USE IT Act

United States Exploration on Idle Tracts Act or USE IT Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to issue regulations to establish a specified graduated annual production incentive fee with respect to federal onshore and offshore lands subject to a lease for production of oil or natural gas under which production is not occurring.

[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5102 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5102

    To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish an annual 
 production incentive fee with respect to Federal onshore and offshore 
lands that are subject to a lease for production of oil or natural gas 
    under which production is not occurring, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 21, 2010

 Mr. Markey of Massachusetts (for himself, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, 
  Mrs. Capps, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Hodes, Mr. Yarmuth, Mr. 
    Welch, and Ms. Sutton) introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish an annual 
 production incentive fee with respect to Federal onshore and offshore 
lands that are subject to a lease for production of oil or natural gas 
    under which production is not occurring, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``United States Exploration on Idle 
Tracts Act'' or the ``USE IT Act''.

SEC. 2. PRODUCTION INCENTIVE FEE.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of the Interior shall, within 180 
days after the date of enactment of this Act, issue regulations to 
establish an annual production incentive fee with respect to Federal 
onshore and offshore lands that are subject to a lease for production 
of oil or natural gas under which production is not occurring. Such fee 
shall apply with respect to lands that are subject to such a lease that 
is in effect on the date final regulations are promulgated under this 
subsection or that is issued thereafter.
    (b) Amount.--The amount of the fee shall be, for each acre of land 
from which oil or natural gas is produced for less than 90 days in a 
calendar year--
            (1) for each of the first 3 years of the lease, $4 per acre 
        in 2010 dollars;
            (2) for the fourth year of the lease, $6 per acre in 2010 
        dollars; and
            (3) for the fifth year of the lease and each year 
        thereafter for which the lease is otherwise in effect, $8 per 
        acre in 2010 dollars.
    (c) Assessment and Collection.--The Secretary shall assess and 
collect the fee established under this section.
    (d) Deposit.--Amounts received by the United States as the fee 
under this section shall be deposited in the general fund of the 
Treasury.
    (e) Regulations.--The Secretary of the Interior may issue 
regulations to prevent evasion of the fee under this section.
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