Protest fees

Section 17 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 226) is further amended by adding at the end the following: (t) Protest filing fee (1) In general Before processing any protest under this Act, the Secretary shall collect a filing fee in the amount described in paragraph (2) from the protestor to recover the cost for processing documents filed for the protest. (2) Amount The amount described in this paragraph is calculated as follows: (A) For each protest filed in a submission not exceeding 10 pages in length, the base filing fee shall be $150. (B) For each protest filed in a submission exceeding 10 pages in length, in addition to the base filing fee, an assessment of $5 per page in excess of 10 pages shall apply. (C) For each protest filed in a submission that includes more than one oil and gas lease parcel, right-of-way, or application for permit to drill, an additional assessment of $10 per additional lease parcel, right-of-way, or application for permit to drill shall apply. (3) Adjustment (A) In general Beginning on January 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall adjust the filing fees established in this subsection to whole dollar amounts to reflect changes in the Producer Price Index, as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the previous 12 months. (B) Publication of adjusted filing fees At least 30 days before an adjustment to a filing fee under this paragraph takes effect, the Secretary shall publish notification of the adjustment in the Federal Register. (4) Revenue allocation All revenues collected under this paragraph shall be deposited in the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts..