II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 956 

To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to limit the authority 

of the President to withdraw areas from oil and gas leasing, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 27, 2017 

Mr. CASSIDY (for himself and Mr. KENNEDY) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to limit 

the authority of the President to withdraw areas from 

oil and gas leasing, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Outer Continental 

5 Shelf Energy Access Now Act’’ or the ‘‘OCEAN Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. LIMITATION OF AUTHORITY OF THE PRESIDENT TO 

7 WITHDRAW AREAS OF THE OUTER CONTI8 NENTAL SHELF FROM OIL AND GAS LEASING. 

9 (a) WITHDRAWALS.— 


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1 (1) LIMITATION.—Section 12 of the Outer Con2 tinental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1341) is 

3 amended— 

4 (A) by striking subsection (a) and insert5 ing the following: 

6 ‘‘(a) LIMITATION ON WITHDRAWALS.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as otherwise pro8 vided in this section, no unleased land of the outer 

9 Continental Shelf may be withdrawn from disposi10 tion except by Act of Congress. 

11 ‘‘(2) NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES.—The 

12 President, through a rulemaking under section 553 

13 of title 5, United States Code, may withdraw from 

14 disposition any of the unleased land of the outer 

15 Continental Shelf located in a national marine sanc16 tuary.’’; and 

17 (B) in subsection (c)— 

18 (i) by striking ‘‘(c) All leases’’ and in19 serting the following: 

20 ‘‘(c) NATIONAL SECURITY PROVISIONS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—All leases’’; and 

22 (ii) by adding at the end the fol23 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(2) TIME PERIOD FOR SUSPENSION OF OPER2 ATIONS.—Any suspension of operations under para3 graph (1)— 

4 ‘‘(A) shall be for a period of not more than 

5 90 days; and 

6 ‘‘(B) may be renewed for one or more ad7 ditional periods of not more than 90 days 

8 each.’’. 

9 (2) EXISTING WITHDRAWALS.—Any withdrawal 

10 from disposition of any of the unleased land of the 

11 outer Continental Shelf under section 12(a) of the 

12 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 

13 1341(a)) (as in effect on the day before the date of 

14 enactment of this Act) that occurred before the date 

15 of the enactment of this Act (other than a with16 drawal from disposition any of the unleased land of 

17 the outer Continental Shelf located in a national ma18 rine sanctuary or a national monument) shall have 

19 no force or effect. 

20 (b) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH

21 MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENTS.— 

22 (1) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.—Section 

23 320301 of title 54, United States Code, is amended 

24 by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(e) LIMITATION OF MARINE AREAS.—Notwith2 standing subsections (a) and (b), the President may not 

3 declare or reserve any ocean waters (as defined in section 

4 3 of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act 

5 of 1972 (33 U.S.C. 1402)) or land beneath ocean waters 

6 as a national monument.’’. 

7 (2) EXISTING MONUMENTS NOT AFFECTED.— 

8 Nothing in the amendment made by paragraph (1) 

9 affects any national monument declared before the 

10 date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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