[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 843 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 843

   To establish outer Continental Shelf lease and permit processing 
             coordination offices, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 14, 2011

  Mr. Begich introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish outer Continental Shelf lease and permit processing 
             coordination offices, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Outer Continental Shelf Permit 
Processing Coordination Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Coordination office.--The term ``coordination office'' 
        means a regional joint outer Continental Shelf lease and permit 
        processing coordination office established under section 3(a).
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.

SEC. 3. OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF PERMIT PROCESSING COORDINATION OFFICES.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish--
            (1) a regional joint outer Continental Shelf lease and 
        permit processing coordination office for the Alaska region of 
        the outer Continental Shelf; and
            (2) subject to subsection (c)--
                    (A) a regional joint outer Continental Shelf lease 
                and permit processing coordination office for the 
                Atlantic region of the outer Continental Shelf; and
                    (B) a regional joint outer Continental Shelf lease 
                and permit processing coordination office for the 
                Pacific region of the outer Continental Shelf.
    (b) Memorandum of Understanding.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall enter into a 
        memorandum of understanding for the purposes of carrying out 
        this section with--
                    (A) the Secretary of Commerce;
                    (B) the Chief of Engineers;
                    (C) the Administrator of the Environmental 
                Protection Agency;
                    (D) the head of any other Federal agency that may 
                have a role in permitting activities; and
                    (E) in the case of the coordination office 
                described in subsection (a)(1), the head of each 
                borough government that is located adjacent to any 
                active lease area.
            (2) State participation.--The Secretary shall request that 
        the Governor of a State adjacent to the applicable outer 
        Continental Shelf region be a signatory to the memorandum of 
        understanding.
    (c) Date of Establishment.--A coordination office described in 
subparagraph (A) or (B) of subsection (a)(2) shall not be established 
until the date on which a proposed lease sale is conducted for the 
Atlantic or Pacific region of the outer Continental Shelf, as 
applicable.
    (d) Designation of Qualified Staff.--
            (1) In general.--Each Federal signatory party shall, if 
        appropriate, assign to each of the coordination offices an 
        employee who has expertise in the regulatory issues 
        administered by the office in which the employee is employed 
        relating to leasing and the permitting of oil and gas 
        activities on the outer Continental Shelf by the date that is--
                    (A) in the case of the coordination office 
                described in subsection (a)(1), not later than 30 days 
                after the date of the signing of the memorandum of 
                understanding relating to the applicable coordination 
                office under subsection (b); or
                    (B) in the case of a coordination office 
                established under subsection (a)(2), not later than 30 
                days after the date of establishment of the applicable 
                coordination office under subsection (c).
            (2) Duties.--An employee assigned under paragraph (1) 
        shall--
                    (A) not later than 90 days after the date of 
                assignment, report to the applicable coordination 
                office;
                    (B) be responsible for all issues relating to the 
                jurisdiction of the home office or agency of the 
                employee; and
                    (C) participate as part of the applicable team of 
                personnel working on proposed oil and gas leasing and 
                permitting, including planning and environmental 
                analyses.
    (e) Transfer of Funds.--For the purposes of coordination and 
processing of oil and gas use authorizations for the applicable outer 
Continental Shelf region, the Secretary may authorize the expenditure 
or transfer of such funds as are necessary to--
            (1) the Secretary of Commerce;
            (2) the Chief of Engineers;
            (3) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
        Agency;
            (4) the head of any other Federal agency having a role in 
        permitting activities;
            (5) any State adjacent to the applicable outer Continental 
        Shelf region; and
            (6) in the case of the coordination office described in 
        subsection (a)(1), the head of each borough government that is 
        located adjacent to any active lease area.
    (f) Effect.--Nothing in this section--
            (1) authorizes the establishment of a regional joint outer 
        Continental Shelf lease and permit processing coordination 
        office for the Gulf of Mexico region of the outer Continental 
        Shelf;
            (2) affects the operation of any Federal or State law; or
            (3) affects any delegation of authority made by the head of 
        a Federal agency for employees that are assigned to a 
        coordination office.
    (g) Funding.--
            (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
        $2,000,000 for the coordination office described in subsection 
        (a)(1) for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2021, to remain 
        available until expended.
            (2) Other coordination offices.--Notwithstanding any other 
        provision of law--
                    (A) of the amounts received by the Secretary from 
                the sale of bonus bids in the Atlantic region of the 
                outer Continental Shelf Continental Shelf region, 
                $2,000,000 shall be made available for the applicable 
                coordination office described in subsection (A)(2)(A) 
                for the fiscal year; and
                    (B) of the amounts received by the Secretary from 
                the sale of bonus bids in the Pacific region of the 
                outer Continental Shelf Continental Shelf region, 
                $2,000,000 shall be made available for the applicable 
                coordination office described in subsection (A)(2)(B) 
                for the fiscal year.

SEC. 4. JUDICIAL REVIEW.

    (a) Exclusive Jurisdiction.--Except for review by the Supreme Court 
on writ of certiorari, the United States Court of Appeals for the 
District of Columbia Circuit shall have original and exclusive 
jurisdiction to review any claim relating to an action by the 
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency or the Secretary 
of the Interior with respect to the review, approval, denial, or 
issuance of an oil or natural gas lease or permit in the area of the 
outer Continental Shelf described in section 3(a)(1).
    (b) Deadline for Filing Claim.--A claim described in subsection (a) 
may be brought not later than 60 days after the date of the action 
giving rise to the claim.
    (c) Expedited Consideration.--The United States Court of Appeals 
for the District of Columbia Circuit shall set any action brought under 
subsection (a) for expedited consideration, taking into account the 
national interest of enhancing national energy security by providing 
access to the significant oil and natural gas resources in the area of 
the outer Continental Shelf described in section 3(a)(1) that are 
needed to meet the anticipated demand for oil and natural gas.
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