I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5745 
To promote fish habitat through the enhancement of certain offshore oil 
and gas platforms and pipelines as artificial reefs, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 14, 2025 
Mr. EZELL (for himself, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, and Mr. VEASEY) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
Resources 
A BILL 
To promote fish habitat through the enhancement of certain 
offshore oil and gas platforms and pipelines as artificial 
reefs, 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 ‘‘Marine Fisheries Habi-
tat Protection Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. USE OF CERTAIN OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS PLAT-
FORMS 
AND 
PIPELINES 
FOR 
ARTIFICIAL 
REEFS. 
(a) NATIONAL FISHING ENHANCEMENT ACT
OF 
1984.—The National Fishing Enhancement Act of 1984 
(33 U.S.C. 2101 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) by amending section 206 (33 U.S.C. 2105) 
to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 206. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this title: 
‘‘(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘Adminis-
trator’ means the Under Secretary of Commerce for 
Oceans and Atmosphere in the Under Secretary’s 
capacity as Administrator of the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration. 
‘‘(2) ARTIFICIAL
REEF.—The term ‘Artificial 
reef’ means a structure or facility and associated 
equipment and infrastructure which is located, con-
structed or placed in Covered Waters that enhances 
fishery resources and commercial and recreational 
fishing opportunities, including, without limitation, 
Approved Structures. 
‘‘(3) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘Director’ means 
the Principal Deputy Director Exercising the Dele-
gated Authorities of the Director of the Bureau of 
Safety and Environmental Enforcement. 
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‘‘(4) DECOMMISSIONING.—For the purposes of 
this title, the term ‘Decommissioning’ means ending 
oil, gas, or sulphur operations on an offshore lease, 
right-of-way, or right-of-use and easement and re-
turning the area subject to such lease, right-of-way, 
or right-of-use and easement to a condition that 
complies with applicable law, including, without limi-
tation, Reefing in Place of Approved Structures, or 
removal of platforms and structures, or a combina-
tion thereof. 
‘‘(5) ESTABLISHED
REEF
ECOSYSTEM.—The 
term ‘established reef ecosystem’ means an area 
with identified reef-associated species, including spe-
cies of corals, crustaceans, fish, or other marine life. 
‘‘(6) APPROVED
STRUCTURE.—The term ‘ap-
proved structure’ means an Eligible Structure which 
the Secretary of the Interior has approved for 
Reefing in Place pursuant to Section 207(a)(5)(B). 
‘‘(7) ELIGIBLE STRUCTURE.—The term ‘eligible 
structure’ refers to an Inactive Structure that is de-
termined eligible for Reefing in Place by the Direc-
tor pursuant to Section 207(a)(3). 
‘‘(8) INACTIVE STRUCTURE.—The term ‘inac-
tive structure’ means an oil or gas platform, struc-
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ture, facility, pipeline, and associated equipment and 
infrastructure— 
‘‘(A) that either— 
‘‘(i) an Applicant determines is no 
longer useful for operations; 
‘‘(ii) is located on a lease, right of 
way, right of use and entry or other simi-
lar right that has expired, terminated, been 
relinquished or abandoned or is no longer 
valid and effective; or 
‘‘(iii) is currently on the sea floor as 
a result of an act of God or event of force 
majeure. 
‘‘(9) PARTIAL
REMOVAL.—The term ‘Partial 
Removal’ means— 
‘‘(A) the severance and removal of a por-
tion of an Inactive Structure at a level that 
maximizes the vertical relief of the structure in 
the water column at the minimum depth from 
the surface to maintain navigational safety, as 
determined by the Secretary of the Interior in 
consultation with the Commandant of the Coast 
Guard; and 
‘‘(B) optionally, the placement of the sev-
ered portion of the Inactive Structure on the 
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sea floor in proximity to the base of the 
unsevered portion of the structure or at an al-
ternative reef planning area. 
‘‘(10) REEF
IN
PLACE.—The term ‘Reef in 
Place’ or ‘Reefing in Place’ means Decommissioning 
of an Approved Structure, in whole or in part, by 
abandoning in place, Toppling in Place, or Partial 
Removal of the Approved Structure in a manner 
that— 
‘‘(A) attempts to maximize reef ecosystem 
for benthic and pelagic species throughout the 
entirety of the water column; and 
‘‘(B) is at the appropriate minimum depth 
from the surface to maintain navigational safe-
ty as determined by the Secretary of the Inte-
rior in consultation with the Commandment of 
the Coast Guard. 
‘‘(11) APPLICANT.—The term ‘applicant’ refers 
to a current or former lessee, right-of-way holder, 
right-of-use holder or operating rights owner that 
has assumed operational control or regulatory re-
sponsibility over an Inactive Structure, or has re-
ceived an order from the Secretary of the Interior to 
perform decommissioning on an Inactive Structure, 
or is otherwise legally responsible for Decommis-
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sioning an Inactive Structure. Parties that do not 
meet any of this criteria may apply to the Director 
to be deemed an Applicant for the purposes of this 
title, To the extent that multiple parties meeting the 
definition of Applicant exist, the party designated to 
the Department of the Interior as the single entity 
to serve as an operator or agent for the decommis-
sioning operations shall be the Applicant for the 
purposes of this title. 
‘‘(12) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means a State 
of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puer-
to Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, American 
Samoa, Guam, Johnston Island, Midway Island, and 
Wake Island. 
‘‘(13) TOPPLE IN PLACE.—The term ‘Topple in 
Place’ or ‘Toppling in Place’ means detaching an 
Approved Structure or a portion of the Approved 
Structure from the seabed and toppling the ap-
proved structure or a severed portion of the Ap-
proved Structure onto its side on the seabed in the 
same area or immediately adjacent to the area where 
the Approved Structure was originally installed or 
abandoned. 
‘‘(14) COVERED WATERS.—The term ‘Covered 
Waters’ means the navigable waters of the United 
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States and the waters superjacent to the Outer Con-
tinental Shelf as defined in section 2 of the Outer 
Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331), to 
the extent such waters exist in or are adjacent to 
any State. 
‘‘(15) STATE PROGRAM.—The term ‘State Pro-
gram’ means any State Artificial Reef program au-
thorized under section 207(c). 
‘‘(16) REEF PLANNING AREA.—The term ‘Reef 
Planning Area’ means an area identified and des-
ignated as such by the Director under section 
207(a)(4).’’; 
(2) by amending section 207 to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 207. REEF IN PLACE. 
‘‘(a) REEF IN PLACE.—An Applicant may elect to 
Reef in Place the Inactive Structure in accordance with 
the following: 
‘‘(1) NOTICE OF INTENT TO REEF.—To Reef in 
Place, an Applicant may submit a Notice of Intent 
to Reef an Inactive Structure at any time to the Di-
rector. 
‘‘(2) ASSESSMENT.—Within 180 days of sub-
mission of a Notice of Intent to Reef under Section 
207(a)(1), initiate the following assessment. 
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