IV 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 788 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Arctic lease sales 

which are already included in the Draft Proposed Plan must stay in 

the proposed 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Leasing 

Program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 15, 2016 

Mr. NUNES submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Natural Resources 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

Arctic lease sales which are already included in the Draft 

Proposed Plan must stay in the proposed 2017-2022 

Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Leasing Program. 

Whereas the Department of the Interior is currently receiving 

comments on its proposed 2017-2022 Outer Continental 

Shelf Oil & Gas Leasing Program (the Proposed Program); 

Whereas the House concurs with the Secretary of the Interior 

that the Proposed Program ‘‘is an important component 

of the President’s comprehensive energy strategy to allow 

for safe and responsible domestic oil and natural gas production as a means to support economic growth and job 

creation, and enhance energy security’’; 


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Whereas Congress in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 

states that ‘‘the outer Continental Shelf is a vital national resource reserve held by the Federal Government 

for the public, which should be made available for expeditious and orderly development, subject to environmental 

safeguards, in a manner which is consistent with the 

maintenance of competition and other national needs’’; 

Whereas the Proposed Program envisions up to ten sales in 

the Gulf of Mexico and one in each of three areas off of 

Alaska, two of these in the Arctic; 

Whereas including Arctic lease sales in the Proposed Program would provide an option for future Arctic lease 

sales; 

Whereas the U.S. Arctic is estimated to contain at least 34 

billion barrels of oil equivalent; 

Whereas the potential of our Nation’s Arctic resources is 

vast—and the safe and efficient development of these resources is pivotal not only to local communities on the 

North Slope, but also to ensure our Nation stays on our 

path to energy independence and global energy leadership; 

Whereas America’s Arctic has the resource potential to reverse the steady throughput decline of the Trans-Alaska 

Pipeline System (hereinafter in this resolution referred to 

as ‘‘TAPS’’), which is operating at only 25 percent of its 

potential and is continuing to decline; 

Whereas the continued decline of North Slope oil and decreasing throughput threatens the viability of TAPS, 

which, without more oil, will face significant operational 

challenges and eventually face premature shut down and 

decommissioning; 


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Whereas the West Coast of the United States relies heavily 

on Alaskan oil and with declining production is relying 

more on imported sources; 

Whereas the Energy Information Administration expects the 

United States oil production to begin falling in the 2020s 

and continue declining through 2040; 

Whereas the National Petroleum Council has stated that ‘‘the 

long lead times necessary to bring on new crude oil production from Alaska would coincide with a long-term expected decline of U.S. Lower 48 production’’; 

Whereas Arctic energy development will allow for critical regional infrastructure including deep water ports, Arctic 

class vessels, and search and rescue capabilities with collateral benefits for U.S. military operations in the region; 

Whereas energy security promotes national security by reducing U.S. dependence on the natural resources of hostile 

foreign regimes; 

Whereas the strategic significance of the Arctic is growing 

due to expanding geopolitical interests; 

Whereas Russia has been investing heavily in the region with 

a world-leading 40 icebreakers, new Arctic bases, airfields, and ports, and ambitious new energy development 

projects; 

Whereas China, calling itself a ‘‘near-Arctic’’ state, has been 

building new icebreakers and encouraging Chinese shipping companies to use Arctic sea routes; 

Whereas the Arctic capabilities of the United States have 

dramatically declined and the United States only has two 

operational icebreakers; 


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Whereas the United States Coast Guard has determined that 

the United States needs at least six new icebreakers for 

its future Arctic needs; 

Whereas excluding Arctic leases from the proposed plan 

would signal a U.S. withdrawal from the Arctic region at 

a time when U.S. leadership is needed to protect U.S. interests; 

Whereas the November 2013 Department of Defense (DoD) 

Arctic Strategy states that DoD’s desired end-state for 

the Arctic is ‘‘a secure and stable region where U.S. national interests are safeguarded’’; 

Whereas the May 2013 ‘‘United States Coast Guard Arctic 

Strategy’’ states that ‘‘The United States is an Arctic 

nation with significant interests in the future of the region’’; 

Whereas a study published by the National Petroleum Council in March 2015 found that ‘‘Most of the U.S. Arctic 

offshore conventional oil & gas potential can be developed 

using existing field-proven technology’’; 

Whereas offshore energy development is an important source 

of revenue into the Federal treasury, generating a record 

$18 billion in FY2008, of which $2.7 billion was from 

offshore leasing in Alaska alone; 

Whereas the national, the DoD, and Coast Guard strategies 

for the Arctic depend on government and private sector 

cooperation, including private investments in Arctic infrastructure to leverage resources and expertise; and 

Whereas the overwhelming majority of Alaskans, including 

Alaska Native communities within the Arctic, support future Arctic resource development: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 


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1 (1) reaffirms that America’s strategic options 

2 should not be constricted by exclusion of future Arc3 tic economic opportunities; and 

4 (2) strongly supports keeping Arctic lease sales 

5 as part of the new Proposed Program. 

Æ 


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