H. R. 6—149
‘‘(II) the number of miles of coastline of all 
coastal political subdivisions in the producing 
State; and 
‘‘(iii) 50 percent shall be allocated in amounts that 
are inversely proportional to the respective distances 
between the points in each coastal political subdivision 
that are closest to the geographic center of each leased 
tract, as determined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(C) EXCEPTION
FOR
THE
STATE
OF
LOUISIANA.—For 
the purposes of subparagraph (B)(ii), the coastline for 
coastal political subdivisions in the State of Louisiana with-
out a coastline shall be considered to be 1⁄3 the average 
length of the coastline of all coastal political subdivisions 
with a coastline in the State of Louisiana. 
‘‘(D) EXCEPTION FOR THE STATE OF ALASKA.—For the 
purposes of carrying out subparagraph (B)(iii) in the State 
of Alaska, the amounts allocated shall be divided equally 
among the two coastal political subdivisions that are closest 
to the geographic center of a leased tract. 
‘‘(E) EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN LEASED TRACTS.—For pur-
poses of subparagraph (B)(iii), a leased tract or portion 
of a leased tract shall be excluded if the tract or portion 
of a leased tract is located in a geographic area subject 
to a leasing moratorium on January 1, 2005, unless the 
lease was in production on that date. 
‘‘(5) NO APPROVED PLAN.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subparagraph (B) and 
except as provided in subparagraph (C), in a case in which 
any amount allocated to a producing State or coastal polit-
ical subdivision under paragraph (4) or (5) is not disbursed 
because the producing State does not have in effect a 
plan that has been approved by the Secretary under sub-
section (c), the Secretary shall allocate the undisbursed 
amount equally among all other producing States. 
‘‘(B) RETENTION OF ALLOCATION.—The Secretary shall 
hold in escrow an undisbursed amount described in 
subparagraph (A) until such date as the final appeal 
regarding the disapproval of a plan submitted under sub-
section (c) is decided. 
‘‘(C) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive subparagraph 
(A) with respect to an allocated share of a producing State 
and hold the allocable share in escrow if the Secretary 
determines that the producing State is making a good 
faith effort to develop and submit, or update, a plan in 
accordance with subsection (c). 
‘‘(c) COASTAL IMPACT ASSISTANCE PLAN.— 
‘‘(1) SUBMISSION OF STATE PLANS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than July 1, 2008, the 
Governor of a producing State shall submit to the Secretary 
a coastal impact assistance plan. 
‘‘(B) PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.—In carrying out subpara-
graph (A), the Governor shall solicit local input and provide 
for public participation in the development of the plan. 
‘‘(2) APPROVAL.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall approve a plan 
of a producing State submitted under paragraph (1) before 
disbursing any amount to the producing State, or to a
H. R. 6—150
coastal political subdivision located in the producing State, 
under this section. 
‘‘(B) COMPONENTS.—The Secretary shall approve a plan 
submitted under paragraph (1) if— 
‘‘(i) the Secretary determines that the plan is con-
sistent with the uses described in subsection (d); and 
‘‘(ii) the plan contains— 
‘‘(I) the name of the State agency that will 
have the authority to represent and act on behalf 
of the producing State in dealing with the Sec-
retary for purposes of this section; 
‘‘(II) a program for the implementation of the 
plan that describes how the amounts provided 
under this section to the producing State will be 
used; 
‘‘(III) for each coastal political subdivision that 
receives an amount under this section— 
‘‘(aa) the name of a contact person; and 
‘‘(bb) a description of how the coastal polit-
ical subdivision will use amounts provided 
under this section; 
‘‘(IV) a certification by the Governor that 
ample opportunity has been provided for public 
participation in the development and revision of 
the plan; and 
‘‘(V) a description of measures that will be 
taken to determine the availability of assistance 
from other relevant Federal resources and pro-
grams. 
‘‘(3) AMENDMENT.—Any amendment to a plan submitted 
under paragraph (1) shall be— 
‘‘(A) developed in accordance with this subsection; and 
‘‘(B) submitted to the Secretary for approval or dis-
approval under paragraph (4). 
‘‘(4) PROCEDURE.—Not later than 90 days after the date 
on which a plan or amendment to a plan is submitted under 
paragraph (1) or (3), the Secretary shall approve or disapprove 
the plan or amendment. 
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZED USES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A producing State or coastal political 
subdivision shall use all amounts received under this section, 
including any amount deposited in a trust fund that is adminis-
tered by the State or coastal political subdivision and dedicated 
to uses consistent with this section, in accordance with all 
applicable Federal and State laws, only for one or more of 
the following purposes: 
‘‘(A) Projects and activities for the conservation, protec-
tion, or restoration of coastal areas, including wetland. 
‘‘(B) Mitigation of damage to fish, wildlife, or natural 
resources. 
‘‘(C) Planning assistance and the administrative costs 
of complying with this section. 
‘‘(D) Implementation of a federally-approved marine, 
coastal, or comprehensive conservation management plan. 
‘‘(E) Mitigation of the impact of outer Continental Shelf 
activities through funding of onshore infrastructure projects 
and public service needs.
H. R. 6—151
‘‘(2) COMPLIANCE WITH AUTHORIZED USES.—If the Secretary 
determines that any expenditure made by a producing State 
or coastal political subdivision is not consistent with this sub-
section, the Secretary shall not disburse any additional amount 
under this section to the producing State or the coastal political 
subdivision until such time as all amounts obligated for 
unauthorized uses have been repaid or reobligated for author-
ized uses. 
‘‘(3) LIMITATION.—Not more than 23 percent of amounts 
received by a producing State or coastal political subdivision 
for any 1 fiscal year shall be used for the purposes described 
in subparagraphs (C) and (E) of paragraph (1).’’. 
SEC. 385. STUDY OF AVAILABILITY OF SKILLED WORKERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall enter into an arrange-
ment with the National Academy of Sciences under which the 
National Academy of Sciences shall conduct a study of the short-
term and long-term availability of skilled workers to meet the 
energy and mineral security requirements of the United States. 
(b) INCLUSIONS.—The study shall include an analysis of— 
(1) the need for and availability of workers for the oil, 
gas, and mineral industries; 
(2) the availability of skilled labor at both entry level 
and more senior levels; and 
(3) recommendations for future actions needed to meet 
future labor requirements. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that 
describes the results of the study. 
SEC. 386. GREAT LAKES OIL AND GAS DRILLING BAN. 
No Federal or State permit or lease shall be issued for new 
oil and gas slant, directional, or offshore drilling in or under one 
or more of the Great Lakes. 
SEC. 387. FEDERAL COALBED METHANE REGULATION. 
Any State currently on the list of Affected States established 
under section 1339(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 
13368(b)) shall be removed from the list if, not later than 3 years 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the State takes, or prior 
to the date of enactment has taken, any of the actions required 
for removal from the list under such section 1339(b). 
SEC. 388. ALTERNATE ENERGY-RELATED USES ON THE OUTER CONTI-
NENTAL SHELF. 
(a) AMENDMENT TO OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF LANDS ACT.—
Section 8 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 
1337) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(p) LEASES, EASEMENTS, OR RIGHTS-OF-WAY FOR ENERGY AND 
RELATED PURPOSES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation with the 
Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is 
operating and other relevant departments and agencies of the 
Federal Government, may grant a lease, easement, or right-
of-way on the outer Continental Shelf for activities not other-
wise authorized in this Act, the Deepwater Port Act of 1974 
(33 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.), the Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion