[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2265 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2265

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue an oil and gas leasing 
 program under section 18 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act for 
      the 5-year period 2016 through 2020, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 5, 2013

    Mr. Brady of Texas (for himself, Mr. Wittman, and Mr. Shimkus) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue an oil and gas leasing 
 program under section 18 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act for 
      the 5-year period 2016 through 2020, 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 ``More Energy More Jobs Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) More than 85 percent of all offshore areas remain off-
        limits to oil and gas exploration. The current plan for 
        offshore oil and gas development under the Outer Continental 
        Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.), the Five-Year OCS Oil 
        and Gas Leasing Program for 2012-2017, scales back on previous 
        draft plans by removing the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and areas in 
        the Atlantic. It also excludes the entire Atlantic Coast, the 
        entire Pacific Coast, and nearly all of the Eastern Gulf of 
        Mexico, which have been little explored.
            (2) Many State governments have expressed a desire to 
        proceed with oil and gas exploration and development off their 
        coasts, but have not had the support of the Federal Government.
            (3) The Congress delegated its authority over Federal lands 
        of the outer Continental Shelf (as that term is defined in the 
        Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.)), 
        including for the offshore oil and gas leasing process, to the 
        Secretary of the Interior under that Act. The Congress has the 
        authority to enlarge the role of interested State governments.

SEC. 3. REQUIREMENT TO ISSUE NEW 5-YEAR OIL AND GAS LEASING PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Requirement.--Not later than 24 months after the date 
        of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall 
        issue an oil and gas leasing program under section 18 of the 
        Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1344) for the 
        subsequent 5-year period.
            (2) Termination of existing program.--The Five-Year OCS Oil 
        and Gas Leasing Program for 2012-2017 shall have no force or 
        effect after the issuance of an oil and gas leasing program 
        under this section.
    (b) Requirements for Development of New Leasing Programs.--Section 
18(c) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1344(c)) is 
amended by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as paragraphs (5) and 
(6), and by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
            ``(2) Development of program.--In preparing each leasing 
        program under this section, the Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) allow the Governor of a coastal State to 
                nominate for leasing under such program areas of the 
                outer Continental Shelf (as that term is used in that 
                Act) that are adjacent to the waters of that State;
                    ``(B) include each area nominated under 
                subparagraph (A) in the draft leasing program under 
                this section and consider leasing of such areas as an 
                alternative Federal action; and
                    ``(C) include in development of the program 
                resource estimates that are available, and develop 
                resource estimates for the areas for which such data 
                are not available including for the areas nominated 
                under subparagraph (A).
            ``(3) Inclusion of state-nominated areas.--The Secretary 
        shall include in the final program issued under this section 
        each area nominated by a State under paragraph (2), unless the 
        Secretary determines that the impacts of oil and gas 
        development in a particular area cannot be effectively 
        mitigated and the development is not in the national economic 
        interest. If the Secretary omits any area nominated under 
        paragraph (2), the Secretary shall submit to the Governor that 
        nominated the area and the Committee on Natural Resources of 
        the House of Representatives a report detailing why oil and gas 
        development in such area is not in the national economic 
        interest or why the impact of oil and gas development in such 
        area could not be effectively mitigated, and what steps the 
        Secretary took to try and do so. After submittal of such report 
        to such Governors, each such Governor shall be provided 60 days 
        within which to offer alternative views on why the Secretary's 
        findings are not consistent with the national economic interest 
        and why oil and gas development in the area concerned can be 
        effectively mitigated.
            ``(4) Notice of effectiveness of plan.--The Secretary shall 
        publish in the Federal Register a notice of the effectiveness 
        of each oil and gas leasing program issued under this section 
        on the date such program takes effect.''.
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