Use It or Lose It Act of 2011

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Congressional Research Service

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Mar 16, 2011

Use It or Lose It Act of 2011 - Requires holders of leases authorizing exploration and production of oil or natural gas to develop them diligently in order to ensure timely production from the lease.

Amends the Mineral Leasing Act and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to require a lessee, as a condition of such a lease, to pay an annual fee of $4 per acre on the acres covered by a non-producing lease.

Directs the Secretary to issue regulations that: (1) prescribe requirements and benchmarks for diligent oil and gas development to produce oil and gas from each lease to the maximum extent practicable during the primary term of the lease, and (2) require each leaseholder to submit a diligent development plan describing how the lessee will meet such benchmarks.

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People & committees

Who introduced it

Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ] · D–NJ

Committees

Energy and Natural Resources Committee

10 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Legislative record

Actions

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Mar 16, 2011
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Mar 16, 2011
Introduced in Senate

Primary sources

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Introduced in Senate · Mar 16, 2011 Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.

Source last updated: Sep 8, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

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Objective

Analyze S.600 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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Discuss S.600, 112th Congress: Use It or Lose It Act of 2011

Official record: https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-bill/600

Text version to examine: Introduced in Senate · 2011-03-16.

Official full text: https://www.congress.gov/112/bills/s600/BILLS-112s600is.htm

Imported record last updated by the source: 2026-09-08T18:13:55Z. Verify current status and distinguish any later version from the version above.

Read the official text before answering. If you cannot access it, say so and ask me to provide it; do not assume a link means you have read the document. Distinguish proposals from enacted law, cite sources, and separate facts, interpretation, and uncertain predictions. Include counterarguments even when using a particular perspective.

Analyze S.600 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.

Fairness and public impact

Progressive lens

Examine S.600 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.

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Discuss S.600, 112th Congress: Use It or Lose It Act of 2011

Official record: https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-bill/600

Text version to examine: Introduced in Senate · 2011-03-16.

Official full text: https://www.congress.gov/112/bills/s600/BILLS-112s600is.htm

Imported record last updated by the source: 2026-09-08T18:13:55Z. Verify current status and distinguish any later version from the version above.

Read the official text before answering. If you cannot access it, say so and ask me to provide it; do not assume a link means you have read the document. Distinguish proposals from enacted law, cite sources, and separate facts, interpretation, and uncertain predictions. Include counterarguments even when using a particular perspective.

Examine S.600 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.

Institutions and government scope

Conservative lens

Examine S.600 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.

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Discuss S.600, 112th Congress: Use It or Lose It Act of 2011

Official record: https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-bill/600

Text version to examine: Introduced in Senate · 2011-03-16.

Official full text: https://www.congress.gov/112/bills/s600/BILLS-112s600is.htm

Imported record last updated by the source: 2026-09-08T18:13:55Z. Verify current status and distinguish any later version from the version above.

Read the official text before answering. If you cannot access it, say so and ask me to provide it; do not assume a link means you have read the document. Distinguish proposals from enacted law, cite sources, and separate facts, interpretation, and uncertain predictions. Include counterarguments even when using a particular perspective.

Examine S.600 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.

Individual rights and government power

Liberty lens

Examine S.600 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.

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Discuss S.600, 112th Congress: Use It or Lose It Act of 2011

Official record: https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-bill/600

Text version to examine: Introduced in Senate · 2011-03-16.

Official full text: https://www.congress.gov/112/bills/s600/BILLS-112s600is.htm

Imported record last updated by the source: 2026-09-08T18:13:55Z. Verify current status and distinguish any later version from the version above.

Read the official text before answering. If you cannot access it, say so and ask me to provide it; do not assume a link means you have read the document. Distinguish proposals from enacted law, cite sources, and separate facts, interpretation, and uncertain predictions. Include counterarguments even when using a particular perspective.

Examine S.600 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.