110 HR 5588 IH: To prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from offering U.S. House of Representatives 2008-03-11 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5588 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 11, 2008 Mr. Markey (for himself, Mr. Inslee, Mr. Hinchey, and Mr. Larson of Connecticut) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources A BILL To prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from offering for oil and gas leasing or any related activity any tract in the Lease Sale 193 Area of the Alaska Outer Continental Shelf Region until the Secretary determines whether to list the polar bear as a threatened species or an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and for other purposes.

1.

Schedule for oil and gas leasing activities for tracts within the Lease Sale 193 Area

(a)

Schedule

The Secretary of the Interior may not offer for oil and gas leasing or any related activity (including approving any seismic activity, offering any new lease, or approving any exploration or development plan) any tract located in the Lease Sale 193 Area of the Alaska Outer Continental Shelf Region before the earlier of— (1)the effective date of— (A)the listing of the polar bear as a threatened species or an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); and (B)the final decision regarding the determination of critical habitat for such species under that Act; or (2)the date the Secretary publishes a determination that such listing is not warranted. (b)

Lease Sale 193 Area defined

In this section the term Lease Sale 193 Area means the area offered for lease in the Final Notice of Sale (FNOS), OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193, Chukchi Sea published in the Federal Register by the Minerals Management Service on January 2, 2008 (73 Fed. Reg. 209).