H.R. 7375 would modify the terms under which the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) collects a nonrefundable fee for submitting an expression of interest (EOI), which is an informal nomination to request certain federal land be included in a competitive oil and gas lease sale. 

Under current law, EOIs are not automatically placed for sale when received nor does an EOI guarantee those lands will be offered at auction. The parcels must first be reviewed for availability and environmental concerns prior to being placed for sale. Public Law 117-169 established a $5 per acre fee to cover BLM’s cost of processing EOIs, which the agency collects at the time of submission. Those fees are recorded in the federal budget as offsetting receipts, that is, as reductions in direct spending.