Energy Permitting Certainty Act
This bill requires the Department of the Interior to process applications for permits to drill under a valid oil or gas lease even if there are any pending civil actions, provided that the civil actions do not directly affect or involve the application or underlying lease.
To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to require the Secretary of the 
 Interior to process applications for a permit to drill, 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 ``Energy Permitting Certainty Act''.

SEC. 2. PROCESSING APPLICATIONS FOR PERMITS TO DRILL.

    Section 17(p) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226(p)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) Effect of pending civil action on processing 
        applications for permits to drill.--Pursuant to the 
        requirements of paragraph (2), notwithstanding the existence of 
        any pending civil actions which do not directly affect or 
        involve the application or related lease, the Secretary shall 
        process an application for a permit to drill under a valid 
        existing lease, unless a United States Federal court has 
        determined that the lease was not issued in compliance with the 
        National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
        seq.).''.
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Energy Permitting Certainty Act
To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to require the Secretary of the Interior to process applications for a permit to drill, and for other purposes.
Energy Permitting Certainty Act
Rep. Herrell, Yvette