The Gulf of Mexico Commerce Protection Act

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5239 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5239

To prohibit the issuance of an interim or final rule that establishes a 
   vessel slowdown zone in the Gulf of Mexico until the Secretary of 
   Commerce completes a study demonstrating that proposed mitigation 
 efforts would have no negative impact on supply chains, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 18, 2023

Mr. Higgins of Louisiana (for himself, Mr. Dunn of Florida, Mrs. Luna, 
     Mr. C. Scott Franklin of Florida, and Mr. Webster of Florida) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                   Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To prohibit the issuance of an interim or final rule that establishes a 
   vessel slowdown zone in the Gulf of Mexico until the Secretary of 
   Commerce completes a study demonstrating that proposed mitigation 
 efforts would have no negative impact on supply chains, 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 ``The Gulf of Mexico Commerce 
Protection Act''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON ISSUANCE OF RULE RELATING TO VESSEL SLOWDOWN 
              ZONE IN GULF OF MEXICO.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration shall not issue an interim or final rule 
that establishes a vessel slowdown zone in the Gulf of Mexico until the 
Secretary of Commerce--
            (1) completes a study demonstrating that mitigation 
        protocols developed under subsection (b) would have no net 
        negative impact on supply chains or maritime commerce; and
            (2) not later than 60 days after completing such study, 
        submits to the Committees on Energy and Commerce and Natural 
        Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committees on 
        Commerce, Science, and Transportation and Natural Resources of 
        the Senate a report containing the findings of such study.
    (b) Mitigation Protocols Required.--
            (1) In general.--The Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans 
        and Atmosphere, in consultation with the Secretary of the 
        department in which the Coast Guard is operating, the Secretary 
        of Defense, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Secretary 
        of the Interior, and with input from affected stakeholders, 
        shall develop mitigation protocols that make use of any 
        monitoring system designed under section 11303 of the Don Young 
        Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022 (16 U.S.C. 1391) to 
        direct sector-specific mitigation measures that reduce risk of 
        serious injury and mortality to Rice's whales in the Gulf of 
        Mexico.
            (2) Prohibitions.--The mitigation protocols developed under 
        paragraph (1) may not include any prohibitions on transit at 
        night or implementation of a static vessel slowdown zone.
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