) is amended—

(A) in the first sentence, by striking “Subject to the provisions of section 35(b) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 191(b)), all” and inserting “All”; and

(B) in the second sentence, by striking “of the Act of February 25, 1920 (41 Stat. 450; 30 U.S.C. 191),” and inserting “of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 191)”.

(2) Section 20(a) of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (30 U.S.C. 1019(a)) is amended, in the second sentence of the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking “the provisions of subsection (b) of section 35 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 191(b)) and section 5(a)(2) of this Act” and inserting “section 5(a)(2)”.

(3) Section 205(f) of the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982 (30 U.S.C. 1735(f)) is amended—

(A) in the first sentence, by striking “this Section” and inserting “this section”; and

(B) by striking the fourth, fifth, and sixth sentences.

(a) Short title.—This division may be cited as the “Water Quality Certification and Energy Project Improvement Act of 2023”.

(b) Table of contents.—The table of contents of this division is as follows:

Section 401 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1341) is amended—

(1) in subsection (a)—

(A) in paragraph (1)—

(i) in the first sentence, by striking “may result” and inserting “may directly result”;

(ii) in the second sentence, by striking “activity” and inserting “discharge”;

(iii) in the third sentence, by striking “applications” each place it appears and inserting “requests”;

(iv) in the fifth sentence, by striking “act on” and inserting “grant or deny”; and

(v) by inserting after the fourth sentence the following: “Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of the Water Quality Certification and Energy Project Improvement Act of 2023, each State and interstate agency that has authority to give such a certification, and the Administrator, shall publish requirements for certification to demonstrate to such State, such interstate agency, or the Administrator, as the case may be, compliance with the applicable provisions of sections 301, 302, 303, 306, and 307. A decision to grant or deny a request for certification shall be based only on the applicable provisions of sections 301, 302, 303, 306, and 307, and the grounds for the decision shall be set forth in writing and provided to the applicant. Not later than 90 days after receipt of a request for certification, the State, interstate agency, or Administrator, as the case may be, shall identify in writing all specific additional materials or information that are necessary to grant or deny the request.”;

(B) in paragraph (2)—

(i) in the second sentence, by striking “notice of application for such Federal license or permit” and inserting “receipt of a notice under the preceding sentence”;

(ii) in the third sentence, by striking “any water quality requirement” and inserting “any applicable provision of section 301, 302, 303, 306, or 307”;

(iii) in the fifth sentence, by striking “insure compliance with applicable water quality requirements.” and inserting “ensure compliance with the applicable provisions of sections 301, 302, 303, 306, and 307.”;

(iv) in the final sentence, by striking “insure” and inserting “ensure”; and

(v) by striking the first sentence and inserting “On receipt of a request for certification, the certifying State or interstate agency, as applicable, shall immediately notify the Administrator of the request.”;

(C) in paragraph (3), in the second sentence, by striking “section” and inserting “any applicable provision of section”;

(D) in paragraph (4)—

(i) in the first sentence, by striking “applicable effluent limitations or other limitations or other applicable water quality requirements will not be violated” and inserting “no applicable provision of section 301, 302, 303, 306, or 307 will be violated”;

(ii) in the second sentence, by striking “will violate applicable effluent limitations or other limitations or other water quality requirements” and inserting “will directly result in a discharge that violates an applicable provision of section 301, 302, 303, 306, or 307,”; and

(iii) in the third sentence, by striking “such facility or activity will not violate the applicable provisions” and inserting “operation of such facility or activity will not directly result in a discharge that violates any applicable provision”; and

(E) in paragraph (5), by striking “the applicable provisions” and inserting “any applicable provision”;

(2) in subsection (d), by striking “any applicable effluent limitations and other limitations, under section 301 or 302 of this Act, standard of performance under section 306 of this Act, or prohibition, effluent standard, or pretreatment standard under section 307 of this Act, and with any other appropriate requirement of State law set forth in such certification, and” and inserting “the applicable provisions of sections 301, 302, 303, 306, and 307, and any such limitations or requirements”; and

(3) by adding at the end the following:

“(e) For purposes of this section, the applicable provisions of sections 301, 302, 303, 306, and 307 are any applicable effluent limitations and other limitations, under section 301 or 302, standard of performance under section 306, prohibition, effluent standard, or pretreatment standard under section 307, and requirement of State law implementing water quality criteria under section 303 necessary to support the designated use or uses of the receiving navigable waters.”.