Cramer: House Passes H.R. 538: Native American Energy Act

Press Release

Congressman Kevin Cramer joined a majority of the U.S. House of Representatives in passing H.R. 538, the Native American Energy Act. The bill speeds up energy development on tribal lands by requiring the Secretary of the Interior to act on appraisals of whether a project would benefit a tribe within 30 days and reforms the judicial review process for tribal energy projects.

"Energy development on tribal lands should not be delayed by needless layers of bureaucracy. These nations are sovereign. Unfortunately, their energy projects are treated as public by the federal government which opens them up to lawsuits from people and special interest groups who don't live on the same tribal lands," said Cramer. "These projects create jobs and careers for Native Americans who live in areas with some of the highest poverty rates in the nation."

Current federal regulations require tribes to complete a rigorous regulatory process to develop energy resources on their land, which has resulted in long delays in starting projects. The Department of Interior has developed extensive rules for the approval of leases of Indian lands and is planning to add duplicative hydraulic fracturing regulations to this list. Cramer said the rules often trigger reviews, lengthy appraisals, expensive applications for permits to drill, and numerous other layers of bureaucratic review often involving multiple agencies.

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