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American Public Lands and Waters Climate Solution Act of 2019
10/28/2022, 1:45 AM
Congressional Summary of HR 5435
American Public Lands and Waters Climate Solution Act of 2019
This bill requires the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions from public lands. The bill increases royalties on fossil fuels produced from public lands and creates annual, per-acre fees for federal oil and gas leases.
The bill prohibits Interior from holding new lease sales for coal, oil, or gas for one year and until Interior (1) certifies that additional fossil fuel leasing on public lands is not inconsistent with achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from public lands by 2040, and (2) releases a Public Lands Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy.
Interior and the Forest Service shall reduce net emissions associated with the extraction and end-use combustion of fossil fuels produced from public lands to meet specified targets.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) must determine if the emission reduction targets have been met. If net emissions from public lands have exceeded the targets, Interior must not approve new fossil fuel permits and not hold new fossil fuel lease sales until the USGS has certified and issued a notice that net emissions are below the target level.
Interior shall make available on a public website (1) information regarding fossil fuel operations, including the aggregate amount of each fossil fuel produced on federal leases; and (2) information that describes the amount and sources of renewable energy produced from public lands.
The bill sets forth how revenue raised by the bill is to be distributed.
