[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1941 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1941
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 12, 2019
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the
Secretary of the Interior including in any leasing program certain
planning areas, 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 ``Coastal and Marine Economies
Protection Act''.
SEC. 2. PUBLICATION OF INSPECTION RESULTS.
Section 22(c) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C.
1348(c)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``The'' and inserting the following:
``(a) In General.--The''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(b) Publication.--The Secretary shall make the following
available to the public:
``(1) Any reports produced under this subsection.
``(2) The following information about each payment made
into the Ocean Energy Safety Fund under subsection (g):
``(A) The facility that was inspected.
``(B) The name of the operator of such facility.
``(C) The amount of the payment.''.
SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON LEASING IN CERTAIN PLANNING AREAS.
Section 18 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act is amended by
redesignating subsections (g) and (h) as subsections (h) and (i)
respectively, and by inserting after subsection (f) the following:
``(g) The Secretary shall not include in any leasing program under
this section any area within the Atlantic Region planning areas or the
Pacific Region planning areas, as such planning areas are described in
the document entitled `Draft Proposed Program Outer Continental Shelf
Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2019-2024', dated January 2018.''.
SEC. 4. INSPECTION FEE COLLECTION.
Section 22 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C.
1348) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(g) Inspection Fees.--
``(1) Establishment.--The Secretary of the Interior shall
collect from the operators of facilities subject to inspection
under subsection (c) non-refundable fees for such inspections--
``(A) at an aggregate level equal to the amount
necessary to offset the annual expenses of inspections
of outer Continental Shelf facilities (including mobile
offshore drilling units) by the Secretary of the
Interior; and
``(B) using a schedule that reflects the
differences in complexity among the classes of
facilities to be inspected.
``(2) Ocean energy safety fund.--There is established in
the Treasury a fund, to be known as the `Ocean Energy Safety
Fund' (referred to in this subsection as the `Fund'), into
which shall be deposited all amounts collected as fees under
paragraph (1) and which shall be available as provided under
paragraph (3).
``(3) Availability of fees.--Notwithstanding section 3302
of title 31, United States Code, all amounts deposited in the
Fund--
``(A) shall be credited as offsetting collections;
``(B) shall be available for expenditure for
purposes of carrying out inspections of outer
Continental Shelf facilities (including mobile offshore
drilling units) and the administration of the
inspection program under this section;
``(C) shall be available only to the extent
provided for in advance in an appropriations Act; and
``(D) shall remain available until expended.
``(4) Adjustment for inflation.--For each fiscal year
beginning after fiscal year 2020, the Secretary shall adjust
each dollar amount specified in this subsection for inflation
based on the change in the Consumer Price Index from fiscal
year 2020.
``(5) Annual fees.--Annual fees shall be collected under
this subsection for facilities that are above the waterline,
excluding drilling rigs, and are in place at the start of the
fiscal year. Fees for fiscal year 2020 shall be--
``(A) $11,500 for facilities with no wells, but
with processing equipment or gathering lines;
``(B) $18,500 for facilities with 1 to 10 wells,
with any combination of active or inactive wells; and
``(C) $34,500 for facilities with more than 10
wells, with any combination of active or inactive
wells.
``(6) Fees for drilling rigs.--Fees shall be collected
under this subsection for drilling rigs on a per inspection
basis. Fees for fiscal year 2020 shall be--
``(A) $33,500 per inspection for rigs operating in
water depths of 500 feet or more; and
``(B) $18,500 per inspection for rigs operating in
water depths of less than 500 feet.
``(7) Fees for non-rig units.--Fees shall be collected
under this subsection for well operations conducted via non-rig
units as outlined in subparts D, E, F, and Q of part 250 of
title 30, Code of Federal Regulations, on a per inspection
basis. Fees for fiscal year 2020 shall be--
``(A) $13,260 per inspection for non-rig units
operating in water depths of 2,500 feet or more;
``(B) $11,530 per inspection for non-rig units
operating in water depths between 500 and 2,499 feet;
and
``(C) $4,470 per inspection for non-rig units
operating in water depths of less than 500 feet.
``(8) Billing.--The Secretary shall bill designated
operators under paragraph (5) annually, with payment required
within 30 days of billing. The Secretary shall bill designated
operators under paragraph (6) within 30 days of the end of the
month in which the inspection occurred, with payment required
within 30 days after billing.''.
SEC. 5. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying
with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by
reference to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO
Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional
Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that
such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
SEC. 6. RISK TO NATIONAL SECURITY.
The Secretary of the Interior, after consulting with the Secretary
of Defense, shall report to Congress on whether this Act poses a risk
to national security due to potential increase in dependence on foreign
oil.
SEC. 7. STUDYING THE IMPACTS OF OFFSHORE DRILLING ON COASTAL
COMMUNITIES AND COASTAL ECONOMIES.
(a) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to the Committee on
Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report on the impacts of
offshore drilling on coastal communities and coastal economies.
(b) Contents.--The report required by subsection (a) shall--
(1) address how oil and gas companies interact with local
stakeholders in advance of a siting decision, including their
meetings with fishermen;
(2) investigate the impacts of offshore drilling on
tourism, including tradeoffs during normal operations and
economic impacts after a spill;
(3) describe how the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
works with other agencies, including the National Marine
Fisheries Service, to include stakeholder input in advance of a
siting decision;
(4) address how quickly response teams can mitigate
environmental damage after a spill and how long regional
ecosystems take to recover following a spill;
(5) describe any limitations on the quantity of comparative
data available on impacts to regions of the Outer Continental
Shelf that have not been sited for drilling;
(6) describe the impacts on commercial and recreational
fisheries from offshore drilling; and
(7) address the economic impacts of oil spills on the food
supply of a region, including those food sources that are
distinctive to a region's culture.
SEC. 8. MORATORIUM ON SEISMIC ACTIVITIES RELATED TO OIL, GAS, AND
METHANE HYDRATE EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE NORTH
ATLANTIC, MID-ATLANTIC, SOUTH ATLANTIC, AND STRAITS OF
FLORIDA PLANNING AREAS.
Section 11 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C.
1340) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(i) Moratorium on Seismic Activities Related to Oil, Gas, and
Methane Hydrate Exploration and Development in the North Atlantic, Mid-
Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Straits of Florida Planning Areas.--
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no agency of the United
States or person may conduct or authorize any other person to conduct
geological or geophysical activities in support of oil, gas, or methane
hydrate exploration and development in any area located in the North
Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Straits of Florida Planning
Areas of the outer Continental Shelf.''.
SEC. 9. ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY.
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Secretary of Commerce shall conduct a study to determine the potential
economic impact of offshore drilling on tourism, commercial fishing,
recreational fishing, boating, transportation, and other waterfront-
related and coastal-related business.
Passed the House of Representatives September 11, 2019.
Attest:
CHERYL L. JOHNSON,
Clerk.