Offshore Wind for Territories Act
This bill addresses offshore wind development in certain submerged lands off the U.S. territories and coral reef conservation.
Specifically, the bill requires the Department of the Interior to study the feasibility of conducting wind lease sales on the Outer Continental Shelf in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone adjacent to U.S. territories. If the study determines that such leases are feasible, then Interior must conduct wind lease sales in those areas as specified by this bill.
In addition, the bill establishes the Coral Reef Conservation Fund for the Department of Commerce to carry out the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, including to preserve, sustain, and restore the condition of coral reef ecosystems.
The bill also specifies requirements for distributing revenues from the leases authorized by this bill to the Treasury, the Coral Reef Conservation Fund, and U.S. territories.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1689 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1689
To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to apply to territories
of the United States, to establish offshore wind lease sale
requirements, to provide dedicated funding for coral reef conservation,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 9, 2021
Miss Gonzalez-Colon (for herself, Mr. Sablan, Mrs. Radewagen, Ms.
Plaskett, Mr. Soto, and Miss Rice of New York) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to apply to territories
of the United States, to establish offshore wind lease sale
requirements, to provide dedicated funding for coral reef conservation,
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 ``Offshore Wind for Territories Act''.
SEC. 2. APPLICATION OF OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF LANDS ACT WITH RESPECT
TO TERRITORIES OF THE UNITED STATES.
(a) In General.--Section 2 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act
(43 U.S.C. 1331) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (a)--
(A) by inserting after ``control'' the following:
``or lying within the exclusive economic zone of the
United States and the outer Continental Shelf adjacent
to any territory or possession of the United States'';
and
(B) by adding at the end before the semicolon the
following: ``, except that such term shall not include
any area conveyed by Congress to a territorial
government for administration'';
(2) in paragraph (p), by striking ``and'' after the
semicolon at the end;
(3) in paragraph (q), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; and''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
``(r) The term `State' means the several States, the Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands,
and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.''.
(b) Exclusions.--Section 18 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands
Act (43 U.S.C. 1344) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(i) This section shall not apply to the scheduling of lease sales
in the outer Continental Shelf adjacent to the territories and
possessions of the United States.''.
SEC. 3. DISPOSITION OF REVENUES WITH RESPECT TO TERRITORIES OF THE
UNITED STATES.
Section 9 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1338)
is amended--
(1) by striking ``All rentals'' and inserting the
following:
``(a) In General.--Except as otherwise provided in law, all
rentals''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(b) Disposition of Revenues to Territories of the United
States.--Of the bonuses, rentals, royalties, and other sums paid to the
Secretary under this Act from a lease for an area of land on the outer
Continental Shelf adjacent to a territory and lying within the
exclusive economic zone of the United States pertaining to such
territory, and not otherwise obligated or appropriated--
``(1) 50 percent shall be deposited in the Treasury and
credited to miscellaneous receipts;
``(2) 12.5 percent shall be deposited in the Coral Reef
Conservation Fund established under section 211 of the Coral
Reef Conservation Act of 2000; and
``(3) 37.5 percent shall be disbursed to territories of the
United States in an amount for each territory (based on a
formula established by the Secretary by regulation) that is
inversely proportional to the respective distance between the
point on the coastline of the territory that is closest to the
geographic center of the applicable leased tract and the
geographic center of the leased tract.''.
SEC. 4. WIND LEASE SALES FOR AREAS OF OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF.
(a) Conditional Wind Lease Sales in Territories of the United
States.--The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.)
is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 33. WIND LEASE SALES FOR AREAS OF OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF.
``(a) Authorization.--The Secretary may conduct wind lease sales on
the outer Continental Shelf.
``(b) Wind Lease Sale Procedure.--Any wind lease sale conducted
under this section shall be considered a lease under section 8(p).
``(c) Wind Lease Sales Off Coasts of Territories of the United
States.--
``(1) Study on feasibility of conducting wind lease
sales.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall conduct a
study on the feasibility, including the technological
and long-term economic feasibility, of conducting wind
lease sales on an area of the outer Continental Shelf
within the territorial jurisdiction of American Samoa,
Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands,
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the United States
Virgin Islands.
``(B) Consultation.--In conducting the study
required in paragraph (A), the Secretary shall
consult--
``(i) the National Laboratories, as that
term is defined in section 2(3) of the Energy
Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801(3));
``(ii) the Governor of each of American
Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands; and
``(iii) the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, including the
Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the
National Marine Fisheries Service.
``(C) Publication.--The study required in
subparagraph (A) shall be published in the Federal
Register for public comment for not fewer than 60 days.
``(D) Submission of results.--Not later than 18
months after the date of the enactment of this section,
the Secretary shall submit the results of the study
conducted under subparagraph (A) to:
``(i) the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate;
``(ii) the Committee on Natural Resources
of the House of Representatives; and
``(iii) each of the delegates or resident
commissioner to the House of Representatives
from American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin
Islands, respectively.
``(E) Public availability.--The study required
under subparagraph (A) and results submitted under
subparagraph (C) shall be made readily available on a
public website.
``(2) Call for information and nominations.--The Secretary
shall issue a call for information and nominations for proposed
wind lease sales for areas determined to be feasible under the
study conducted under paragraph (1).
``(3) Conditional wind lease sales.--
``(A) In general.--For each territory, the
Secretary shall conduct not less than 1 wind lease sale
on an area of the outer Continental Shelf within the
territorial jurisdiction of such territory that meets
each of the following criteria:
``(i) The study required under paragraph
(1)(A) concluded that a wind lease sale on the
area is feasible.
``(ii) The Secretary has determined that
the call for information has generated
sufficient interest for the area.
``(iii) The Secretary has consulted with
the Secretary of Defense regarding such a sale.
``(iv) The Secretary has consulted with the
Governor of the territory regarding the
suitability of the area for wind energy
development.
``(B) Exception.--If no area of the outer
Continental Shelf within the territorial jurisdiction
of a territory meets each of the criteria in clauses
(i) through (iii) of subparagraph (A), the requirement
under subparagraph (A) shall not apply to such
territory.''.
SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF CORAL REEF CONSERVATION FUND.
(a) In General.--The Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C.
6401 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 211. CORAL REEF CONSERVATION FUND.
``(a) Establishment.--There is established in the Treasury the
Coral Reef Conservation Fund, hereafter referred to as the Fund.
``(b) Deposits.--For each fiscal year, there shall be deposited in
the Fund the portion of such revenues due and payable to the United
States under subsection (b)(2) of section 9 of the Outer Continental
Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1338).
``(c) Uses.--Amounts deposited in the Fund under this section and
appropriated to the Secretary of Commerce under subsection (f) shall be
used by the Secretary of Commerce to carry out the Coral Reef
Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.), with priority given
to carrying out sections 204 and 206 of such Act (16 U.S.C. 6403 and
6405).
``(d) Availability.--Amounts deposited in the Fund shall remain in
the Fund until appropriated by Congress.
``(e) Reporting.--The President shall include with the proposed
budget for the United States Government submitted to Congress for a
fiscal year a comprehensive statement of deposits into the Fund during
the previous fiscal year and estimated requirements during the
following fiscal year for appropriations from the Fund.
``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated from the Fund to the Secretary of Commerce, an amount
equal to the amount deposited in the Fund in the previous fiscal year.
``(g) No Limitation.--Appropriations from the Fund pursuant to this
section may be made without fiscal year limitation.''.
(b) Renaming of Existing Fund.--Section 205 of the Coral Reef
Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6404) is amended--
(1) in the heading, by striking ``coral reef conservation
fund'' and inserting ``coral reef public-private partnership'';
(2) in subsection (a)--
(A) in the subsection heading, by striking ``Fund''
and inserting ``Public-Private Partnership''; and
(B) by striking ``, hereafter referred to as the
Fund,''; and
(3) in subsection (b), by striking ``Fund'' and inserting
``separate interest bearing account''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife.
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Committee Hearings Held.
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