I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1784 
To prohibit drilling in the Arctic Ocean. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 29, 2017 
Mr. HUFFMAN (for himself, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. BEYER, Mr. BLUMENAUER, 
Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. 
DESAULNIER, Mr. ELLISON, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. KHANNA, 
Mr. LANGEVIN, Ms. LEE, Mr. TED LIEU of California, Ms. LOFGREN, 
Mr. LOWENTHAL, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. NADLER, Ms. 
NORTON, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. PETERS, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. 
POCAN, Mr. POLIS, Mr. QUIGLEY, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. 
SPEIER, Mr. TONKO, Ms. TSONGAS, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, and Mr. WELCH) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To prohibit drilling in the Arctic Ocean. 
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 ‘‘Stop Arctic Ocean 
Drilling Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that, as of the date 
of enactment of this Act— 
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(1) global climate change is occurring due 
largely to anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse 
gases and will continue to pose ongoing risks and 
challenges to the people and the Government of the 
United States; 
(2) the evidence of impacts and dangers of cli-
mate change are supported by numerous reports and 
panels, such as the 2014 National Climate Assess-
ment, the United States Global Change Research 
Program, and the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review 
of the Department of Defense; 
(3) the average temperature in the United 
States during the past decade was 0.8 degree Cel-
sius (1.5 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the 
1901–1960 average, and the last decade was the 
warmest on record both in the United States and 
globally; 
(4) a global temperature increase of 2 degrees 
Celsius will lead to increased droughts, rising seas, 
mass 
extinctions, 
heat 
waves, 
desertification, 
wildfires, and acidifying oceans; 
(5) delaying action on climate change will result 
in severe economic losses, and global mitigation costs 
increase by approximately 40 percent for each dec-
ade of delay; 
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(6) at least 80 percent of the carbon from 
known fossil fuel reserves must not be released to 
the atmosphere to have an 80-percent chance of 
avoiding the worst effects of climate change stem-
ming from a 2-degree-Celsius change in global tem-
perature; 
(7) developing oil and gas reserves in the Arctic 
Ocean is incompatible with staying within that glob-
al carbon budget and avoiding the worst effects of 
climate change; and 
(8) the Arctic Ocean is home to invaluable and 
fragile ecosystems, which are critical to fisheries, mi-
gratory birds, indigenous populations, and subsist-
ence hunters. 
(b) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It is the policy of the 
United States that the Arctic Ocean should be managed 
for the best interests of the people of the United States, 
including by keeping fossil fuels in the ground to avoid 
the dangerous impacts of climate change. 
SEC. 3. PROHIBITION OF OIL AND GAS LEASING IN ARCTIC 
OCEAN AREAS OF THE OUTER CONTINENTAL 
SHELF. 
Section 8 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 
(43 U.S.C. 1337) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
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‘‘(q) PROHIBITION OF OIL AND GAS LEASING IN 
ARCTIC PLANNING AREA OF THE OUTER CONTINENTAL 
SHELF.—Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act 
or any other law, the Secretary of the Interior shall not 
issue or renew a lease or any other authorization for the 
exploration, development, or production of oil, natural gas, 
or any other mineral in the Arctic Ocean, including the 
Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea Planning Areas.’’. 
Æ 
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