1.This Act may be cited as
the Outer Continental Shelf Permit
Processing Coordination Act
.
2.In this Act:
(1)The term coordination office means a regional
joint outer Continental Shelf lease and permit processing coordination office
established under section 3(a).
(2)The
term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.
3.Outer
continental shelf permit processing coordination offices
(a)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)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)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)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)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)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)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)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)
(1)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 officesNotwithstanding 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.
4.
(a)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 claimA 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)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.