Bill Details
S.109 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-01-16 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Introduced Date
2025-01-16
Policy Area
Energy
Committees
View committees (1)
Sponsors
Cosponsors
7
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would require the Interior Department to hold a long series of offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico over the next 10 years. It sets a schedule for 20 sales, says each sale must offer a very large amount of offshore area, and gives the department broad authority to move the sales forward quickly. The bill also tries to limit the effect of court challenges on leases that are already issued. In addition, it would extend and expand the current ban on leasing in certain parts of the Gulf and nearby waters, while keeping existing leases in place and allowing some leases for environmental protection projects.
- It would require at least 20 offshore lease sales between 2026 and 2035, with sales due every spring and fall.
- Each sale would have to offer at least 74 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico region.
- The lease sales would generally follow the same terms as Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 261, and the Interior Secretary could waive other rules that would slow things down.
- If a lawsuit is filed over the environmental review for a sale, the bill says that lawsuit would not cancel the leases or automatically stop drilling permit reviews. If a court finds a problem, the matter would be sent back to the agency to fix, rather than undoing the sale.
- The bill would extend the current moratorium on oil and gas leasing in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico through December 31, 2035, and would also add the South Atlantic Planning Area and the Straits of Florida Planning Area to the ban.
- Existing valid leases would not be affected, and the Secretary could still issue leases in the closed areas for environmental conservation projects such as shore protection, beach nourishment, wetlands restoration, and habitat protection.
Official Summaries
Offshore Energy Security Act of 2025
This bill directs the Department of the Interior to conduct two offshore oil and gas lease sales per year for 10 years in the Gulf of Mexico Region Program Area, places a moratorium on oil and gas leases in certain areas, and establishes related requirements.
Interior must offer at least 74 million acres for each offshore lease sale in such region. The bill stipulates the terms and conditions of such leases. Interior must also carry out the lease sales in accordance with the Record of Decision approved by Interior on January 17, 2017.
Interior may waive certain requirements under the National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program that would delay final approval of those lease sales.
In addition, the bill prohibits such lease sales from being invalidated as a result of lawsuits relating to environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. It also limits delays to the lease sales as a result of the lawsuits.
Finally, the bill extends through 2035 a moratorium on oil and gas leasing in (1) any area east of the Military Mission Line in the Gulf of Mexico; (2) any area in the Eastern Planning Area that is within 125 miles of Florida's coastline; and (3) certain areas in the Central Planning Area, including specified areas along Florida's coastline. It also places a moratorium through 2035 on oil and gas leasing in the South Atlantic Planning Area or the Straits of Florida Planning Area.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 109 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 109
To require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct certain offshore
lease sales under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 16, 2025
Mr. Cassidy (for himself, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Wicker, Mrs. Britt, and
Mr. Tuberville) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct certain offshore
lease sales under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, 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 Energy Security Act of
2025''.
SEC. 2. OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS LEASE SALES.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Offshore lease sale.--The term ``offshore lease sale''
means an oil and gas lease sale--
(A) that is held by the Secretary in accordance
with the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C.
1331 et seq.), notwithstanding the requirements of
section 18 of that Act (43 U.S.C. 1344);
(B) offers the same lease form, lease terms,
economic conditions, and stipulations as contained in
the final notice of sale entitled ``Gulf of Mexico
Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Lease Sale 261''
(88 Fed. Reg. 80750 (November 20, 2023)); and
(C) that, if any acceptable bids have been received
for any tract offered in the lease sale, results in the
issuance of leases within 90 days of the sale to the
highest bids on the tracts offered, subject to the
procedures for determining bid adequacy of the Bureau
of Ocean Energy Management, effective March 8, 2016,
with respect to--
(i) Central Gulf of Mexico Sale 241; and
(ii) Eastern Gulf of Mexico Sale 226.
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(b) Waiver.--The Secretary may waive any other requirements under
section 18 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1344)
that would delay final approval of an offshore lease sale under
subsection (c).
(c) Requirement.--Notwithstanding the 2024-2029 National Outer
Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, the Secretary shall--
(1) conduct not fewer than 20 offshore lease sales, as
described under subsection (d), during the 10-year period
beginning on the date of enactment of this Act; and
(2) to the maximum extent practicable, carry out a lease
sale under this subsection in accordance with the Record of
Decision approved by the Secretary on January 17, 2017, and
described in the notice of availability of the Bureau of Ocean
Energy Management entitled ``Record of Decision for the 2017-
2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program Final
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement; MMAA104000'' (82
Fed. Reg. 6643 (January 19, 2017)).
(d) Timing.--In conducting the offshore lease sales under
subsection (c), the Secretary shall conduct a lease sale under this
section not later than each of the following dates:
(1) March 31, 2026.
(2) August 31, 2026.
(3) March 31, 2027.
(4) August 31, 2027.
(5) March 31, 2028.
(6) August 31, 2028.
(7) March 31, 2029.
(8) August 31, 2029.
(9) March 31, 2030.
(10) August 31, 2030.
(11) March 31, 2031.
(12) August 31, 2031.
(13) March 31, 2032.
(14) August 31, 2032.
(15) March 31, 2033.
(16) August 31, 2033.
(17) March 31, 2034.
(18) August 31, 2034.
(19) March 31, 2035.
(20) August 31, 2035.
(e) Area Offered for Lease.--
(1) Acreage.--The Secretary shall offer not fewer than
74,000,000 acres for each offshore lease sale conducted under
subsection (c).
(2) Location.--An offshore lease sale conducted under
subsection (c) shall be in the Gulf of Mexico Region Program
Area as identified in Figure S-1 of the 2017-2022 Outer
Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Final Program
published on November 18, 2016 by the Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management (as announced in the notice of availability of the
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management entitled ``Notice of
Availability of the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and
Gas Leasing Proposed Final Program (81 Fed. Reg. 84612
(November 23, 2016)))''.
(f) Effect of Litigation.--
(1) In general.--A civil action relating to an
environmental review under the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) with respect to an
offshore lease sale conducted under this section shall not--
(A) affect the validity of a lease issued under the
offshore lease sale that is the subject of the civil
action; or
(B) except as provided in paragraph (3)(B), cause a
delay in the timelines for the consideration of an
application for permit to drill with respect to a lease
issued under the offshore lease sale that is the
subject of the civil action.
(2) Remand; processing of applications for permit to
drill.--If, in a civil action described in paragraph (1), the
environmental review for an offshore lease sale is found by the
applicable court to violate the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.)--
(A) notwithstanding subchapter II of chapter 5, and
chapter 7, of title 5, United States Code (commonly
known as the ``Administrative Procedures Act''), the
applicable court shall not set aside the offshore lease
sale and vacate the leases issued pursuant to the sale
but instead remand the matter to the Secretary to
resolve the violation; and
(B) the Secretary shall continue to process all
applicable applications for permit to drill in
accordance with the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act
(43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.).
(3) Notice.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the
date on which a civil action described in paragraph (1)
is filed, the Secretary shall notify the holder of any
lease issued under the lease sale that is the subject
of the civil action of the filing of the civil action.
(B) Timeline.--Not later than 90 days after the
date of receipt of a notice under subparagraph (A), the
holder of the lease may file with the Secretary, and
the Secretary may approve, a request to pause the
timeline with respect to the term of the lease during
any period in which the civil action is pending.
(g) Moratorium on Oil and Gas Leasing in the Eastern Gulf of
Mexico.--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)--
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by
striking ``June 30, 2022'' and inserting ``December 31,
2035'';
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``or'' after the
semicolon;
(C) in paragraph (3)(B)(iii), by striking the
period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and
(D) by adding at the end the following:
``(4) any area in the South Atlantic Planning Area (as
designated by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management as of the
date of enactment of this paragraph); or
``(5) any area in the Straits of Florida Planning Area (as
designated by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management as of the
date of enactment of this paragraph).''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(d) Effect on Certain Leases.--The moratoria under subsection (a)
shall not affect valid existing leases in effect on the date of
enactment of this subsection.
``(e) Environmental Exceptions.--Notwithstanding subsection (a),
the Secretary may issue leases in areas described in that subsection
for environmental conservation purposes, including the purposes of
shore protection, beach nourishment and restoration, wetlands
restoration, and habitat protection.''.
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