I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2173 
To facilitate the development of offshore wind energy resources. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 14, 2011 
Mr. WITTMAN (for himself, Mr. HASTINGS of Washington, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. 
BROUN of Georgia, and Mr. DUNCAN of Tennessee) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To facilitate the development of offshore wind energy 
resources. 
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 at the ‘‘Advancing Offshore 
Wind Production Act’’. 
SEC. 2. OFFSHORE METEOROLOGICAL SITE TESTING AND 
MONITORING PROJECTS. 
(a) DEFINITION OF AN OFFSHORE METEOROLOG-
ICAL SITE TESTING AND MONITORING PROJECT.—In this 
section, the term ‘‘offshore meteorological site testing and 
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monitoring project’’ means a project carried out on or in 
the waters of the Outer Continental Shelf administered 
by the Department of the Interior to test or monitor 
weather (including wind, tidal, current, and solar energy) 
using towers, buoys, or other temporary ocean infrastruc-
ture, that— 
(1) causes— 
(A) less than 1 acre of surface or seafloor 
disruption at the location of each meteorological 
tower or other device; and 
(B) not more than 5 acres of surface or 
seafloor disruption within the proposed area af-
fected by for the project (including hazards to 
navigation); 
(2) is decommissioned not more than 5 years 
after the date of commencement of the project, in-
cluding— 
(A) removal of towers, buoys, or other tem-
porary ocean infrastructure from the project 
site; and 
(B) restoration of the project site to ap-
proximately the original condition of the site; 
and 
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(3) provides meteorological information ob-
tained by the project to the Secretary of the Inte-
rior. 
(b) OFFSHORE METEOROLOGICAL PROJECT PERMIT-
TING.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Inte-
rior shall by regulation require that any applicant 
seeking to conduct an offshore meteorological site 
testing and monitoring project on the outer Conti-
nental Shelf (as that term is defined in the Outer 
Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331 et 
seq.)) must obtain a permit for the project in ac-
cordance with this subsection. 
(2) PERMIT TIMELINE AND CONDITIONS.— 
(A) DEADLINE FOR APPROVAL.—The Sec-
retary shall decide whether to issue a permit for 
an offshore meteorological site testing and mon-
itoring project within 30 days after receiving an 
application for the permit. 
(B) PUBLIC
COMMENT
AND
CONSULTA-
TION.—During the period referred to in sub-
paragraph (A), the Secretary shall— 
(i) provide an opportunity for submis-
sion of comments by the public; and 
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(ii) consult with the Secretary of De-
fense, the Commandant of the Coast 
Guard, and the heads of other Federal, 
State, and local agencies that would be af-
fected by issuance of the permit. 
(C) DENIAL OF PERMIT; OPPORTUNITY TO 
REMEDY DEFICIENCIES.—If the application is 
denied, the Secretary shall provide the appli-
cant— 
(i) in writing, clear and comprehensive 
reasons why the application was not ap-
proved and detailed information concerning 
any deficiencies in the application; and 
(ii) an opportunity to remedy such de-
ficiencies. 
(c) NEPA EXCLUSION.—Section 102(2)(C) of the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
4321 et seq.) shall not apply with respect to an offshore 
meteorological site testing and monitoring project. 
(d) PROTECTION OF INFORMATION.—The informa-
tion provided to the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to 
subsection (a)(3) shall be treated by the Secretary as pro-
prietary information and protected against disclosure. 
Æ 
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