I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2157 

To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to limit the authority 

of the President to withdraw areas from oil and gas leasing, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 26, 2017 

Mr. BRAT (for himself, Mr. MEADOWS, Mr. MCKINLEY, Mr. JODY B. HICE

of Georgia, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mr. LAMALFA, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, 

Mr. OLSON, Mr. PALMER, Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana, Mr. GOSAR, Mr. 

DUNCAN of South Carolina, Mr. WESTERMAN, Mr. LOUDERMILK, Mr. 

ROUZER, Mr. BIGGS, Mr. LABRADOR, Mr. BURGESS, Mr. SCALISE, Mr. 

LAMBORN, Mr. GUTHRIE, Mr. WITTMAN, and Mr. BABIN) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to limit 

the authority of the President to withdraw areas from 

oil and gas leasing, 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 ‘‘Outer Continental 

5 Shelf Energy Access Now Act’’ or the ‘‘OCEAN Act’’. 

mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with BILLS

2 

•HR 2157 IH

1 SEC. 2. LIMITATION OF AUTHORITY OF THE PRESIDENT TO 

2 WITHDRAW AREAS OF THE OUTER CONTI3 NENTAL SHELF FROM OIL AND GAS LEASING. 

4 (a) WITHDRAWALS.— 

5 (1) LIMITATION.—Section 12 of the Outer Con6 tinental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1341) is 

7 amended— 

8 (A) by amending subsection (a) to read as 

9 follows: 

10 ‘‘(a) LIMITATION ON WITHDRAWALS.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as otherwise pro12 vided in this section, no unleased lands of the outer 

13 Continental Shelf may be withdrawn from disposi14 tion except by statute. 

15 ‘‘(2) NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES.—The 

16 President may withdraw from disposition any of the 

17 unleased lands of the outer Continental Shelf located 

18 in a national marine sanctuary designated in accord19 ance with the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (16 

20 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.) or by statute, by issuance of 

21 a rule in accordance with section 553 of title 5, 

22 United State Code.’’; and 

23 (B) in subsection (c), by adding at the end 

24 the following: ‘‘Any suspension of operations 

25 under this subsection shall be for a period of 

26 not more than 90 days, and may be renewed 

mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with BILLS

3 

•HR 2157 IH

1 one or more times for an additional period of 

2 not more than 90 days.’’. 

3 (2) EXISTING WITHDRAWALS.—Any withdrawal 

4 before the date of the enactment of this Act under 

5 section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands 

6 Act (43 U.S.C. 1341), other than a withdrawal of an 

7 area in a national marine sanctuary established in 

8 accordance with the National Marine Sanctuaries 

9 Act (16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.) or in a national monu10 ment declared under the Act of June 8, 1906 (ch. 

11 3060; 34 Stat. 225), or chapter 3203 of title 54, 

12 United States Code, shall have no force or effect. 

13 (b) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH

14 MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENTS.— 

15 (1) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.—Section 

16 320301 of title 54, United States Code, is amended 

17 by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(e) LIMITATION ON MARINE AREAS.—Notwith19 standing subsections (a) and (b), the President may not 

20 declare or reserve any ocean waters (as such term is de21 fined in section 3 of the Marine Protection, Research, and 

22 Sanctuaries Act of 1972 (33 U.S.C. 1402)) or lands be23 neath ocean waters as a national monument.’’. 

24 (2) EXISTING MONUMENTS NOT AFFECTED.— 

25 Nothing in this subsection affects any national 

mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with BILLS

4 

•HR 2157 IH

1 monument declared before the date of the enactment 

2 of this Act. 

Æ 

mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with BILLS