I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4749 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct an oil and gas lease 
sale for areas off the coast of North Carolina determined by the Secretary 
to have the most geologically promising hydrocarbon resources, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 16, 2016 
Mr. HUDSON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct an oil 
and gas lease sale for areas off the coast of North 
Carolina determined by the Secretary to have the most 
geologically promising hydrocarbon resources, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘North Carolina Open-
ing Fossil Fuels Safely and Harnessing Opportunities for 
Robust Employment Act’’ or the ‘‘NC OFFSHORE Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. NORTH CAROLINA LEASE SALE. 
Notwithstanding inclusion of the Mid-Atlantic Outer 
Continental Shelf Planning Area in the Final Outer Conti-
nental Shelf Oil & Gas Leasing Program 2017–2022,’’ the 
Secretary of the Interior— 
(1) not later than 2 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, shall conduct an oil and gas 
lease sale for areas off the coast of North Carolina 
determined by the Secretary to have the most geo-
logically promising hydrocarbon resources and con-
stituting not less than 25 percent of the leasable 
area within the North Carolina offshore administra-
tive boundaries depicted in the notice entitled ‘‘Fed-
eral Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Administrative 
Boundaries Extending from the Submerged Lands 
Act Boundary seaward to the Limit of the United 
States Outer Continental Shelf’’, published January 
3, 2006 (71 Fed. Reg. 127); and 
(2) shall conduct one such lease sale each year 
during the 5-year period beginning 2 years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 3. PROTECTION OF MILITARY OPERATIONS. 
(a) PROHIBITION.—No person may engage in any ex-
ploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas 
off the coast of North Carolina that would conflict with 
any military operation, as determined in accordance with 
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the Memorandum of Agreement between the Department 
of Defense and the Department of the Interior on Mutual 
Concerns on the Outer Continental Shelf signed July 20, 
1983, and any revision or replacement for that agreement 
that is agreed to by the Secretary of Defense and the Sec-
retary of the Interior after that date but before the date 
of issuance of the lease under which such exploration, de-
velopment, or production is conducted. 
(b) REVIEW AND UPDATING OF MOA.—The Sec-
retary of the Interior and the Secretary of Defense shall 
periodically review and revise such memorandum of agree-
ment to account for new offshore energy production tech-
nologies, including those that use wind energy. 
SEC. 4. DISPOSITION OF OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF REV-
ENUES TO COASTAL STATES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 9 of the Outer Conti-
nental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1338) is amended— 
(1) in the existing text— 
(A) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘All 
rentals,’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(c) DISPOSITION
OF
REVENUE
UNDER
OLD 
LEASES.—All rentals,’’; and 
(B) in subsection (c) (as designated by the 
amendment made by subparagraph (A) of this 
paragraph), by striking ‘‘for the period from 
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