H. R. 9696 is a proposed bill titled the “Federal Lands and Waters Leasing Transparency Act,” which aims to amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and the Mineral Leasing Act. The bill mandates reports on why certain bids for offshore oil and gas lease tracts are...
Simple Explanation
The bill wants to make sure that when the government says "no" to people wanting to drill for oil in certain places, they have to explain why, to be fair and clear. It also wants to make it easier and quicker for companies to get special permissions to drill for oil and gas, even if some people think it's not following the rules exactly right.