I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1631
To permanently prohibit the conduct of offshore drilling on the outer
Continental Shelf off the State of Florida, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 26, 2001
Mr. SCARBOROUGH (for himself, Mr. DAVIS of Florida, Mr. SHAW, Mr.
STEARNS, Mr. WEXLER, Mr. DEUTSCH, Mrs. THURMAN, Mr. KELLER,
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr.
BILIRAKIS, and Mr. FOLEY) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Resources
A BILL
To permanently prohibit the conduct of offshore drilling on
the outer Continental Shelf off the State of Florida,
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. PROHIBITION OF OIL AND GAS LEASING IN
CERTAIN AREAS OF THE OUTER CONTI-
NENTAL SHELF.
Section 8 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act
(43 U.S.C. 1337) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
‘‘(p) PROHIBITION OF OIL AND GAS LEASING IN
CERTAIN AREAS OF THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF.—
Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or any
other law, the Secretary of the Interior shall not issue a
lease for the exploration, development, or production of
oil, natural gas, or any other mineral in—
‘‘(1) the eastern Gulf of Mexico planning area;
‘‘(2) the Straits of Florida planning area; or
‘‘(3) the South Atlantic planning area, extend-
ing from the Straits of Florida planning area to the
border between the States of Florida and Georgia.’’.
SEC. 2. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW.
(a) CONDITIONS
FOR BIDDING
ON OPTION TO
LEASE.—The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (42
U.S.C. 1301 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section
24 the following:
‘‘SEC. 24A. CONDITIONS FOR SALE OF OPTION TO LEASE.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The sale of an option to enter
into an oil and gas lease described in section 25 (including
a lease to drill an exploratory well) shall be contingent
on—
‘‘(1) the preparation, in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) of an environmental impact
statement concerning the activities to be conducted
under the oil and gas lease; and
‘‘(2) after preparation of the environmental im-
pact statement, the completion by the affected State
of a consistency certification in accordance with sec-
tion 307(c) of the Coastal Zone Management Act of
1972 (16 U.S.C. 1456(c)).
‘‘(b) EXCLUDED PLANS.—This section does not apply
to a plan for the production and transportation of natural
gas described in section 25(k).’’.
(b) APPLICABILITY
OF NEPA TO DEVELOPMENT
PLANS.—Section 25(d) of the Outer Continental Shelf
Lands Act (42 U.S.C. 1351(d)) is amended by striking
‘‘unless the State’’ and inserting ‘‘unless the State, after
completion of the environmental impact statement under
section 24A,’’.
(c) DEADLINE FOR APPROVAL OR DISAPPROVAL OF
PLANS.—Section 25(h)(1) of the Outer Continental Shelf
Lands Act (42 U.S.C. 1351(h)(1)) is amended in the first
sentence by striking ‘‘sixty’’ each place it appears and in-
serting ‘‘90’’.
(d) APPLICABILITY TO LEASES IN THE GULF OF
MEXICO.—Section 25 of the Outer Continental Shelf
Lands Act (42 U.S.C. 1351) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘, other than the Gulf of Mex-
ico,’’ each place it appears; and
(2) by striking subsection (l).
(e) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—
(1) Section 25(a) of the Outer Continental
Shelf Lands Act (42 U.S.C. 1351(a)) is amended—
(A) in paragraph (2)—
(i) by striking ‘‘accompanied by a
statement’’ and inserting ‘‘accompanied
by—
‘‘(A) a statement’’;
(ii) by striking the period at the end
and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
(iii) by inserting the following:
‘‘(B) a copy of the environmental impact
statement for the oil and gas lease prepared
under section 24A’’; and
(B) by striking paragraph (3) and insert-
ing the following:
‘‘(3) SUBMISSION OF STATEMENTS.—Except for any
privileged or proprietary information (as the term is de-
fined in regulations promulgated by the Secretary), the
Secretary, not later than 10 days after receipt of the state-
ments described in paragraph (2), shall—
‘‘(A) submit the statements to the Governor of
any affected State, and, upon request, to the chief
executive officer of any affected local government;
and
‘‘(B) make the statements available to any ap-
propriate interstate regional entity and the public.’’.
(2) Section 25(e)(2) of the Outer Continental
Shelf Lands Act (42 U.S.C. 1351(e)(2)) is amended
by striking ‘‘approved,’’ and inserting ‘‘approved (in-
cluding plans for exploratory wells),’’.
(3) Section 25(f) of the Outer Continental Shelf
Lands Act (42 U.S.C. 1351(f)) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘the draft environmental impact statement’’ and
insert ‘‘a copy of the environmental impact state-
ment for the lease prepared under section 24A’’.
(4) Section 25(h)(1) of the Outer Continental
Shelf Lands Act (42 U.S.C. 1351(h)(1)) is amended
by striking ‘‘subsection (e) of this section’’ and in-
serting ‘‘section 24A’’.
SEC. 3. BUYBACK OF OFFSHORE LEASES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior may
purchase the rights to oil and gas development and pro-
duction covered by the following outstanding leases in the
Gulf of Mexico:
(1) In the Destin Dome planing area, each of
leases numbered G06401, G06402, G06405 through
G06411, 
G06432, 
G06433, 
G06436, 
G06440,
G06442 through G06444, G08320 through G08322,
G08333, 
G08334, 
G08346, 
G10418, 
G10419,
G10422, G10426, and G10427, at a total cost of
$38,573,458.
(2) In the Desoto Canyon planning area, each
of leases numbered G06464, G06469, G06470,
G06474 through G06477, G10446 through G10456,
G10459 through G10467, G10471 through G10473,
and G10477, at a total cost of $12,278,600.
(3) In the Elbow region, each of leases num-
bered G10498 through G10514, at a total cost of
$4,348,640.
(4) In the Pensacola planning area, each of
leases numbered G08308 through G08310, G08317
through G08319, G10408 through G10410, and
G10413 through G10417, at a total cost of
$16,793,300.
(5) In the Lloyd planning area, each of leases
numbered G10493 through G10497, at total cost of
$1,213,704.
(6) In the Apalachicola planning area, each of
leases numbered G10430 through G10435, at a total
cost of $2,936,700.
(7) In the Florida Middle Ground planning
area, each of leases numbered G08361 through
G08368, G10484, and G10485, at a total cost of
$14,018,000.
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
authorized to be appropriated to carry out subsection (a)
$90,162,402.
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