I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 10183 

To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and the Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management Act to provide for the delegation 

of authority to Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama to manage certain 

expanded submerged lands, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 20, 2024 

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana (for himself and Mr. CARTER of Louisiana) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 

Resources 

A BILL 

To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to provide for the delegation of authority to 

Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama to manage certain 

expanded submerged lands, 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 ‘‘Offshore Parity Act 

5 of 2024’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 

7 The purposes of this Act are— 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
2 

•HR 10183 IH

1 (1) to provide equity to the States of Louisiana, 

2 Mississippi, and Alabama with respect to the sea3 ward boundaries of the States in the Gulf of Mexico 

4 by delegating management of the submerged lands 

5 from 3 geographical miles to 3 marine leagues if the 

6 States meet certain conditions not later than 5 years 

7 after the date of enactment of this Act; 

8 (2) in delegating the authority to administer 

9 any leases, easements, rights-of-use, and rights-of10 way, the States shall ensure that the rights of les11 sees, operators, and holders of leases, easements, 

12 rights-of-use, and rights-of-way on the submerged 

13 land are protected; and 

14 (3) to improve the management of fisheries by 

15 allowing the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, and 

16 Alabama to oversee fisheries management in the ex17 panded seaward boundaries. 

18 SEC. 3. DELEGATION OF THE MANAGEMENT OF OIL, GAS, 

19 AND OTHER ENERGY ACTIVITIES ON THE EX20 PANDED SUBMERGED LAND OF LOUISIANA, 

21 MISSISSIPPI, AND ALABAMA. 

22 (a) DELEGATION.—The Outer Continental Shelf 

23 Lands Act (42 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.) is amended by adding 

24 at the end the following: 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
3 

•HR 10183 IH

1 ‘‘SEC. 34. DELEGATION OF THE MANAGEMENT OF OIL, GAS, 

2 AND OTHER ENERGY ACTIVITIES ON THE EX3 PANDED SUBMERGED LAND OF LOUISIANA, 

4 MISSISSIPPI, AND ALABAMA. 

5 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

6 ‘‘(1) COAST LINE.—The term ‘coast line’ has 

7 the meaning given such term in section 2 of the 

8 Submerged Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1301). 

9 ‘‘(2) EXPANDED SUBMERGED LAND.—The term 

10 ‘expanded submerged land’ means the area of the 

11 outer Continental Shelf that is located between 3 

12 geographical miles and 3 marine leagues seaward of 

13 the coast line of the State as of the day before the 

14 date of the enactment of this section. 

15 ‘‘(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 

16 the Secretary of the Interior. 

17 ‘‘(4) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means Lou18 isiana, Mississippi, or Alabama. 

19 ‘‘(b) DELEGATION.—Upon written request of a State 

20 before the date that is 5 years after the date of enactment 

21 of the Offshore Parity Act of 2024, the Secretary shall, 

22 except as provided in subsection (c), delegate to the State 

23 the relevant authorities of the Secretary under this Act, 

24 except the authority under sections 14 and 20, to grant 

25 and manage leases of the expanded submerged land of the 

26 State if the Secretary finds that— 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
4 

•HR 10183 IH

1 ‘‘(1) it is likely the State will provide adequate 

2 resources to carry out such authorities; 

3 ‘‘(2) the State has demonstrated that it will ef4 fectively and faithfully administer the applicable 

5 rules and regulations of the Secretary under this 

6 Act, including the requirements of subsection (c) of 

7 this section; and 

8 ‘‘(3) such delegation will not create an unrea9 sonable burden on any lessee. 

10 ‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS.— 

11 ‘‘(1) NO LEASE OR TRACT DIVIDED.—The Sec12 retary may not delegate authority under this section 

13 with respect to any lease of an area that is not whol14 ly located within the expanded submerged land of 

15 the State. 

16 ‘‘(2) APPLICABILITY TO EXISTING LEASES.— 

17 The delegation of authority under this section shall 

18 apply to any lease of the expanded submerged land 

19 of the State granted by the Secretary before the 

20 date of enactment of the Offshore Parity Act of 

21 2024. 

22 ‘‘(3) NO 5 YEAR PLAN REQUIRED.—A State to 

23 which authority is delegated under this section shall 

24 not be required to prepare, revise, or maintain an oil 

25 and gas leasing program under section 18. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
5 

•HR 10183 IH

1 ‘‘(4) REVENUE.— 

2 ‘‘(A) RENTALS, ROYALTIES, AND OTHER

3 SUMS.—A State to which authority is delegated 

4 under this section may collect rentals, royalties, 

5 and other sums, as determined by the State, 

6 from any lease granted after the date of enact7 ment of the Offshore Parity Act of 2024 by the 

8 State under such authority. 

9 ‘‘(B) MINIMUM BID AND ROYALTY

10 AMOUNTS.—The minimum bid and royalty 

11 amounts under section 8 shall not apply to any 

12 lease of the expanded submerged land of the 

13 State granted by the State after the date of en14 actment of the Offshore Parity Act of 2024. 

15 ‘‘(C) DISPOSITION OF REVENUE.— 

16 ‘‘(i) EXISTING LEASES.—The delega17 tion of authority under this section shall 

18 not affect the disposition of revenue under 

19 any other provision of Federal law from 

20 any lease of the expanded submerged land 

21 of the State granted before the date of en22 actment of the Offshore Parity Act of 

23 2024. 

24 ‘‘(ii) NEW LEASES.—Section 9 of this 

25 Act and section 105 of the Gulf of Mexico 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
6 

•HR 10183 IH

1 Energy Security Act of 2006 shall not 

2 apply with respect to a lease granted after 

3 the date of enactment of the Offshore Par4 ity Act of 2024 by a State under authority 

5 delegated under this section. 

6 ‘‘(5) CITIZEN SUITS, COURT JURISDICTION, AND

7 JUDICIAL REVIEW.—Section 23 shall not apply with 

8 respect to a lease granted after the date of enact9 ment of the Offshore Parity Act of 2024 by a State 

10 under authority delegated under this section. 

11 ‘‘(6) LIABILITY.— 

12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A State to which au13 thority is delegated by the Secretary under this 

14 section shall indemnify the United States for 

15 any liability to any holder of an oil, gas, or 

16 other energy lease of the expanded submerged 

17 land of the State granted before such delegation 

18 of authority from the taking of any property in19 terest or breach of contract as a result of— 

20 ‘‘(i) the delegation of such authority; 

21 or 

22 ‘‘(ii) the management of any such 

23 lease. 

24 ‘‘(B) DEDUCTION FROM OIL AND GAS

25 LEASING REVENUES.—The Secretary may deVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:44 Nov 26, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H10183.IH H10183

kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
7 

•HR 10183 IH

1 duct from the amounts otherwise payable to a 

2 State under section 8(g)(2) the amount of any 

3 final nonappealable judgment for a taking or 

4 breach of contract by such State described in 

5 subparagraph (A). 

6 ‘‘(7) TRANSFER OF BONDS.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 

8 days after delegating authority under this sec9 tion, the Secretary shall transfer any surety 

10 bonds for oil, gas, or other energy leases of the 

11 expanded submerged land of a State granted 

12 before the date of enactment of the Offshore 

13 Parity Act of 2024 to the applicable State. The 

14 applicable State shall ensure that any decom15 missioning of a facility with respect to such 

16 leases is carried out in accordance with applica17 ble Federal law, including regulations. 

18 ‘‘(B) FAILURE TO TRANSFER BONDS.—If 

19 the Secretary does not transfer a surety bond 

20 for a lease under subparagraph (A) by the 

21 deadline described in such subparagraph, the 

22 Secretary shall ensure that any decommis23 sioning of a facility with respect to such lease 

24 is carried out in accordance with applicable 

25 Federal law, including regulations.’’. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
8 

•HR 10183 IH

1 (b) SEAWARD BOUNDARY OF LOUISIANA, MIS2 SISSIPPI, AND ALABAMA.—Section 8(g) of the Outer Con3 tinental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1337(g)) is amended 

4 by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(8) DEFINITION OF SEAWARD BOUNDARY OF LOU6 ISIANA, MISSISSIPPI, AND ALABAMA.—In this subsection, 

7 the term ‘seaward boundary’ means, with respect to each 

8 of the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, 3 

9 marine leagues seaward of the coast line (as that term 

10 is defined in section 2 of the Submerged Lands Act (43 

11 U.S.C. 1301)) of each such State as each such coast line 

12 exists as of the day before the date of the enactment of 

13 this paragraph.’’. 

14 SEC. 4. STATE JURISDICTION UNDER MAGNUSON-STEVENS 

15 FISHERY CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT 

16 ACT. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 306(a)(2) of the Magnu18 son-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 

19 (16 U.S.C. 1856(a)(2)) is amended— 

20 (1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

21 the end; 

22 (2) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by striking the pe23 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

24 (3) by adding at the end the following: 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
9 

•HR 10183 IH

1 ‘‘(D) with respect to each of the States of 

2 Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi, to 3 ma3 rine leagues seaward of the coast line (as that 

4 term is defined in section 2 of the Submerged 

5 Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1301)) of each such 

6 State as each such coast line exists as of the 

7 day before the date of the enactment of this 

8 subparagraph.’’. 

9 (b) RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.— 

10 (1) HIGHLY MIGRATORY SPECIES.—The amend11 ments made by this section may not be construed to 

12 limit or otherwise affect the authority of the Federal 

13 Government with respect to highly migratory spe14 cies, species listed as a threatened species or an en15 dangered species pursuant to the Endangered Spe16 cies Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), or fishery 

17 resources subject to international agreements as pro18 vided under Federal law, including the Magnuson19 Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 

20 (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), the Endangered Species 

21 Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and relevant 

22 international treaties. 

23 (2) FEDERAL JURISDICTION.—The amend24 ments made by this section may not be construed to 

25 limit or otherwise affect the authority of the Federal 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
10 

•HR 10183 IH

1 Government under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

2 Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 

3 et seq.) with respect to— 

4 (A) the exclusive economic zone beyond the 

5 extended State waters of a covered State; or 

6 (B) activities within the extended State 

7 waters of a covered State that relate to national 

8 security, international obligations, or other mat9 ters reserved for Federal authority. 

10 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

11 (1) COAST LINE.—The term ‘‘coast line’’ has 

12 the meaning given the term in section 2 of the Sub13 merged Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1301). 

14 (2) COVERED STATE.—The term ‘‘covered 

15 State’’ means each of the States of Alabama, Lou16 isiana, and Mississippi. 

17 (3) EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE.—The term 

18 ‘‘exclusive economic zone’’ has the meaning given 

19 the term in section 3 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fish20 ery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 

21 1802). 

22 (4) EXTENDED STATE WATERS.—The term 

23 ‘‘extended State waters’’ means 3 marine leagues 

24 seaward of the coast line of a covered State as each 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
11 

•HR 10183 IH

1 such coast line exists as of the day before the date 

2 of the enactment of this section. 

3 (5) FISHERY RESOURCE.—The term ‘‘fishery 

4 resource’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

5 3 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 

6 and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1802). 

7 (6) HIGHLY MIGRATORY SPECIES.—The term 

8 ‘‘highly migratory species’’ has the meaning given 

9 the term in section 3 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fish10 ery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 

11 1802). 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB