Transparency in Energy Production Act of 2020
This bill requires certain disclosures by entities seeking a lease or holding a lease to develop renewable energy operations or fossil fuel operations on public lands. The disclosures are those described in the Sustainability Accounting Standard for the Renewable Resources & Alternative Energy Sector or the Extractives & Mineral Processing Sector.
Every two years, the Department of the Interior must submit a report to Congress that includes, among other things (1) for fossil fuel operations on public lands, the annual and two-year totals of greenhouse gas emissions, air quality, water management, biodiversity impacts, production, and the number of sites according to the metrics specified in the Sustainability Accounting Standard for Oil & Gas - Exploration & Production; and (2) for renewable energy operations on public lands, greenhouse gas emissions that would result from the production of the same amount of energy using fossil fuels.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5636 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5636
To provide for the accurate reporting of fossil fuel extraction and
emissions by entities with leases on public land, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 16, 2020
Mr. Lowenthal (for himself, Mr. Deutch, and Mr. Huffman) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural
Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the accurate reporting of fossil fuel extraction and
emissions by entities with leases on public land, 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 ``Transparency in Energy Production
Act of 2020''.
SEC. 2. DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS.
(a) Report Required for an Entity Seeking a Lease.--The Secretary
shall require any entity seeking a lease to develop covered operations
on public land to submit to the Secretary a report, at the time of
submission of a bid to develop covered operations. Such report shall--
(1) make the disclosures described in the Sustainable
Accounting Standard for the Extractives and Minerals Processing
Sector and the Renewable Resources and Alternative Energy
Sector in effect on the date the report is filed (that is
produced by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board) for
the covered operations developed by the entity and in effect at
the date of such bid; and
(2) disaggregate the information in paragraph 1 by State
and by type of covered operation.
(b) Report Required for an Entity Holding a Lease.--The Secretary
shall require any entity holding a lease to develop covered operations
on public land to submit to the Secretary a report annually. Such
report shall--
(1) make the disclosures described in the Sustainable
Accounting Standard for the Extractives and Minerals Processing
Sector and the Renewable Resources and Alternative Energy
Sector in effect on the date the report is filed (that is
produced by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board); and
(2) disaggregate the information in paragraph 1 by State
and by type of covered operation.
(c) Failure To Comply.--If the Secretary determines that an entity
did not meet the requirements of subsection (a), the Secretary--
(1) may not issue to such entity a lease for a covered
operation; and
(2) may suspend a lease for a covered operation held by
such entity.
SEC. 3. ONLINE PUBLICATION OF DISCLOSURE.
The Secretary shall make the information reported under section 2
available to the public on an internet website in a machine readable
format.
SEC. 4. REPORT TO CONGRESS.
Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act
and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit a report to
Congress that includes--
(1) with respect to covered operations, the annual and 2-
year totals of greenhouse gas emissions, air quality, water
management, biodiversity impacts, production, and number of
sites according to the metrics described in the Sustainable
Accounting Standard for Oil and Gas Exploration and Production
in effect on the date the report is filed (that is produced by
the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board) for covered
operations on public land; and
(2) the changes in the information in paragraph 1;
(3) the projected future changes for 5, 10, and 25 years;
and
(4) for renewable energy operations, an estimate of the
greenhouse gas emissions that would result from production of
the same amount of energy using fossil fuels.
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Covered operation.--The term ``covered operation''
means--
(A) any renewable energy operations; and
(B) fossil fuel operations that are subject to the
mineral leasing laws or title V of the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act of 1976 (30 U.S.C. 1761 et
seq.).
(2) Fossil fuel.--The term ``fossil fuel'' means oil,
natural gas, natural gas liquids, and coal.
(3) Public land.--The term ``public land'' has the meaning
given the term in section 103 of the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702).
(4) Renewable energy.--The term ``renewable energy'' means
a project carried out on public land that uses wind, solar,
geothermal, wave, current, tidal, or ocean thermal energy to
generate electricity.
(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE.
This Act shall take effect on the date that is 180 days after the
date of enactment of this Act.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
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