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Title II — Directing the President To Conduct New OCS Sales in Virginia, South Carolina, and California

H.R. 2231 · 113th Congress · Jul 8, 2013 · Lineage

II Directing the President To Conduct New OCS Sales in Virginia, South Carolina, and California

Sec. 201 Requirement to conduct proposed oil and gas Lease Sale 220 on the Outer Continental Shelf offshore Virginia

(a)
In general— Notwithstanding the exclusion of Lease Sale 220 in the Final Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Leasing Program 2012–2017, the Secretary of the Interior shall conduct offshore oil and gas Lease Sale 220 under section 8 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1337) as soon as practicable, but not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act.
(b)
Requirement To make replacement lease blocks available— For each lease block in a proposed lease sale under this section for which the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, under the Memorandum of Agreement referred to in section 205(b), issues a statement proposing deferral from a lease offering due to defense-related activities that are irreconcilable with mineral exploration and development, the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall make available in the same lease sale one other lease block in the Virginia lease sale planning area that is acceptable for oil and gas exploration and production in order to mitigate conflict.
(c)
Balancing military and energy production goals— In recognition that the Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas leasing program and the domestic energy resources produced therefrom are integral to national security, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Defense shall work jointly in implementing this section in order to ensure achievement of the following common goals:
(1)
Preserving the ability of the Armed Forces of the United States to maintain an optimum state of readiness through their continued use of the Outer Continental Shelf.
(2)
Allowing effective exploration, development, and production of our Nation’s oil, gas, and renewable energy resources.
(d)
Definitions— In this section:
(1)
Lease sale 220— The term “Lease Sale 220” means such lease sale referred to in the Request for Comments on the Draft Proposed 5-Year Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2010–2015 and Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Proposed 5-Year Program published January 21, 2009 (74 Fed. Reg. 3631).
(2)
Virginia lease sale planning area— The term “Virginia lease sale planning area” means the area of the outer Continental Shelf (as that term is defined in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (33 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.)) that is bounded by—
(A)
a northern boundary consisting of a straight line extending from the northernmost point of Virginia’s seaward boundary to the point on the seaward boundary of the United States exclusive economic zone located at 37 degrees 17 minutes 1 second North latitude, 71 degrees 5 minutes 16 seconds West longitude; and
(B)
a southern boundary consisting of a straight line extending from the southernmost point of Virginia’s seaward boundary to the point on the seaward boundary of the United States exclusive economic zone located at 36 degrees 31 minutes 58 seconds North latitude, 71 degrees 30 minutes 1 second West longitude.

Sec. 202 South Carolina lease sale

Notwithstanding inclusion of the South Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Planning Area in the Final Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Leasing Program 2012–2017, the Secretary of the Interior shall conduct a lease sale not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act for areas off the coast of South Carolina determined by the Secretary to have the most geologically promising hydrocarbon resources and constituting not less than 25 percent of the leasable area within the South Carolina offshore administrative boundaries depicted in the notice entitled “Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Administrative Boundaries Extending from the Submerged Lands Act Boundary seaward to the Limit of the United States Outer Continental Shelf”, published January 3, 2006 (71 Fed. Reg. 127).

Sec. 203 Southern California existing infrastructure lease sale

(a)
In general— The Secretary of the Interior shall offer for sale leases of tracts in the Santa Maria and Santa Barbara/Ventura Basins of the Southern California OCS Planning Area as soon as practicable, but not later than December 31, 2014.
(b)
Use of Existing Structures or Onshore-Based Drilling— The Secretary of the Interior shall include in leases offered for sale under this lease sale such terms and conditions as are necessary to require that development and production may occur only from offshore infrastructure in existence on the date of the enactment of this Act or from onshore-based, extended-reach drilling.

Sec. 204 Environmental impact statement requirement

(a)
In General— For the purposes of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall prepare a multisale environmental impact statement under section 102 of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332) for all lease sales required under this title.
(b)
Actions To be considered— Notwithstanding section 102 of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332), in such statement—
(1)
the Secretary is not required to identify nonleasing alternative courses of action or to analyze the environmental effects of such alternative courses of action; and
(2)
the Secretary shall only—
(A)
identify a preferred action for leasing and not more than one alternative leasing proposal; and
(B)
analyze the environmental effects and potential mitigation measures for such preferred action and such alternative leasing proposal.

Sec. 205 National defense

(a)
National Defense Areas— This Act does not affect the existing authority of the Secretary of Defense, with the approval of the President, to designate national defense areas on the Outer Continental Shelf pursuant to section 12(d) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1341(d)).
(b)
Prohibition on Conflicts With Military Operations— No person may engage in any exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas on the Outer Continental Shelf under a lease issued under this Act that would conflict with any military operation, as determined in accordance with the Memorandum of Agreement between the Department of Defense and the Department of the Interior on Mutual Concerns on the Outer Continental Shelf signed July 20, 1983, and any revision or replacement for that agreement that is agreed to by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Interior after that date but before the date of issuance of the lease under which such exploration, development, or production is conducted.

Sec. 206 Eastern Gulf of Mexico not included

Nothing in this Act affects restrictions on oil and gas leasing under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (title I of division C of Public Law 109–432; 43 U.S.C. 1331 note).