II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1794 

To prohibit drilling in the Arctic Ocean. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 16, 2015 

Mr. MERKLEY (for himself, Mr. HEINRICH, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, 

Mr. SANDERS, and Mr. FRANKEN) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources 

A BILL 

To prohibit drilling in the Arctic Ocean. 

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 ‘‘Stop Arctic Ocean 

5 Drilling Act of 2015’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that, as of the date 

8 of enactment of this Act— 

9 (1) global climate change is occurring due 

10 largely to anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse 

11 gases and will continue to pose ongoing risks and 


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1 challenges to the people and the Government of the 

2 United States; 

3 (2) the evidence of impacts and dangers of cli4 mate change are supported by numerous reports and 

5 panels, such as the 2014 National Climate Assess6 ment, the United States Global Change Research 

7 Program, and the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review 

8 of the Department of Defense; 

9 (3) the average temperature in the United 

10 States during the past decade was 0.8 degree Cel11 sius (1.5 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the 

12 1901–1960 average, and the last decade was the 

13 warmest on record both in the United States and 

14 globally; 

15 (4) a global temperature increase of 2 degrees 

16 Celsius will lead to increased droughts, rising seas, 

17 mass extinctions, heat waves, desertification, 

18 wildfires, and acidifying oceans; 

19 (5) delaying action on climate change will result 

20 in severe economic losses, and global mitigation costs 

21 increase by approximately 40 percent for each dec22 ade of delay; 

23 (6) at least 80 percent of the carbon from 

24 known fossil fuel reserves must not be released to 

25 the atmosphere to have an 80-percent chance of 


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1 avoiding the worst effects of climate change stem2 ming from a 2-degree-Celsius change in global tem3 perature; 

4 (7) developing oil and gas reserves in the Arctic 

5 Ocean is incompatible with staying within that glob6 al carbon budget and avoiding the worst effects of 

7 climate change; and 

8 (8) the Arctic Ocean is home to invaluable and 

9 fragile ecosystems, which are critical to fisheries, mi10 gratory birds, indigenous populations, and subsist11 ence hunters. 

12 (b) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It is the policy of the 

13 United States that the Arctic Ocean should be managed 

14 for the best interests of the people of the United States, 

15 including by keeping fossil fuels in the ground to avoid 

16 the dangerous impacts of climate change. 

17 SEC. 3. PROHIBITION OF OIL AND GAS LEASING IN ARCTIC 

18 OCEAN AREAS OF THE OUTER CONTINENTAL 

19 SHELF. 

20 Section 8 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 

21 (43 U.S.C. 1337) is amended by adding at the end the 

22 following: 

23 ‘‘(q) PROHIBITION OF OIL AND GAS LEASING IN

24 ARCTIC PLANNING AREA OF THE OUTER CONTINENTAL

25 SHELF.—Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act 


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1 or any other law, the Secretary of the Interior shall not 

2 issue or renew a lease or any other authorization for the 

3 exploration, development, or production of oil, natural gas, 

4 or any other mineral in the Arctic Ocean, including the 

5 Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea Planning Areas.’’. 

Æ 


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