H.R. 4294

American Energy First Act

This bill addresses offshore and onshore oil and gas resources, and the use of renewable energy resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and other federal lands.

Among other things, the bill

• allows states with an established permitting and regulatory program to manage certain federal permitting and regulatory responsibilities for oil and gas development on federal lands within their borders;
• limits the President's authority to prohibit oil and gas leasing on the OCS;
• establishes a revenue sharing framework to distribute revenues collected from oil and gas leasing on the OCS to certain states (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alaska);
• provides a mechanism for states to receive their entitled percentage of sales, bonuses, royalties, and rentals for all public land or deposits located in the state;
• requires the Department of the Interior to establish certain federal land as geothermal and wind energy leasing priority areas; and
• limits the authority of Interior to declare a moratorium on the leasing of federal lands for oil and gas activities unless such moratorium is authorized by Congress.