[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1794 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1794

               To prohibit drilling in the Arctic Ocean.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 16, 2015

Mr. Merkley (for himself, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Markey, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. 
Sanders, and Mr. Franken) introduced the following bill; which was read 
  twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
               To prohibit drilling in the Arctic Ocean.

    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 ``Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act of 
2015''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that, as of the date of enactment of 
this Act--
            (1) global climate change is occurring due largely to 
        anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and will continue 
        to pose ongoing risks and challenges to the people and the 
        Government of the United States;
            (2) the evidence of impacts and dangers of climate change 
        are supported by numerous reports and panels, such as the 2014 
        National Climate Assessment, the United States Global Change 
        Research Program, and the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review of 
        the Department of Defense;
            (3) the average temperature in the United States during the 
        past decade was 0.8 degree Celsius (1.5 degrees Fahrenheit) 
        warmer than the 1901-1960 average, and the last decade was the 
        warmest on record both in the United States and globally;
            (4) a global temperature increase of 2 degrees Celsius will 
        lead to increased droughts, rising seas, mass extinctions, heat 
        waves, desertification, wildfires, and acidifying oceans;
            (5) delaying action on climate change will result in severe 
        economic losses, and global mitigation costs increase by 
        approximately 40 percent for each decade of delay;
            (6) at least 80 percent of the carbon from known fossil 
        fuel reserves must not be released to the atmosphere to have an 
        80-percent chance of avoiding the worst effects of climate 
        change stemming from a 2-degree-Celsius change in global 
        temperature;
            (7) developing oil and gas reserves in the Arctic Ocean is 
        incompatible with staying within that global carbon budget and 
        avoiding the worst effects of climate change; and
            (8) the Arctic Ocean is home to invaluable and fragile 
        ecosystems, which are critical to fisheries, migratory birds, 
        indigenous populations, and subsistence hunters.
    (b) Statement of Policy.--It is the policy of the United States 
that the Arctic Ocean should be managed for the best interests of the 
people of the United States, including by keeping fossil fuels in the 
ground to avoid the dangerous impacts of climate change.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITION OF OIL AND GAS LEASING IN ARCTIC OCEAN AREAS OF THE 
              OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF.

    Section 8 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1337) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(q) Prohibition of Oil and Gas Leasing in Arctic Planning Area of 
the Outer Continental Shelf.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
this Act or any other law, the Secretary of the Interior shall not 
issue or renew a lease or any other authorization for the exploration, 
development, or production of oil, natural gas, or any other mineral in 
the Arctic Ocean, including the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea Planning 
Areas.''.
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