A Republican bill with no cosponsors
Last activity — Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 659.
Cleared committee, waiting for its first floor vote
A committee approved it and it is on the calendar of the chamber it started in.
This is further than most bills get, and still no promise of a vote: the calendar is a queue, and the majority leadership decides what is called. A bill can sit here until the Congress ends.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- On Calendar
What this bill would do
This bill is known as the License to Drill Act. It changes the Mineral Leasing Act to extend the time period that the Secretary of the Interior must collect a fee for each new application for a permit to drill. The collection period is extended from the year 2026 to the year 2037. The bill also changes how the collected fees are handled. It directs that all of the fees collected for each fiscal year from 2027 through 2037 be transferred to the BLM Permit Processing Improvement Fund. Finally, it extends the termination date for these provisions from 2026 to 2037.
Yes· 3 of 9
- Scored +3
Is this likely to create jobs?
Streamlining permit processing may facilitate increased energy production and related employment.
- Scored +3
Would business owners be better off under this?
Energy sector businesses benefit from improved and more predictable permit processing.
- Scored +2
Is this likely to grow the economy?
The bill supports the energy sector by improving administrative processing through dedicated funding.
The opposite· 3 of 4
- Scored -3
Does this reduce how much oil, gas and coal is produced?
The bill is designed to support and facilitate the continued and efficient production of fossil fuels.
- Scored -2
Does this cut the pollution that drives climate change?
By facilitating more oil and gas drilling, this bill may indirectly lead to higher fossil fuel consumption.
- Scored -2
Would Native Americans be better off under this?
Expanded drilling activities may impact tribal lands and traditional environmental resources.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
- Extended Fund Support: Under section 2, amending paragraph (3), all of the fees collected for each fiscal year from 2027 through 2037 will be transferred to the BLM Permit Processing Improvement Fund. This is positive because it ensures continued funding for that specific fund through the year 2037.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Extended Fee Collection: Under section 2, amending paragraph (1) and paragraph (4), the period of time during which the Secretary of the Interior is required to collect a fee for each new application for a permit to drill is extended until 2037 instead of 2026. This means the fee collection requirement is prolonged for an additional eleven years.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Economy And Finance
- Is this likely to create jobs? — Streamlining permit processing may facilitate increased energy production and related employment. Is this likely to grow the economy? — The bill supports the energy sector by improving administrative processing through dedicated funding. Is this likely to slow the rise in prices? — Increased efficiency in oil and gas permitting may contribute to stable energy supplies.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this better protect public land such as parks and forests? — The bill improves the administrative management of public lands by funding BLM permit processing. Is this likely to lower the price at the pump? — Increased domestic drilling efficiency can help stabilize or lower energy costs. Does this reduce how much oil, gas and coal is produced? — The bill is designed to support and facilitate the continued and efficient production of fossil fuels. Does this cut the pollution that drives climate change? — By facilitating more oil and gas drilling, this bill may indirectly lead to higher fossil fuel consumption. Does this better protect air, water and wildlife? — The focus on expedited permit processing may reduce the emphasis on intensive environmental oversight.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would business owners be better off under this? — Energy sector businesses benefit from improved and more predictable permit processing. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — Rural areas often hosting drilling operations may benefit from increased industrial activity. Would union members be better off under this? — Continued energy production may support jobs within associated labor sectors. Would Native Americans be better off under this? — Expanded drilling activities may impact tribal lands and traditional environmental resources.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this give the federal government more power? — The bill maintains and extends federal oversight and fee collection authority through the BLM.
- 9/17/2026
- Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Lee without amendment. Without written report.
- Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 659.
- 7/29/2026
- Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- 7/21/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.