Bureau of Land Management Mineral Spacing Act

This legislation aims to streamline the permitting process for oil and gas exploration and production activities by amending the Mineral Leasing Act. It specifies that a federal drilling permit is not required for operations conducted on non-Federal surface estate , provided the United States holds less than a 50 percent ownership interest in the subsurface mineral estate and the operator submits a valid State permit. Under these conditions, such activities would not be considered a major Federal action for the purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, nor would they be subject to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 or Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Operations could commence 30 days after the State permit is submitted to the Secretary, requiring no additional federal action beyond the initial submission. However, the bill explicitly states that these provisions do not affect federal royalty amounts or the Secretary's authority to conduct audits and inspections to ensure proper accountability and collection of royalties, and they do not apply to Indian lands.