Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to change from discretionary to mandatory the Secretary of the Interior's authority to cancel a lease or permit within such lands in specified circumstances. Revises the condition that the Secretary must determine that continued activity would probably cause serious harm or damage. States that lease or permit cancellation shall occur if the activity has resulted in or poses a threat of serious harm or damage and that the environmental or other resources harmed or placed at risk are of substantial value.
Prohibits the cancellation of a lease or permit unless its operation has been suspended or temporarily prohibited by the Secretary or the Congress. (Current law provides for suspension by the Secretary alone.) Decreases the due extension of such suspended lease term from five years to one.
Allows the compensation for a cancelled lease to be made in the form of currency, forgiveness of the lessee's obligation to pay rents or royalties on another issued lease, or against bonus payments for future lease purchases.
Changes the administrative procedure for processing comments received from a Governor modifying a proposed Outer Continental Shelf leasing program that affects his or her State.
Requires the national interest of lands within the Outer Continental Shelf to be determined by application of a balancing process that gives equal weight to obtaining oil and gas supplies and to protection of the environment.
Directs the Secretary to accept a Governor's recommendation providing a reasonable balance between the national interest and the well-being of the citizens of such affected State, unless found to be based on a material error of fact or arbitrary or capricious.
Sets requirements for peer review and publication deadlines for certain environmental studies.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Referred to the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Oceanography, Gulf of Mexico, and the Outer Continental Shelf.
Executive Comment Requested from Commerce, Interior, EPA.
checking server…
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line