S. 5039 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Jul 21, 2026
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryExtends oil and gas permit fees through 2037
Right now, the Bureau of Land Management (a federal agency that manages public lands) collects fees when companies apply for permits to drill for oil and gas on federal land. These fees go into a special fund to help the agency process permits faster. This bill extends that fee authority from 2026 through 2037, so the BLM can keep collecting these fees for 11 more years.
How it affects you
If you're an oil or gas company applying for permits on federal land, you'll continue paying these processing fees for another decade. Most everyday Americans won't directly notice this change, though it affects how the federal government manages public resources and the pace of permit reviews.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Jul 21, 2026)
License to Drill Act
This bill extends through FY2037 the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) authority to collect oil and gas permit processing fees. For each new permit application, BLM collects a fee that is transferred to the BLM Permit Processing Improvement Fund. (Under current law, the fees are authorized through FY2026.)
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
2nd SessionS. 5039
A BILL
License to Drill Act
Sponsor: Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) · Introduced Jul 21, 2026 · Energy · 2 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Sep 17, 2026: “Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 659.”
Sections
The wording of this bill hasn’t changed across its 2 official versions.