Amendment fosters STEM education in the South Atlantic states by allowing colleges, universities and historically black colleges and universities (with a preference to military veteran serving institutions of higher education) to partner with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to train the next generation of geological and geophysical scientists to better understand the oil, gas and other hydrocarbon potential of the offshore South Atlantic.

1. Adds SEC. __. ENHANCING GEOLOGICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL INFORMATION FOR AMERICA'S ENERGY FUTURE on page 51, line 21

   Adds a sectionPrinted page

   Inserted: SEC. __. ENHANCING GEOLOGICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL INFORMATION FOR AMERICA'S ENERGY FUTURE.

   Inserted: Section 11 of the Outer Continental Shelf lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1340) is amended by adding at the end the following:

   Inserted: "(i) Enhancing Geological and Geophysical Information for America's Energy Future.--

   Inserted: "(1) The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, shall facilitate and support the practical study of geology and geophysics to better understand the oil, gas, and other hydrocarbon potential in the South Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Planning Area by entering into partnerships to conduct geological and geophysical activities on the outer Continental Shelf.

   Inserted: "(2)(A) No later than 180 days after the date of enactment of the Lowering Gasoline Prices to Fuel an America That Works Act of 2014, the Governors of the States of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia may each nominate for participation in the partnerships--

   Inserted: "(i) one institution of higher education located within the Governor's State; and

   Inserted: "(ii) one institution of higher education within the Governor's State that is a historically black college or university, as defined in section 631(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1132(a)).

   Inserted: "(B) In making nominations, the Governors shall give preference to those institutions of higher education that demonstrate a vigorous rate of admission of veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States.

   Inserted: "(3) The Secretary shall only select as a partner a nominee that the Secretary determines demonstrates excellence in geophysical sciences curriculum, engineering curriculum, or information technology or other technical studies relating to seismic research (including data processing).

   Inserted: "(4) Notwithstanding subsection (d), nominees selected as partners by the Secretary may conduct geological and geophysical activities under this section after filing a notice with the Secretary 30-days prior to commencement of the activity without any further authorization by the Secretary except those activities that use solid or liquid explosives shall require a permit. The Secretary may not charge any fee for the provision of data or other information collected under this authority, other than the cost of duplicating any data or information provided. Nominees selected as partners under this section shall provide to the Secretary any data or other information collected under this subsection within 60 days after completion of an initial analysis of the data or other information collected, if so requested by the Secretary.

   Inserted: "(5) Data or other information produced as a result of activities conducted by nominees selected as partners under this subsection shall not be used or shared for commercial purposes by the nominee, may not be produced for proprietary use or sale, and shall be made available by the Secretary to the public.

   Inserted: "(6) The Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate reports on the data or other information produced under the partnerships under this section. Such reports shall be made no less frequently than every 180 days following the conduct of the first geological and geophysical activities under this section.

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   Inserted: "(7) In this subsection the term 'geological and geophysical activities' means any oil- or gas-related investigation conducted on the outer Continental Shelf, including geophysical surveys where magnetic, gravity, seismic, or other systems are used to detect or imply the presence of oil or gas.".

   Original wording

   Page 51, after line 21, insert the following:

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