[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 261 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 261

 To amend the National Marine Sanctuaries Act to prohibit requiring an 
  authorization for the installation, continued presence, operation, 
 maintenance, repair, or recovery of undersea fiber optic cables in a 
   national marine sanctuary if such activities have previously been 
                authorized by a Federal or State agency.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 9, 2025

Mr. Carter of Georgia (for himself, Mr. Dunn of Florida, Mrs. Cammack, 
  Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia, Mr. Fry, and Mr. Pfluger) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the National Marine Sanctuaries Act to prohibit requiring an 
  authorization for the installation, continued presence, operation, 
 maintenance, repair, or recovery of undersea fiber optic cables in a 
   national marine sanctuary if such activities have previously been 
                authorized by a Federal or State agency.

    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 ``Undersea Cable Protection Act of 
2025''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON REQUIRING AUTHORIZATIONS FOR UNDERSEA FIBER 
              OPTIC CABLES PREVIOUSLY AUTHORIZED BY FEDERAL OR STATE 
              AGENCIES.

    The National Marine Sanctuaries Act (16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.) is 
amended by inserting after section 310 the following:

``SEC. 310A. PROHIBITION ON REQUIRING AUTHORIZATIONS FOR UNDERSEA FIBER 
              OPTIC CABLES PREVIOUSLY AUTHORIZED BY FEDERAL OR STATE 
              AGENCIES.

    ``(a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, 
the Secretary may not prohibit or require any authorization for the 
installation, continued presence, operation, maintenance, repair, or 
recovery of undersea fiber optic cables in a national marine sanctuary 
if a license, lease, or permit has been issued by a Federal or State 
agency authorizing such installation, continued presence, operation, 
maintenance, repair, or recovery.
    ``(b) Interagency Cooperation.--The Secretary may direct the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to engage in 
interagency cooperation under section 304(d) in any Federal agency 
action described in that section and involving the installation, 
continued presence, operation, maintenance, repair, or recovery of 
undersea fiber optic cables in a national marine sanctuary.''.
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