IIB 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1941 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources 
AN ACT 
To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit 
the Secretary of the Interior including in any leasing 
program certain planning areas, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Coastal and Marine 
Economies Protection Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PUBLICATION OF INSPECTION RESULTS. 
Section 22(c) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands 
Act (43 U.S.C. 1348(c)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘The’’ and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(b) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary shall make the 
following available to the public: 
‘‘(1) Any reports produced under this sub-
section. 
‘‘(2) The following information about each pay-
ment made into the Ocean Energy Safety Fund 
under subsection (g): 
‘‘(A) The facility that was inspected. 
‘‘(B) The name of the operator of such fa-
cility. 
‘‘(C) The amount of the payment.’’. 
SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON LEASING IN CERTAIN PLANNING 
AREAS. 
Section 18 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 
is amended by redesignating subsections (g) and (h) as 
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subsections (h) and (i) respectively, and by inserting after 
subsection (f) the following: 
‘‘(g) The Secretary shall not include in any leasing 
program under this section any area within the Atlantic 
Region planning areas or the Pacific Region planning 
areas, as such planning areas are described in the docu-
ment entitled ‘Draft Proposed Program Outer Continental 
Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2019–2024’, dated 
January 2018.’’. 
SEC. 4. INSPECTION FEE COLLECTION. 
Section 22 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 
(43 U.S.C. 1348) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(g) INSPECTION FEES.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of the 
Interior shall collect from the operators of facilities 
subject to inspection under subsection (c) non-re-
fundable fees for such inspections— 
‘‘(A) at an aggregate level equal to the 
amount necessary to offset the annual expenses 
of inspections of outer Continental Shelf facili-
ties (including mobile offshore drilling units) by 
the Secretary of the Interior; and 
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‘‘(B) using a schedule that reflects the dif-
ferences in complexity among the classes of fa-
cilities to be inspected. 
‘‘(2) OCEAN ENERGY SAFETY FUND.—There is 
established in the Treasury a fund, to be known as 
the ‘Ocean Energy Safety Fund’ (referred to in this 
subsection as the ‘Fund’), into which shall be depos-
ited all amounts collected as fees under paragraph 
(1) and which shall be available as provided under 
paragraph (3). 
‘‘(3) AVAILABILITY OF FEES.—Notwithstanding 
section 3302 of title 31, United States Code, all 
amounts deposited in the Fund— 
‘‘(A) shall be credited as offsetting collec-
tions; 
‘‘(B) shall be available for expenditure for 
purposes of carrying out inspections of outer 
Continental Shelf facilities (including mobile 
offshore drilling units) and the administration 
of the inspection program under this section; 
‘‘(C) shall be available only to the extent 
provided for in advance in an appropriations 
Act; and 
‘‘(D) shall remain available until expended. 
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‘‘(4) ADJUSTMENT FOR INFLATION.—For each 
fiscal year beginning after fiscal year 2020, the Sec-
retary shall adjust each dollar amount specified in 
this subsection for inflation based on the change in 
the Consumer Price Index from fiscal year 2020. 
‘‘(5) ANNUAL FEES.—Annual fees shall be col-
lected under this subsection for facilities that are 
above the waterline, excluding drilling rigs, and are 
in place at the start of the fiscal year. Fees for fiscal 
year 2020 shall be— 
‘‘(A) $11,500 for facilities with no wells, 
but with processing equipment or gathering 
lines; 
‘‘(B) $18,500 for facilities with 1 to 10 
wells, with any combination of active or inactive 
wells; and 
‘‘(C) $34,500 for facilities with more than 
10 wells, with any combination of active or in-
active wells. 
‘‘(6) FEES FOR DRILLING RIGS.—Fees shall be 
collected under this subsection for drilling rigs on a 
per inspection basis. Fees for fiscal year 2020 shall 
be— 
‘‘(A) $33,500 per inspection for rigs oper-
ating in water depths of 500 feet or more; and 
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‘‘(B) $18,500 per inspection for rigs oper-
ating in water depths of less than 500 feet. 
‘‘(7) FEES FOR NON-RIG UNITS.—Fees shall be 
collected under this subsection for well operations 
conducted via non-rig units as outlined in subparts 
D, E, F, and Q of part 250 of title 30, Code of Fed-
eral Regulations, on a per inspection basis. Fees for 
fiscal year 2020 shall be— 
‘‘(A) $13,260 per inspection for non-rig 
units operating in water depths of 2,500 feet or 
more; 
‘‘(B) $11,530 per inspection for non-rig 
units operating in water depths between 500 
and 2,499 feet; and 
‘‘(C) $4,470 per inspection for non-rig 
units operating in water depths of less than 500 
feet. 
‘‘(8) BILLING.—The Secretary shall bill des-
ignated operators under paragraph (5) annually, 
with payment required within 30 days of billing. The 
Secretary shall bill designated operators under para-
graph (6) within 30 days of the end of the month 
in which the inspection occurred, with payment re-
quired within 30 days after billing.’’. 
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SEC. 5. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 
shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 
titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 
Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 
by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, pro-
vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 
vote on passage. 
SEC. 6. RISK TO NATIONAL SECURITY. 
The Secretary of the Interior, after consulting with 
the Secretary of Defense, shall report to Congress on 
whether this Act poses a risk to national security due to 
potential increase in dependence on foreign oil. 
SEC. 7. STUDYING THE IMPACTS OF OFFSHORE DRILLING 
ON COASTAL COMMUNITIES AND COASTAL 
ECONOMIES. 
(a) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall 
submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources of the Senate a report on the im-
pacts of offshore drilling on coastal communities and 
coastal economies. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The report required by subsection 
(a) shall— 
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(1) address how oil and gas companies interact 
with local stakeholders in advance of a siting deci-
sion, including their meetings with fishermen; 
(2) investigate the impacts of offshore drilling 
on tourism, including tradeoffs during normal oper-
ations and economic impacts after a spill; 
(3) describe how the Bureau of Ocean Energy 
Management works with other agencies, including 
the National Marine Fisheries Service, to include 
stakeholder input in advance of a siting decision; 
(4) address how quickly response teams can 
mitigate environmental damage after a spill and how 
long regional ecosystems take to recover following a 
spill; 
(5) describe any limitations on the quantity of 
comparative data available on impacts to regions of 
the Outer Continental Shelf that have not been sited 
for drilling; 
(6) describe the impacts on commercial and rec-
reational fisheries from offshore drilling; and 
(7) address the economic impacts of oil spills on 
the food supply of a region, including those food 
sources that are distinctive to a region’s culture. 
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SEC. 8. MORATORIUM ON SEISMIC ACTIVITIES RELATED TO 
OIL, GAS, AND METHANE HYDRATE EXPLO-
RATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE NORTH 
ATLANTIC, MID-ATLANTIC, SOUTH ATLANTIC, 
AND STRAITS OF FLORIDA PLANNING AREAS. 
Section 11 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 
(43 U.S.C. 1340) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(i) MORATORIUM ON SEISMIC ACTIVITIES RELATED 
TO OIL, GAS, AND METHANE HYDRATE EXPLORATION 
AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC, MID-AT-
LANTIC, SOUTH ATLANTIC, AND STRAITS OF FLORIDA 
PLANNING AREAS.—Notwithstanding any other provision 
of law, no agency of the United States or person may con-
duct or authorize any other person to conduct geological 
or geophysical activities in support of oil, gas, or methane 
hydrate exploration and development in any area located 
in the North Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, and 
Straits of Florida Planning Areas of the outer Continental 
Shelf.’’. 
SEC. 9. ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall conduct a 
study to determine the potential economic impact of off-
shore drilling on tourism, commercial fishing, recreational 
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fishing, boating, transportation, and other waterfront-re-
lated and coastal-related business. 
Passed the House of Representatives September 11, 
2019. 
Attest: 
CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 
Clerk. 
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