I

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 869

To prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from issuing oil and gas leases

on certain portions of the Outer Continental Shelf.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 25, 1999

Mr. LOBIONDO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee on Resources

A BILL

To prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from issuing oil

and gas leases on certain portions of the Outer Continental Shelf.

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

3 SECTION 1. PROHIBITION.

4 (a)(1) The Secretary of the Interior shall not issue

5 a lease, permit, or license for the exploration for or extrac6 tion of oil or gas on or from submerged lands described

7 in subsection (b).

8 (2)(A) No person shall explore for or extract oil or

9 gas on or from any area of the submerged lands described

10 in subsection (b) after the date of the cancellation, expira-
2

•HR 869 IH

1 tion, relinquishment, surrender, or termination of a lease

2 with respect to such area.

3 (B) Except as provided in subparagraph (A), this

4 subsection shall not prohibit exploration for or extraction

5 of oil or gas on or from any area of submerged lands under

6 the terms of a lease, permit, or license in effect on the

7 date of enactment of this Act with respect to such area.

8 (b)(1) The lands with respect to which subsection (a)

9 applies shall include—

10 (A) all submerged lands seaward from the land11 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

12 lie within 100 miles of any point of the coast line

13 of the State of Florida, including areas with respect

14 to which a moratorium on oil and gas leasing activi15 ties existed before the date of enactment of this Act,

16 and all submerged lands south of 26 degrees north

17 latitude and east of 86 degrees west longitude;

18 (B) all submerged lands seaward from the land19 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

20 lie within 100 miles of any point of the coast line

21 of the State of Georgia;

22 (C) all submerged lands seaward from the land23 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

24 lie within 100 miles of any point of the coast line

25 of the State of South Carolina;
3

•HR 869 IH

1 (D) all submerged lands seaward from the land2 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

3 lie within 175 miles of any point of the coast line

4 of the State of North Carolina;

5 (E) all submerged lands seaward from the land6 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

7 lie within 100 miles of any point of the coast line

8 of the State of Virginia;

9 (F) all submerged lands seaward from the land10 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

11 lie within 50 miles of any point of the coast line of

12 the State of Maryland, including areas with respect

13 to which a moratorium on oil and gas leasing activi14 ties existed before the date of enactment of this Act;

15 (G) all submerged lands seaward from the land16 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

17 lie within 100 miles of any point of the coast line

18 of the State of Delaware, including areas with re19 spect to which a moratorium on oil and gas leasing

20 activities existed before the date of enactment of this

21 Act;

22 (H) all submerged lands seaward from the land23 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

24 lie within 125 miles of any point of the coast line

25 of the State of New Jersey, including areas with re-
4

•HR 869 IH

1 spect to which a moratorium on oil and gas leasing

2 activities existed before the date of enactment of this

3 Act;

4 (I) all submerged lands seaward from the land5 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

6 lie within 125 miles of any point of the coast line

7 of the State of New York, including areas with re8 spect to which a moratorium on oil and gas leasing

9 activities existed before the date of enactment of this

10 Act;

11 (J) all submerged lands seaward from the land12 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

13 lie within 125 miles of any point of the coast line

14 of the State of Connecticut, including areas with re15 spect to which a moratorium on oil and gas leasing

16 activities existed before the date of enactment of this

17 Act;

18 (K) all submerged lands seaward from the land19 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

20 lie within 125 miles of any point of the coast line

21 of the State of Rhode Island, including areas with

22 respect to which a moratorium on oil and gas leasing

23 activities existed before the date of enactment of this

24 Act;
5

•HR 869 IH

1 (L) all submerged lands seaward from the land2 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

3 lie within 50 miles of any point of the coast line of

4 the State of Massachusetts, including areas with re5 spect to which a moratorium on oil and gas leasing

6 activities existed before the date of enactment of this

7 Act, and lands within the 400 meter isobath sur8 rounding Georges Bank, identified by the Depart9 ment of the Interior as consisting of the following

10 blocks: in protraction diagram NJ 19–1, blocks

11 numbered 12–16, 54–55 and 57–58; in protraction

12 diagram NK 19–5, blocks numbered 744, 788, 831–

13 832, and 1005–1008; in protraction diagram NK

14 19–6, blocks numbered 489–491, 532–537, 574–

15 576, 578–581, 618–627, 661–662, 664–671, 705–

16 716, 749–761, 793–805, and 969–971; in protrac17 tion diagram NK 19–8, blocks numbered 37–40, 80–

18 84, 124–127, and 168–169; in protraction diagram

19 NK 19–9, blocks numbered 13–18, 58–63, 102–105,

20 107–108, 146–149, 151–152, 191–193, 195–197,

21 235–237, 240–242, 280–282, 284–286, 324–331,

22 368–376, 412–420, 456–465, 500–510, 543–554,

23 587–594, 596–599, 631–637, 640–644, 675–688,

24 718–733, 762–778, 805–821, 846–865, 887–891,

25 894–908, 930–950, and 972–994; in protraction
6

•HR 869 IH

1 diagram NK 19–10, blocks numbered 474–478,

2 516–524, 560–568, 604–612, 647–660, 692–704,

3 737–748, 787–792, 830–836, 873–880, 967–968,

4 and 1011–1012; in protraction diagram NK 19–11,

5 blocks numbered 621–632, 665–676, 700, 709–720,

6 744, 753–764, 785, 797–808, 825–827, 841–852,

7 856–860, 869, 890–905, 907–909, 929–931, 941–

8 945, 947–949, 973–975, and 985–989; and in pro9 traction diagram NK 19–12, blocks numbered 452–

10 456, 495–499, 536–537, 539–541, 575–577, 579–

11 582, 617–621, 623–624, 661–662, 664–665, and

12 705–706;

13 (M) all submerged lands seaward from the

14 landward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf

15 that lie within 100 miles of any point of the coast

16 line of the State of New Hampshire;

17 (N) all submerged lands seaward from the land18 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

19 lie within 100 miles of any point of the coast line

20 of the State of Maine;

21 (O) all submerged lands seaward from the land22 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

23 lie within 145 miles of any point of the coast line

24 of the State of California, including areas with re25 spect to which a moratorium on oil and gas leasing
7

•HR 869 IH

1 activities existed before the date of enactment of this

2 Act;

3 (P) all submerged lands seaward from the land4 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

5 lie within 100 miles of any point of the coast line

6 of the State of Oregon; and

7 (Q) all submerged lands seaward from the land8 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

9 lie within 100 miles of any point of the coast line

10 of the State of Washington.

11 (2) The lands with respect to which subsection (a)

12 applies shall not include any portion of the Central or

13 Western Gulf of Mexico planning areas of the Department

14 of the Interior.

15 (c)(1)(A) Notwithstanding section 5(a)(2) (A) and

16 (B) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C.

17 1334(a)(2) (A) and (B)), the Secretary of the Interior

18 shall cancel any lease or permit in effect on the date of

19 enactment of this Act in areas described in subparagraph

20 (B), and such cancellation shall entitle the lessee to receive

21 compensation under section 5(a)(2)(C) of the Outer Con22 tinental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1334(a)(2)(C)).

23 (B) The areas with respect to which subparagraph

24 (A) applies are lands south of 26 degrees north latitude

25 and east of 86 degrees west longitude.
8

•HR 869 IH

1 (2) The Secretary of the Interior shall report to the

2 Congress within 9 months after the date of the enactment

3 of this Act on alternative options for compensating lease4 holders on blocks numbered 204, 246, 247, 290, 291, 334,

5 335, 378, 379, 422, 423, 466, 467, 510, 511, 553, 554,

6 555, 597, 598, 599, 640, 641, and 642 on protraction dia7 gram NI 18–2 of the Universal Transverse Mercator Grid

8 System, assuming the compensation procedures outlined

9 in section 5 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43

10 U.S.C. 1334). These options shall include, to the extent

11 practicable, credits in lieu of appropriations, such as cred12 its on Federal royalties on producing Outer Continental

13 Shelf leases.

Æ