Companion bills in the Florida house and senate are leading some environmental groups to worry it might mean more oil drilling in sensitive lands and create a burden on local governments.
The bills, titled Relief from Burdens on Real Property Rights, are written to explicitly add subsurface mineral rights, such as underground oil and gas, into definitions found within the Bert Harris Act, which protects private property rights.
Language in the bills would also further define what government actions could affect property rights under the act.
Sen. Ray Rodrigues (R-Lee County) said the idea for this bill has been on his mind since his time in the state’s house of representatives.
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The bill would increase the royalty rate for oil and gas production on federal lands by 50%.
U.S. Sens. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, this week introduced legislation that would increase the royalty rate for oil and gas production on federal lands by 50%.
The proposed “Fair Returns for Public Lands Act” (S.624) would raise the federal onshore royalty rate from 12.5% to 18.75%, which is already the federal offshore royalty rate, according to written statements from Rosen and Grassley’s offices.
“The current federal oil and gas program is broken and fails to protect our public lands and the American people,” commented Rosen. “I’m introducing this bipartisan, common-sense legislation that will require oil and gas companies to pay increased royalties for drilling, ensuring that our state and local governments in Nevada and across the nation receive fair compensation to fund critical education, infrastructure, and public health projects.”