Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Unleashing American Energy Act of 2017”.
Unleashing American Energy Act of 2017
A BILL
To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to authorize additional lease sales to be added to an approved 5-year leasing program.
Sec. 2 Addition of lease sales to 5-year leasing program
Section 18(d) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1344(d)) is amended—
in paragraph (3), by striking “After” and all that follows through “first occurs,” and inserting “Except as provided in paragraph (4), after the leasing program has been approved by the Secretary,”; and
by adding at the end the following:
“(4) Inclusion of additional lease sales
“(A) In general—As the Secretary determines to be appropriate and subject to the considerations required under subsection (a)(2), the Secretary may include in an approved leasing program additional lease sales to be conducted under the approved leasing program.
“(B) Revision not required—The inclusion of any additional lease sales under subparagraph (A) shall not be considered to be a significant revision requiring reapproval of the approved leasing program under subsection (e).
“(C) Applicable law
“(i) In general—Except as provided in clause (ii), an individual lease sale added to an approved leasing program under subparagraph (A) shall be considered to be a major Federal action for purposes of section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)).
“(ii) Gulf of Mexico areas—An individual lease sale added to an approved leasing program covering the Gulf of Mexico Region of the outer Continental Shelf shall not be considered to be a major Federal action for purposes of section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)).”