Official Summaries

Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025

This bill prohibits the Department of Commerce from enforcing certain permit requirements for activities related to undersea fiber optic cables in national marine sanctuaries. 

Specifically, Commerce may not prohibit or require an authorization for any covered activities related to undersea fiber optic cables if a license, lease, or permit has been issued by a state or federal agency to authorize the covered activity. Covered activities are the installation, continued presence, operation, maintenance, repair, or recovery of undersea fiber optic cables in a national marine sanctuary.

The bill also authorizes Commerce to direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to engage in interagency cooperation regarding federal agency actions that are likely to destroy, cause the loss of, or injure a resource in a national marine sanctuary and involve covered activities.  

Current Full Text

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 261 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 261


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 12, 2026

    Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
To amend the National Marine Sanctuaries Act to prohibit the Secretary 
    of Commerce from prohibiting, or requiring any permit or other 
  authorization for, the installation, continued presence, operation, 
 maintenance, repair, or recovery of undersea fiber optic cables in a 
national marine sanctuary if such activities have been authorized by a 
                        Federal or State agency.

    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 ``Undersea Cable Protection Act of 
2025''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON PROHIBITING, OR REQUIRING PERMITS OR OTHER 
              AUTHORIZATIONS FOR, UNDERSEA FIBER OPTIC CABLES 
              AUTHORIZED BY A FEDERAL OR STATE AGENCY.

    The National Marine Sanctuaries Act (16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.) is 
amended by inserting after section 310 the following:

``SEC. 310A. PROHIBITION ON PROHIBITING, OR REQUIRING PERMITS OR OTHER 
              AUTHORIZATIONS FOR, UNDERSEA FIBER OPTIC CABLES 
              AUTHORIZED BY A FEDERAL OR STATE AGENCY.

    ``(a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, 
the Secretary may not prohibit, or require any permit, including any 
special use permit, or other authorization for, the installation, 
continued presence, operation, maintenance, repair, or recovery of 
undersea fiber optic cables in a national marine sanctuary if a 
license, lease, or permit has been issued by a Federal or State agency, 
and is in effect, authorizing such installation, continued presence, 
operation, maintenance, repair, or recovery.
    ``(b) Interagency Cooperation.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed as altering existing requirements regarding interagency 
cooperation under section 304(d) in any Federal agency action described 
in that section and involving the installation, continued presence, 
operation, maintenance, repair, or recovery of undersea fiber optic 
cables in a national marine sanctuary.''.

SEC. 3. REMOVING RESTRICTIONS ON ACTIVITIES COVERED BY SANCTUARY 
              SPECIAL USE PERMITS.

    Section 310(c) of National Marine Sanctuaries Act (16 U.S.C. 
1441(c)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by adding ``and'' at the end;
            (2) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3); and
            (3) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (2).

            Passed the House of Representatives February 11, 2026.

            Attest:

                                             KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,

                                                                 Clerk.