I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2265 

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue an oil and gas leasing 

program under section 18 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 

for the 5-year period 2016 through 2020, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 5, 2013 

Mr. BRADY of Texas (for himself, Mr. WITTMAN, and Mr. SHIMKUS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 

Resources 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue an oil and 

gas leasing program under section 18 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act for the 5-year period 2016 

through 2020, 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 ‘‘More Energy More 

5 Jobs Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) More than 85 percent of all offshore areas 

2 remain off-limits to oil and gas exploration. The cur3 rent plan for offshore oil and gas development under 

4 the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 

5 1331 et seq.), the Five-Year OCS Oil and Gas Leas6 ing Program for 2012–2017, scales back on previous 

7 draft plans by removing the Eastern Gulf of Mexico 

8 and areas in the Atlantic. It also excludes the entire 

9 Atlantic Coast, the entire Pacific Coast, and nearly 

10 all of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, which have been 

11 little explored. 

12 (2) Many State governments have expressed a 

13 desire to proceed with oil and gas exploration and 

14 development off their coasts, but have not had the 

15 support of the Federal Government. 

16 (3) The Congress delegated its authority over 

17 Federal lands of the outer Continental Shelf (as that 

18 term is defined in the Outer Continental Shelf 

19 Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.)), including for 

20 the offshore oil and gas leasing process, to the Sec21 retary of the Interior under that Act. The Congress 

22 has the authority to enlarge the role of interested 

23 State governments. 


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1 SEC. 3. REQUIREMENT TO ISSUE NEW 5-YEAR OIL AND GAS 

2 LEASING PROGRAM. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.— 

4 (1) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 24 months 

5 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec6 retary of the Interior shall issue an oil and gas leas7 ing program under section 18 of the Outer Conti8 nental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1344) for the 

9 subsequent 5-year period. 

10 (2) TERMINATION OF EXISTING PROGRAM.— 

11 The Five-Year OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program 

12 for 2012–2017 shall have no force or effect after the 

13 issuance of an oil and gas leasing program under 

14 this section. 

15 (b) REQUIREMENTS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF NEW

16 LEASING PROGRAMS.—Section 18(c) of the Outer Conti17 nental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1344(c)) is amended 

18 by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as paragraphs 

19 (5) and (6), and by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(2) DEVELOPMENT OF PROGRAM.—In pre22 paring each leasing program under this section, the 

23 Secretary shall— 

24 ‘‘(A) allow the Governor of a coastal State 

25 to nominate for leasing under such program 

26 areas of the outer Continental Shelf (as that 


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1 term is used in that Act) that are adjacent to 

2 the waters of that State; 

3 ‘‘(B) include each area nominated under 

4 subparagraph (A) in the draft leasing program 

5 under this section and consider leasing of such 

6 areas as an alternative Federal action; and 

7 ‘‘(C) include in development of the pro8 gram resource estimates that are available, and 

9 develop resource estimates for the areas for 

10 which such data are not available including for 

11 the areas nominated under subparagraph (A). 

12 ‘‘(3) INCLUSION OF STATE-NOMINATED

13 AREAS.—The Secretary shall include in the final 

14 program issued under this section each area nomi15 nated by a State under paragraph (2), unless the 

16 Secretary determines that the impacts of oil and gas 

17 development in a particular area cannot be effec18 tively mitigated and the development is not in the 

19 national economic interest. If the Secretary omits 

20 any area nominated under paragraph (2), the Sec21 retary shall submit to the Governor that nominated 

22 the area and the Committee on Natural Resources 

23 of the House of Representatives a report detailing 

24 why oil and gas development in such area is not in 

25 the national economic interest or why the impact of 


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1 oil and gas development in such area could not be 

2 effectively mitigated, and what steps the Secretary 

3 took to try and do so. After submittal of such report 

4 to such Governors, each such Governor shall be pro5 vided 60 days within which to offer alternative views 

6 on why the Secretary’s findings are not consistent 

7 with the national economic interest and why oil and 

8 gas development in the area concerned can be effec9 tively mitigated. 

10 ‘‘(4) NOTICE OF EFFECTIVENESS OF PLAN.— 

11 The Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register 

12 a notice of the effectiveness of each oil and gas leas13 ing program issued under this section on the date 

14 such program takes effect.’’. 

Æ 


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