S.Amdt. 5625

SA 5625. Mr. NELSON of Florida submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 3001, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2009 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

SEC. __. PROTECTION OF NATIONAL SECURITY INTERESTS FROM OIL AND GAS LEASING IN CERTAIN AREAS.

(a) Areas.--This section applies to--

(1) any area in the Gulf of Mexico that is east of the Military Mission Line (as defined in section 102 of the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (43 U.S.C. 1331 note; Public Law 109-432));

(2) the area that is also known as the “Joint Gulf Range Complex” or the “Gulf of Mexico Range”; and

(3) any military or national security agency operations, training, or testing area that is used by a military or national security agency of the United States.

(b) Prerequisite.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of the Interior shall not issue any permit for oil and gas leasing or extraction in an area described in subsection (a) unless and until the President certifies (after receiving advice from the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Navy, the Secretary of the Air Force, and the head of each appropriate national security agency of the United States) that in balancing the national security interests of the United States--

(1) the advantages of oil or gas extraction in the area; outweigh

(2) the military and national security missions being conducted in the area.