HR 7831: License to Drill Act

HR 7831 in plain English: This bill extends the Bureau of Land Management's authority to collect oil and gas permit processing fees through FY2037, eleven years beyond the current FY2026 expiration. Fees collected from new permit applications are deposited into the BLM Permit Processing Improvement Fund.

Stated purpose

The bill extends the Bureau of Land Management's authority to collect fees from oil and gas drilling permit applications through FY2037, continuing to fund the BLM Permit Processing Improvement Fund.

Key points

• Extends BLM's oil and gas permit fee collection authority from FY2026 to FY2037.
• Fees from new permit applications continue to flow into the BLM Permit Processing Improvement Fund.

Arguments supporters make

• Keeping this fee in place gives BLM a dedicated source of money to process permits faster, which benefits both the agency and energy companies waiting on approvals.
• Extending the program through 2037 provides long-term stability and predictability for both the government and the energy industry.
• The fees are paid by the industry that benefits from the permits, so taxpayers at large are not picking up the cost of processing.

Arguments opponents make

• Critics may argue that adding or extending fees on drilling permits raises costs for energy producers, which could slow domestic energy development or be passed on to consumers.
• Some may contend that permit processing should be funded through regular congressional appropriations rather than a special fee, keeping oversight more transparent and direct.
• Others may question whether the fund has actually improved processing times enough to justify continuing the fee for another decade.

Tradeoffs

Extending the fee keeps a dedicated funding stream for permit processing without using general tax dollars, but it also means energy companies face continued per-application costs that they might not if the fee simply expired.

Current status in Congress: Passed House.

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