Washington, D.C. (November 8, 2017) The House Committee on Natural Resources passed H.R. 4239, the Strengthening the Economy with Critical Untapped Resources to Expand American Energy Act (SECURE American Energy Act), with an amendment sponsored by Congressman Steve Pearce. This provision would codify Bureau of Land Management (BLM) policy and ensure that guidelines from the Mineral Leasing Act are followed.

“Earlier this year, the BLM withheld New Mexico’s fair share of revenue from an oil and gas lease sale in southeastern New Mexico. Due to a protest by extreme environmental groups, nearly $70 million dollars was stalled from getting to the State for roughly 8 months. For state’s like New Mexico that face tough financial times, this made it extremely hard to balance our budget, which is required each year under New Mexico’s Constitution. The protest period must have a deadline so that this situation doesn’t happen again, which is exactly what my amendment will do,” stated Rep. Pearce.

Background
The Mineral Leasing Act mandates that leases paid for during oil and gas sales be issued 60 days after the sale. BLM policy states any protest should be completed before the lease is issued. In 2010, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report stated 91% of protested leases were not issued within the 60-day window.

In April 2017, the Rep. Pearce sent a letter to BLM’s New Mexico State Director requesting BLM complete the leasing process to ensure payment of $69.9 million is provided to the state of New Mexico.

Watch Rep. Pearce speak on his amendment in the House Natural Resources Committee hearing here.