I

104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 2242

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

AUGUST 4, 1995

Mr. RIGGS (for himself, Mr. ZIMMER, Mr. KLUG, Mr. CUNNINGHAM, Mr.

FILNER, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. PACKARD, Mr. JONES, Mr. BILBRAY, Ms.

HARMAN, Mr. TORRES, Mrs. SEASTRAND, Mr. HUNTER, Mr.

MCDERMOTT, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Ms. NORTON, Mr. EHLERS, Mr.

BERMAN, Mr. FARR, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mr. JOHNSTON of Florida, Mr.

HORN, Mr. FORBES, and Ms. LOFGREN) 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 shall not issue a lease, permit,

5 or license for the exploration for or extraction of oil or

6 gas on or from submerged lands described in subsection

7 (b).
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1 (2)(A) No person shall explore for or extract oil or

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

3 in subsection (b) after the date of the cancellation, expira4 tion, relinquishment, surrender, or termination of a lease

5 with respect to such area.

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

7 subsection shall not prohibit exploration for or extraction

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

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

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

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

12 applies shall include—

13 (A) all submerged lands seaward from the land14 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

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

16 of the State of Florida, including areas with respect

17 to which a moratorium on oil and gas leasing activi18 ties existed before the date of enactment of this Act,

19 and all submerged lands south of 26 degrees north

20 latitude and east of 86 degrees west longitude;

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

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

24 of the State of Georgia;
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1 (C) all submerged lands seaward from the land2 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

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

4 of the State of South Carolina;

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

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

8 of the State of North Carolina;

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

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

12 of the State of Virginia;

13 (F) all submerged lands seaward from the land14 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

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

16 the State of Maryland, including areas with respect

17 to which a moratorium on oil and gas leasing activi18 ties existed before the date of enactment of this Act;

19 (G) all submerged lands seaward from the land20 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

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

22 of the State of Delaware, including areas with re23 spect to which a moratorium on oil and gas leasing

24 activities existed before the date of enactment of this

25 Act;
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1 (H) all submerged lands seaward from the land2 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

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

4 of the State of New Jersey, 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;

8 (I) all submerged lands seaward from the land9 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

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

11 of the State of New York, including areas with re12 spect to which a moratorium on oil and gas leasing

13 activities existed before the date of enactment of this

14 Act;

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

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

18 of the State of Connecticut, 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 (K) 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 Rhode Island, including areas with
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1 respect to which a moratorium on oil and gas leasing

2 activities existed before the date of enactment of this

3 Act;

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

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

7 the State of Massachusetts, 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, and lands within the 400 meter isobath sur11 rounding Georges Bank, identified by the Depart12 ment of the Interior as consisting of the following

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

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

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

16 832, and 1005–1008; in protraction diagram NK

17 19–6, blocks numbered 489–491, 532–537, 574–

18 576, 578–581, 618–627, 661–662, 664–671, 705–

19 716, 749–761, 793–805, and 969–971; in protrac20 tion diagram NK 19–8, blocks numbered 37–40, 80–

21 84, 124–127, and 168–169; in protraction diagram

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

23 107–108, 146–149, 151–152, 191–193, 195–197,

24 235–237, 240–242, 280–282, 284–286, 324–331,

25 368–376, 412–420, 456–465, 500–510, 543–554,
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1 587–594, 596–599, 631–637, 640–644, 675–688,

2 718–733, 762–778, 805–821, 846–865, 887–891,

3 894–908, 930–950, and 972–994; in protraction

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

5 516–524, 560–568, 604–612, 647–660, 692–704,

6 737–748, 787–792, 830–836, 873–880, 967–968,

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

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

9 744, 753–764, 785, 797–808, 825–827, 841–852,

10 856–860, 869, 890–905, 907–909, 929–931, 941–

11 945, 947–949, 973–975, and 985–989; and in pro12 traction diagram NK 19–12, blocks numbered 452–

13 456, 495–499, 536–537, 539–541, 575–577, 579–

14 582, 617–621, 623–624, 661–662, 664–665, and

15 705–706;

16 (M) all submerged lands seaward from the

17 landward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf

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

19 line of the State of New Hampshire;

20 (N) all submerged lands seaward from the land21 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

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

23 of the State of Maine;

24 (O) all submerged lands seaward from the land25 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that
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1 lie within 145 miles of any point of the coast line

2 of the State of California, including areas with re3 spect to which a moratorium on oil and gas leasing

4 activities existed before the date of enactment of this

5 Act;

6 (P) all submerged lands seaward from the land7 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

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

9 of the State of Oregon;

10 (Q) 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 Washington; and

14 (R) all submerged lands seaward from the land15 ward boundary of the Outer Continental Shelf that

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

17 of the State of Alaska, including areas with respect

18 to which a moratorium on oil and gas leasing activi19 ties existed before the date of enactment of this Act.

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

21 applies shall not include any portion of the Central or

22 Western Gulf of Mexico planning areas of the Department

23 of the Interior.

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

25 (B) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C.
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1 1334(a)(2) (A) and (B)), the Secretary of the Interior

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

3 enactment of this Act in areas described in subparagraph

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

5 compensation under section 5(a)(2)(C) of the Outer Con6 tinental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1334(a)(2)(C)).

7 (B) The areas with respect to which subparagraph

8 (A) applies are as follows:

9 (i) Any lands south of 26 degrees north latitude

10 and east of 86 degrees west longitude.

11 (ii) Any lands within the North Aleutian Basin

12 planning area of the Department of the Interior.

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

14 Congress by May 1, 1996, on alternative options for com15 pensating leaseholders on blocks numbered 204, 246, 247,

16 290, 291, 334, 335, 378, 379, 422, 423, 466, 467, 510,

17 511, 553, 554, 555, 597, 598, 599, 640, 641, and 642

18 on protraction diagram NI 18–2 of the Universal Trans19 verse Mercator Grid System, assuming the compensation

20 procedures outlined in section 5 of the Outer Continental

21 Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1334). These options shall

22 include, to the extent practicable, credits in lieu of appro23 priations, such as credits on Federal royalties on produc24 ing Outer Continental Shelf leases.

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