I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 797 
To greatly enhance the Nation’s environmental, energy, economic, and na-
tional security by terminating long-standing Federal prohibitions on the 
domestic production of abundant offshore supplies of oil and natural 
gas, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 3, 2009 
Mr. CALVERT introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on the 
Budget and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To greatly enhance the Nation’s environmental, energy, eco-
nomic, and national security by terminating long-stand-
ing Federal prohibitions on the domestic production of 
abundant offshore supplies of oil and natural gas, 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 ‘‘Maximize Offshore Re-
source Exploration Act of 2009’’ or the ‘‘MORE Act of 
2009’’. 
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SEC. 2. TERMINATION OF PROHIBITIONS ON EXPENDI-
TURES FOR, AND WITHDRAWALS FROM, OFF-
SHORE OIL AND GAS LEASING. 
(a) PROHIBITIONS ON EXPENDITURES.—All provi-
sions of Federal law that prohibit the expenditure of ap-
propriated funds to conduct oil and natural gas leasing 
and preleasing activities for any area of the Outer Conti-
nental Shelf shall have no force or effect with respect to 
such activities. 
(b) REVOCATION WITHDRAWALS.—All withdrawals 
of Federal submerged lands of the Outer Continental Shelf 
from leasing, including withdrawals by the President 
under the authority of section 12(a) of the Outer Conti-
nental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1341(a)), are hereby 
revoked and are no longer in effect with respect to the 
leasing of areas for exploration for, and development and 
production of, oil and natural gas. 
SEC. 3. OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF OIL AND NATURAL 
GAS LEASING PROGRAM. 
The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 
1331 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 9 the 
following: 
‘‘SEC. 10. STATE APPROVAL REQUIREMENT WITH RESPECT 
TO OIL AND NATURAL GAS LEASING. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may not issue any 
lease authorizing exploration for, or development of, oil 
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and natural gas in any area of the Outer Continental Shelf 
that is located within 25 miles of the coastline of a State 
unless the State has enacted a law approving of the 
issuance of such leases by the Secretary. 
‘‘(b) STATE APPROVAL PERMANENT.—Repeal of 
such a law by a State shall have no effect for purposes 
of subsection (a).’’. 
SEC. 4. SHARING OF REVENUES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 8(g) of the Outer Conti-
nental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1337(g)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘Notwith-
standing’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided in 
paragraph (6), and notwithstanding’’; 
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (6) and (7) as 
paragraphs (7) and (8); and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (5) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(6) ROYALTIES UNDER QUALIFIED OIL AND 
GAS LEASES.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraph (B), of amounts received by the 
United States as royalties under any qualified 
oil and gas lease on submerged lands that are 
located within the seaward boundaries of a 
State established under section 4(a)(2)(A)— 
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‘‘(i) 12.5 percent shall be deposited in 
the general fund of the Treasury; 
‘‘(ii) 12.5 percent shall be deposited in 
the Renewable Energy Reserve established 
by section 5 of the MORE Act of 2009; 
and 
‘‘(iii) 75 percent shall be paid to the 
States that are producing States with re-
spect to those submerged lands. 
‘‘(B) LEASE TRACTS WITHIN 25 MILES OF 
THE COASTLINE.—Of amounts received by the 
United States as royalties under any qualified 
oil and gas lease on submerged lands that are 
located within 25 miles of the coastline of a 
State and within the seaward boundaries of a 
State established under section 4(a)(2)(A)— 
‘‘(i) 5 percent shall be deposited in 
the general fund of the Treasury; 
‘‘(ii) 5 percent shall be deposited in 
the Renewable Energy Reserve established 
by section 5 of the MORE Act of 2009; 
and 
‘‘(iii) 90 percent shall be paid to the 
States that are producing States with re-
spect to those submerged lands. 
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‘‘(C) LEASED
TRACT
THAT
LIES
PAR-
TIALLY WITHIN THE SEAWARD BOUNDARIES OF 
A STATE.—In the case of a leased tract that lies 
partially within the seaward boundaries of a 
State, the amounts of royalties from such tract 
that are subject to subparagraph (A) or (B), as 
applicable, with respect to such State shall be 
a percentage of the total amounts of royalties 
from such tract that is equivalent to the total 
percentage of surface acreage of the tract that 
lies within such seaward boundaries. 
‘‘(D) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph: 
‘‘(i) ADJACENT
STATE.—The term 
‘adjacent State’ means, with respect to any 
program, plan, lease sale, leased tract or 
other activity, proposed, conducted, or ap-
proved pursuant to the provisions of this 
Act, any State the laws of which are de-
clared, pursuant to section 4(a)(2), to be 
the law of the United States for the por-
tion of the Outer Continental Shelf on 
which such program, plan, lease sale, 
leased tract, or activity appertains or is, or 
is proposed to be, conducted. 
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‘‘(ii) ADJACENT
ZONE.—The term 
‘adjacent zone’ means, with respect to any 
program, plan, lease sale, leased tract, or 
other activity, proposed, conducted, or ap-
proved pursuant to the provisions of this 
Act, the portion of the Outer Continental 
Shelf for which the laws of a particular ad-
jacent State are declared, pursuant to sec-
tion 4(a)(2), to be the law of the United 
States. 
‘‘(iii) PRODUCING STATE.—The term 
‘producing State’ means an Adjacent State 
having an adjacent zone containing leased 
tracts from which are derived royalties 
under a lease under this Act. 
‘‘(iv) STATE.—The term ‘State’ in-
cludes Puerto Rico and the other terri-
tories of the United States. 
‘‘(v) 
QUALIFIED
OIL
AND
GAS 
LEASE.—The term ‘qualified oil and gas 
lease’ means a lease under this Act grant-
ed after the date of the enactment of the 
Maximize Offshore Resource Exploration 
Act of 2009 that authorizes development 
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and production of oil and natural gas and 
associated condensate. 
‘‘(E) APPLICATION.—This paragraph shall 
apply to royalties received by the United States 
after September 30, 2009.’’. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF STATE SEAWARD BOUND-
ARIES.—Section 4(a)(2)(A) of the Outer Continental Shelf 
Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1333(a)(2)(A)) is amended in the 
first sentence by striking ‘‘, and the President’’ and all 
that follows through the end of the sentence and inserting 
the following: ‘‘. Such extended lines are deemed to be as 
indicated on the maps for each Outer Continental Shelf 
region entitled ‘Alaska OCS Region State Adjacent Zone 
and OCS Planning Areas’, ‘Pacific OCS Region State Ad-
jacent Zones and OCS Planning Areas’, ‘Gulf of Mexico 
OCS Region State Adjacent Zones and OCS Planning 
Areas’, and ‘Atlantic OCS Region State Adjacent Zones 
and OCS Planning Areas’, all of which are dated Sep-
tember 2005 and on file in the Office of the Director, Min-
erals Management Service. The preceding sentence shall 
not apply with respect to the treatment under section 105 
of the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (title 
I of division C of Public Law 109–432) of qualified Outer 
Continental Shelf revenues deposited and disbursed under 
subsection (a)(2) of that section.’’. 
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SEC. 5. RENEWABLE ENERGY RESERVE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—For budgetary purposes, there is 
established a separate account in the Treasury to be 
known as the ‘‘Renewable Energy Reserve’’. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The Renewable Energy Reserve 
shall consist of amounts deposited into it under subpara-
graphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (6) of section 8(g) of 
the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 
1337(g)), as amended by this Act. 
(c) USE.—The Renewable Energy Reserve shall be 
available to offset the cost of legislation enacted after the 
date of the enactment of this Act— 
(1) to accelerate the use of cleaner domestic en-
ergy resources and alternative fuels; 
(2) to promote the utilization of energy-efficient 
products and practices; and 
(3) to increase research, development, and de-
ployment of clean renewable energy and efficiency 
technologies and job training programs for those 
purposes. 
(d) PROCEDURE FOR ADJUSTMENTS.— 
(1) BUDGET COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN.—After the 
reporting of a bill or joint resolution, or the offering 
of an amendment thereto or the submission of a con-
ference report thereon, providing funding for the 
purposes set forth in subsection (c) in excess of the 
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