I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1240 

To require a certain percentage of liquefied natural gas and crude oil exports 

be transported on vessels documented under the laws of the United 

States, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 28, 2017 

Mr. GARAMENDI (for himself, Mr. DUNCAN of Tennessee, and Mr. HUNTER) 

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each 

case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 

the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To require a certain percentage of liquefied natural gas and 

crude oil exports be transported on vessels documented 

under the laws of the United States, 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 ‘‘Energizing American 

5 Maritime Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. NATIONAL POLICY ON STRATEGIC ENERGY ASSET 

2 EXPORT TRANSPORTATION. 

3 (a) LNG EXPORTS.— 

4 (1) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

5 (A) Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is an ex6 plosive gas that can be hazardous to national 

7 import and export terminals and ports when 

8 mishandled. 

9 (B) LNG is a strategic national asset, the 

10 export of which will be used to preserve the 

11 United States tanker fleet and skilled mariner 

12 workforce that are essential to national secu13 rity. 

14 (C) For the safety and security of the 

15 United States, LNG should be exported on ves16 sels documented under the laws of the United 

17 States. 

18 (2) REQUIREMENT.—Section 3 of the Natural 

19 Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717b) is amended by adding at 

20 the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(g) TRANSPORTATION OF EXPORTS OF LNG ON

22 VESSELS DOCUMENTED UNDER LAWS OF THE UNITED

23 STATES.—As a condition for approval of any authoriza24 tion to export liquefied natural gas, the Secretary of En25 ergy shall require the applicant to transport the authorVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:06 Mar 02, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1240.IH H1240

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•HR 1240 IH

1 ized exports on vessels documented under the laws of the 

2 United States, as follows: 

3 ‘‘(1) Fifteen percent of the liquefied natural gas 

4 authorized to be exported in each of 2020, 2021, 

5 2022, 2023, and 2024. 

6 ‘‘(2) Thirty percent of the liquefied natural gas 

7 authorized to be exported in 2025 and each year 

8 thereafter.’’. 

9 (3) OPPORTUNITIES FOR LICENSED AND UNLI10 CENSED MARINERS.—Each Federal official respon11 sible for the issuance of a permit authorizing the ex12 port of liquefied natural gas shall require, as a con13 dition and term of the permit, that the permittee 

14 shall provide opportunities for United States licensed 

15 and unlicensed mariners to receive experience and 

16 training necessary for them to become credentialed 

17 in working on a liquefied natural gas vessel. 

18 (b) CRUDE OIL.—Section 101 of title I of division 

19 O of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (42 

20 U.S.C. 6212a) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘subsections 

22 (c) and (d)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsections (c), (d), and 

23 (e)’’; 

24 (2) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub25 section (f); and 


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1 (3) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(e) TRANSPORTATION OF EXPORTS OF CRUDE OIL

4 ON VESSELS DOCUMENTED UNDER LAWS OF THE

5 UNITED STATES.—As a condition to export crude oil, the 

6 President shall require an applicant to transport the ex7 ports on vessels documented under the laws of the United 

8 States, as follows: 

9 ‘‘(1) Fifteen percent of the crude oil to be ex10 ported in each of 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 

11 2024. 

12 ‘‘(2) Thirty percent of the crude oil to be ex13 ported in 2025 and each year thereafter.’’. 

Æ 


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