[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 94 (Thursday, June 7, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S3375]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2555. Mr. CASSIDY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by him to the bill H.R. 5515, to authorize appropriations for fiscal
year 2019 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for
military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of
Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year,
and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as
follows:
At the end of subtitle B of title III, add the following:
SEC. 316. REQUIRED GULF OF MEXICO LEASE SALES.
(a) In General.--Section 104 of the Gulf of Mexico Energy
Security Act of 2006 (43 U.S.C. 1331 note; Public Law 109-
432) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding paragraph
(1), by striking ``June 30, 2022'' and inserting ``June 30,
2019''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(d) Extension of Moratorium.--Effective during the period
beginning on July 1, 2019 and ending on June 30, 2026, the
Secretary shall not offer for leasing, preleasing, or any
related activity any area in the Eastern Planning Area that
is within 50 miles of the coastline of the State of
Florida.''.
(b) Required Lease Sales.--
(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
(A) Eastern planning area.--The term ``Eastern Planning
Area'' means the Eastern Gulf of Mexico Planning Area of the
outer Continental Shelf, as designated in the document
entitled ``2019-2024 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and
Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program'' and dated January 2018.
(B) Oil and gas leasing program.--The term ``oil and gas
leasing program'' means the 5-year oil and gas leasing
program prepared by the Secretary of the Interior under
section 18 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43
U.S.C. 1344) (as in effect on the date of the applicable
lease sale under paragraph (2)).
(C) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(2) Required lease sales.--Notwithstanding any omission of
any portion of the Eastern Planning Area from the oil and gas
leasing program, the Secretary shall--
(A) offer for oil and gas leasing under the Outer
Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.) all
available leases in the Eastern Planning Area; and
(B) conduct--
(i) not fewer than 1 lease sale in the Eastern Planning
Area before December 31, 2020; and
(ii) a second lease sale in the Eastern Planning Area
before December 31, 2023.
______