Indian Tribal Energy Development and Self-Determination Act Amendments of 2017
Public Law 115-325 · S. 245 · 115th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Dec 18, 2018 · Native Americans
Sponsor: Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND)
Cosponsors (7): Sen. John Barrasso, Sen. John McCain,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Indian Tribal Energy Development and Self-Determination Act Amendments of 2017
TITLE I--INDIAN TRIBAL ENERGY DEVELOPMENT AND SELF-DETERMINATION ACT AMENDMENTS
(Sec. 101) This bill amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to direct the Department of the Interior to provide Indian tribes with technical assistance in planning their energy resource development programs.
The Department of Energy (DOE) Indian energy education planning and management assistance program is expanded to make intertribal organizations eligible for grants and to allow grants to be used to increase the capacity of tribes to manage energy development and energy efficiency programs.
This bill makes tribal energy development organizations eligible for DOE energy development loan guarantees.
(Sec. 103) This bill allows leases and business agreements that pool a tribe's energy resources with other energy resources.
An energy-related tribal lease, business agreement, or right-of-way does not require Interior's approval if it complies with a tribal energy resource agreement or it is a lease with a tribal energy development organization that Interior has certified, and the term does not exceed specified limits.
The process and conditions for Interior's approval of tribal energy resource agreements are revised.
This bill revises the process for determining whether an interested party has a valid claim to be suffering an adverse environmental impact due to a tribe's noncompliance with such an agreement.
Interior must make available to a tribe the amount Interior would have expended to carry out an activity that the tribe is carrying out pursuant to a tribal energy resource agreement.
(Sec. 104) DOE must collaborate with the Directors of the National Laboratories in making the full array of DOE technical and scientific resources available for tribal energy activities and projects.
TITLE II--MISCELLANEOUS AMENDMENTS
(Sec. 201) This bill amends the Federal Power Act to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to give tribes, in addition to states and municipalities, preference for the receipt of preliminary hydroelectric licenses.
(Sec. 202) This bill amends the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 to direct Interior, for land under Bureau of Land Management jurisdiction, and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), for land under Forest Service jurisdiction, to enter into agreements with tribes to carry out demonstration projects to promote biomass energy production on Indian forest land and in nearby communities by providing them with reliable supplies of woody biomass from federal lands.
Interior and USDA must enter into agreements with tribal organizations to carry out additional biomass demonstration projects.
(Sec. 203) This bill amends the Energy Conservation and Production Act to revise requirements for direct home weatherization grants to tribes.
(Sec. 204) Interior, an affected tribe, or a certified third-party appraiser under contract with the tribe must appraise mineral or energy resources involved in a transaction requiring Interior's approval.
(Sec. 205) This bill amends the Long-Term Leasing Act to allow the Navajo Nation to enter into mineral resource leases on their restricted lands without Interior's approval. The maximum term of a Navajo Nation lease that does not require Interior's approval is extended for commercial and agricultural leases.
(Sec. 206) The Crow Tribe of Montana may lease their land for a term of up to 99 years.
(Sec. 207) This bill sets forth provisions for money held by Interior in connection with the review and approval of a sale, lease, permit, or other conveyance of Indian land.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Energy and Commerce Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Energy Subcommittee- Natural Resources Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee; Indian and Insular Affairs Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
S. 1460Related bill
Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 26 actions.
- Dec 18, 2018Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 115-325.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 12, 2018FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 10, 2018FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 245.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Bishop (UT) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Nov 30, 2018CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 823.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Energy and Commerce discharged.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 115-1057, Part I.
- Nov 15, 2018CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs Discharged.
- Dec 4, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs.
- Dec 1, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy.
- Nov 30, 2017FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Nov 29, 2017FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- May 24, 2017CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 104.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Indian Affairs. Reported by Senator Hoeven without amendment. With written report No. 115-84.
- Feb 8, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Indian Affairs. Ordered to be reported favorably.
- Jan 30, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S492)
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.