PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Rivas, Luz M. [D-CA-29] · D–CA
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 21, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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Analyze H.R.10065 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-08-06 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposal would require holders of newly issued leases on federal land and the offshore outer Continental Shelf to pay royalties—payments for extracting public resources—on gas consumed or lost during production, subject to three exceptions. It would also require enforcement of a specified gas-waste rule and restrict its replacement or revision. These are proposed requirements, not evidence of enacted law.
For all leases issued after the date of enactment of this Act, except as provided in subsection (b), royalties paid for gas produced from Federal land and on the outer Continental Shelf shall be assessed on all gas produced, including all gas that is consumed or lost by venting, flaring, or negligent releases through any equipment during upstream operations.
The Director of the Bureau of Land Management shall enforce the final rule entitled Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation and published on April 10, 2024 (89 Fed. Reg. 25378), and may not finalize—
(1) the proposed rule entitled Royalty for Oil and Gas Lost From Onshore Federal and Indian Leases and published on June 24, 2026 (91 Fed. Reg. 37906); or (2) any other rule that revises the final rule entitled Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation and published on April 10, 2024 (89 Fed. Reg. 25378), unless the Director publishes a certification that the other rule will further minimize the waste of natural gas from oil and gas leases administered by the Director or improve air quality and public health.
For leases issued after enactment, the proposed royalty requirement would cover all gas produced, including gas consumed, vented (released), flared (burned), or negligently released through equipment during production operations. The requirement would remain subject to the listed exceptions.
For all leases issued after the date of enactment of this Act, except as provided in subsection (b), royalties paid for gas produced from Federal land and on the outer Continental Shelf shall be assessed on all gas produced, including all gas that is consumed or lost by venting, flaring, or negligent releases through any equipment during upstream operations.
The new royalty requirement would not apply to gas vented or flared for no longer than 48 hours during an emergency that threatens human health, safety, or the environment.
(b) Exception Subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to— (1) gas vented or flared for not longer than 48 hours in an emergency situation that poses a danger to human health, safety, or the environment;
The new requirement would also exclude gas used or consumed within a lease area or specified combined operating area for that area's benefit, and gas that is unavoidably lost. These are exceptions to the proposed requirement, not an express exemption from every other royalty obligation.
(b) Exception Subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to—
(2) gas used or consumed within the area of the lease, unit, or communitized area for the benefit of the lease, unit, or communitized area; or (3) gas that is unavoidably lost.
The Bureau of Land Management's Director would have to enforce the waste-prevention and royalty rule published on April 10, 2024.
The Director of the Bureau of Land Management shall enforce the final rule entitled Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation and published on April 10, 2024 (89 Fed. Reg. 25378)
The Director would be prohibited from finalizing the proposed rule on royalties for oil and gas lost from onshore federal and Indian leases that the bill identifies as published on June 24, 2026.
and may not finalize— (1) the proposed rule entitled Royalty for Oil and Gas Lost From Onshore Federal and Indian Leases and published on June 24, 2026 (91 Fed. Reg. 37906);
For any other rule revising the April 2024 rule, the Director would have to publish a certification before finalizing it. The certification must state that the revision will further reduce natural-gas waste from leases the Director administers or improve air quality and public health. This certification requirement does not itself establish that those improvements would occur.
and may not finalize—
(2) any other rule that revises the final rule entitled Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation and published on April 10, 2024 (89 Fed. Reg. 25378), unless the Director publishes a certification that the other rule will further minimize the waste of natural gas from oil and gas leases administered by the Director or improve air quality and public health.
The supplied history snapshot, updated August 21, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Natural Resources on August 6, 2026.
Source snapshot updated 2026-08-21T08:05:46Z. 2026-08-06: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. 2026-08-06: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-08-06. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not cover other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish the absence of earmarks in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
Findings to examine
The proposed royalty policy includes specific operational exceptions. Identifying these carve-outs is not a judgment about their justification.
Holders of leases issued after enactment would receive exceptions from the new royalty assessment for qualifying emergency venting or flaring lasting no more than 48 hours, gas used within the specified operating area for its benefit, and unavoidable gas losses. These exceptions directly narrow the bill's main royalty policy; they do not expressly waive other royalty obligations.
For all leases issued after the date of enactment of this Act, except as provided in subsection (b), royalties paid for gas produced from Federal land and on the outer Continental Shelf shall be assessed on all gas produced
(b) Exception Subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to— (1) gas vented or flared for not longer than 48 hours in an emergency situation that poses a danger to human health, safety, or the environment; (2) gas used or consumed within the area of the lease, unit, or communitized area for the benefit of the lease, unit, or communitized area; or (3) gas that is unavoidably lost.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Aug 21, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI