AXPC Urges House Natural Resources Committee to Advance Rep. Bice’s Bureau of Land Management Mineral Spacing Act

September 15, 2026 

WASHINGTON – The American Exploration & Production Council (AXPC) today urged the House Natural Resources Committee to advance H.R. 1555, the Bureau of Land Management Mineral Spacing Act. Sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Bice (OK), the legislation would address an unnecessary permitting bottleneck for oil and natural gas development on state and private lands where the federal government holds only a limited mineral interest.

“By eliminating duplicative federal permitting processes, this legislation would help accelerate responsible energy development and provide greater certainty for America’s energy producers and mineral owners,” said Anne Bradbury, AXPC CEO. “A more predictable, streamlined permitting process is essential to attracting job creating investment, supporting domestic energy production, and delivering reliable, secure energy for American consumers.” 

Background

Under current law, oil and natural gas development projects on nonfederal surface estates can be subject to the federal Application for Permit to Drill (APD) process even when the federal government owns less than half of the subsurface minerals being developed. This results in duplicative permitting and environmental review despite projects otherwise being subject to established state and private regulatory frameworks.

H.R. 1555 would allow these projects to proceed under applicable state and private regulatory requirements when less than 50 percent of the relevant subsurface mineral estate is federally owned, while preserving the federal government’s mineral interests and royalties.