PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 11, 2016
Keep It in the Ground Act of 2017
This bill amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) from issuing, renewing, reinstating, or extending any nonproducing lease, or issuing any authorization for the exploration or production of oil, natural gas, or any other fossil fuel in the Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, or any other area of the Outer Continental Shelf. BOEM shall also cancel within 60 days any lease issued in the Beaufort Sea, Cook Inlet, or Chukchi Sea (three of the five bodies of water that encompass the Alaska Outer Continental Shelf). The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) must not issue, renew, reinstate, or extend any nonproducing lease for the exploration or production of any onshore fossil fuels, including coal, oil, tar sands, oil shale, and gas, on land subject to the Mineral Leasing Act.
The bill provides for exceptions if there is an imminent national security threat that would be significantly reduced by granting an exception.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
In addition, BOEM and the BLM may allow a nonproducing lease to be renewed or extended if the lease contract was signed before this bill, and giving effect to any provision of this bill is likely to lead to a material breach of contract.
People & committees
Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2] · D–CA
Legislative record
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Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Dec 10, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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