[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4284 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4284
To prohibit commercial offshore wind energy development in Lobster
Management Area 1 in the Gulf of Maine, and for other purposes.
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 22, 2023
Mr. Golden of Maine introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Natural Resources
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A BILL
To prohibit commercial offshore wind energy development in Lobster
Management Area 1 in the Gulf of Maine, 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 ``Northeast Fisheries Heritage
Protection Act''.
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON COMMERCIAL OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY DEVELOPMENT IN
LOBSTER MANAGEMENT AREA 1.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The New England fishing industry has been an integral
part of the history, culture, and economy of the region for
over 400 years.
(2) In 2021, New England commercial fisheries landed an
estimated 501,143,142 pounds of catch, valued at
$1,968,086,375, which supports thousands of fishermen, their
families, and communities that depend on these ocean resources.
(3) The United States lobster fishery, with Maine and
Massachusetts producing 93 percent of the lobster harvest, is
one of the most valuable fisheries in the country with
commercial landings totaling 134,700,000 pounds valued at
$925,000,000.
(4) Lobster Management Area 1 in the Gulf of Maine is a
critical and highly productive fishing ground for halibut,
tuna, flounder, redfish, black sea bass, monkfish, mackerel,
rock and sand crab, mussels, hardshell and softshell clams,
oysters, scallops, conchs, squid, and lobster.
(5) The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management recently
published ``Commercial Leasing for Wind Power Development on
the Gulf of Maine Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)-Call for
Information and Nominations'' (88 Fed. Reg. 25427; published
April 26, 2023), which invites public comment on potential
commercial wind energy development in the Gulf of Maine.
(6) The Call identifies approximately 9,800,000 million
acres to site potential commercial offshore wind projects in
the Gulf of Maine, including Lobster Management Areas 1 and 3
and other areas that are closed to fishing either permanently
or seasonally in an effort to protect the endangered North
Atlantic right whale.
(7) Siting offshore wind development outside of Lobster
Management Area 1 would avoid conflict with the New England
commercial and recreational fishing industries and preserve a
vital fishing ground for future generations.
(b) Prohibition on Commercial Offshore Wind Development in Lobster
Management Area 1.--Notwithstanding section 8 of the Outer Continental
Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1337), no lease, license, permit, or other
authorization may be issued for the development of commercial offshore
wind energy in Lobster Management Area 1.
(c) Gulf of Maine Offshore Wind Project Environmental Review
Process Study.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the date of
the enactment of this section, the Comptroller General shall
conduct a study to assess the sufficiency of the environmental
review processes of the national Marine Fisheries Service, the
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and any other relevant
Federal agency for offshore wind projects in the Gulf of Maine
in place as of the date of enactment of this section.
(2) Contents.--The study required under paragraph (1) shall
include consideration of the following:
(A) The impacts of offshore wind projects in the
Gulf of Maine on--
(i) marine mammals, including whales;
(ii) finfish;
(iii) benthic resources;
(iv) the commercial and recreational
fishing industries, including marine equipment
retailers, onshore processors, fish markets,
and other shoreside businesses;
(v) air quality and greenhouse gas
emissions;
(vi) cultural, historical, and Tribal
resources;
(vii) marine invertebrates;
(viii) essential fish habitat (as that term
is defined in section 3 of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16
U.S.C. 1802));
(ix) plankton abundance and distribution;
(x) recreation and tourism; and
(xi) fisheries-dependent communities.
(B) How each agency described in paragraph (1)
determines which stakeholders to consult with regard to
offshore wind projects in the Gulf of Maine and if a
timely, comprehensive comment period is provided for
local representatives and interested parties with
regard to such offshore wind projects.
(d) Lobster Management Area 1 Defined.--In this section, the term
``Lobster Management Area 1'' has the meaning given the term ``EEZ
Nearshore Management Area 1'' in section 697.18 of title 50, Code of
Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation).
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