[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2803 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2803

 To direct the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of 
   Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, to conduct a 
 technological capability assessment, survey, and economic feasibility 
 study regarding recovery of minerals, other than oil and natural gas, 
         from the shallow and deep seabed of the United States.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 5, 2011

 Mr. Faleomavaega introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                   the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of 
   Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, to conduct a 
 technological capability assessment, survey, and economic feasibility 
 study regarding recovery of minerals, other than oil and natural gas, 
         from the shallow and deep seabed of the United States.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. TECHNOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT, SURVEY, AND STUDY OF SHALLOW AND 
              DEEP SEABED MINERALS.

    (a) Authorization.--The Secretary of the Interior, acting through 
the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement and 
in consultation with the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies, 
shall conduct--
            (1) a survey of the shallow and deep seabed of the United 
        States to identify sites for the recovery of such minerals; and
            (2) an assessment of all available domestic technological 
        capabilities required for the location and the efficient and 
        environmentally sound recovery of minerals, other than oil and 
        natural gas, from the shallow and deep seabed of the United 
        States; and
            (3) an economic feasibility study on the recovery of such 
        minerals.
    (b) Report.--No later than 2 years after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress containing 
the findings and recommendations of the assessment, survey, and study 
under this section.
    (c) Definition.--In this section the term ``shallow and deep seabed 
of the United States''--
            (1) means areas of the seabed that are contiguous to and 
        within 200 miles of the territorial sea of the United States 
        and the resources of which are subject to its jurisdiction or 
        control; and
            (2) includes such areas that are contiguous to and within 
        200 miles of the territorial sea around any inhabited and 
        uninhabited territory or possession of the United States 
        including American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern 
        Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Midway 
        Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Marshall 
        Islands, Wake Island, Johnston Atoll, Baker, Howland, and 
        Jarvis Islands, Kingman Reef, Navassa Island, Serranilla Bank, 
        Bajo Nuevo Bank, and Palmyra Atoll.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this Act $500,000 for each 
of fiscal years 2012 and 2013.
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