Representatives introduced four energy bills in May 2013: the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska (NPR-A) Access Act (H.R. 1964); the Federal Lands Jobs and Energy Security Act (H.R. 1965); the Planning for American Energy Act of 2013 (H.R. 1394); and the BLM Live Internet Auctions Act (H.R. 555). On May 22, 2013, the House Committee on Natural Resources held a hearing to discuss the proposed bills.

H.R. 1964, introduced by Doc Hastings (R-WA), aims to open the NPR-A to competitive oil and gas leasing by requiring the Department of the Interior (DOI) to approve at minimum one lease sale per year from 2013 to 2023. The bill would also create timelines for approval of oil and gas transport infrastructure, such as pipelines and roads, to service the NPR-A as well as overturn DOI’s February 2013 plan to broaden wildlife and subsistence hunting protections in the NPR-A.

H.R. 1965, introduced by Doug Lamborn (R-CO), seeks to bolster onshore energy leases. The bill would mandate review of drilling permits within 60 days; apply wind and solar rights of way revenue to permitting; require issuance of leases within 60 days of payment; and protect leases from being withdrawn or altered following sale. The bill directs DOI to conduct a minimum of five lease sales, each of 25,000 acres or more, by 2016. Additionally, protests, such as those from environmental groups, would be required to pay a fee of $5,000.

Bills similar to H.R. 1964 and H.R. 1965 passed the House during the 112th Congress, but failed in the Senate.

H.R. 1394, introduced by Scott Tipton (R-CO), would require DOI to outline “goals for an all-of-the-above energy production plan strategy on a 4-year basis” for onshore federal lands.

H.R. 555, introduced by Bill Johnson (R-OH), proposes conducting onshore oil and gas lease sales through a live internet auction.