[Congressional Bills 117th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 9004 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 117th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 9004 To allow the Secretary of the Interior to authorize geological and geophysical surveys for offshore oil and gas exploration. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 28, 2022 Mr. Graves of Louisiana introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To allow the Secretary of the Interior to authorize geological and geophysical surveys for offshore oil and gas exploration. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION LICENSING. The Secretary of the Interior shall authorize geological and geophysical surveys related to oil and gas activities on the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf, except within areas subject to existing oil and gas leasing moratoria. Such authorizations shall be issued within 30 days of receipt of a completed application and shall, as applicable to survey type, comply with the mitigation and monitoring measures in subsections (a), (b), (c), (d), (f), and (g) of section 217.184 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on January 1, 2022), and section 217.185 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on January 1, 2022). Geological and geophysical surveys authorized pursuant to this section are deemed to be in full compliance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) and the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and their implementing regulations. <all>