Soda Ash Royalty Reduction Act of 2005

        [Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 811 Introduced in House (IH)]

109th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 811

To reduce temporarily the royalty required to be paid for sodium
produced on Federal lands, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 15, 2005

Mrs. Cubin introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To reduce temporarily the royalty required to be paid for sodium
produced on Federal lands, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Soda Ash Royalty Reduction Act of
2005''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds the following:
(1) The combination of global competitive pressures, flat
domestic demand, and spiraling costs of production threaten the
future of the United States soda ash industry.
(2) Despite booming world demand, growth in United States
exports of soda ash since 1997 has been flat, with most of the
world's largest markets for such growth, including Brazil, the
People's Republic of China, India, the countries of eastern
Europe, and the Republic of South Africa, have been closed by
protectionist policies.
(3) The People's Republic of China is the prime competitor
of the United States in soda ash production, and recently
supplanted the United States as the largest producer of soda
ash in the world.
(4) Over 700 jobs have been lost in the United States soda
ash industry since the Department of the Interior increased the
royalty rate on soda ash produced on Federal land, in 1996.
(5) Reduction of the royalty rate on soda ash produced on
Federal land will provide needed relief to the United States
soda ash industry and allow it to increase export growth and
competitiveness in emerging world markets, and create new jobs
in the United States.

SEC. 3. REDUCTION IN ROYALTY RATE ON SODA ASH.

Notwithstanding section 102(a)(9) of the Federal Land Policy
Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701(a)(9)), section 24 of the
Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 262), and the terms of any lease under
that Act, the royalty rate on the quantity or gross value of the output
of sodium compounds and related products at the point of shipment to
market from Federal land in the 5-year period beginning on the date of
the enactment of this Act shall be 2 percent.

SEC. 4. STUDY.

After the end of the 4-year period beginning on the date of the
enactment of this Act, and before the end of the 5-year period
beginning on that date, the Secretary of the Interior shall report to
the Congress on the effects of the royalty reduction under this Act,
including--
(1) the amount of sodium compounds and related products at
the point of shipment to market from Federal land during that
4-year period;
(2) the number of jobs that have been created or maintained
during the royalty reduction period;
(3) the total amount of royalty paid to the United States
on the quantity or gross value of the output of sodium
compounds and related products at the point of shipment to
market produced during that 4-year period, and the portion of
such royalty paid to States; and
(4) a recommendation of whether the reduced royalty rate
should apply after the end of the 5-year period beginning on
the date of the enactment of this Act.
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