§ 6217. Scientific inventory of oil and gas reserves

• (a) The Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Secretaries of Agriculture and Energy, shall conduct an inventory of all onshore Federal lands. The inventory shall identify—
  • (1) the United States Geological Survey estimates of the oil and gas resources underlying these lands;
  • (2) the extent and nature of any restrictions or impediments to the development of the resources, including—
    • (A) impediments to the timely granting of leases;
    • (B) post-lease restrictions, impediments, or delays on development for conditions of approval, applications for permits to drill, or processing of environmental permits; and
    • (C) permits or restrictions associated with transporting the resources for entry into commerce; and
  • (3) the quantity of resources not produced or introduced into commerce because of the restrictions.
• (b) Once completed, the USGS resource estimates and the surface availability data as provided in subsection (a)(2) shall be regularly updated and made publicly available.
• (c) The inventory shall be provided to the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives and to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate within 2 years after November 9, 2000 .
• (d) Using the inventory, the Secretary of Energy shall make periodic assessments of economically recoverable resources accounting for a range of parameters such as current costs, commodity prices, technology, and regulations.