IIB
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 205
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 12, 2019
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
AN ACT
To amend the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 to permanently extend the moratorium on leasing in certain areas of the Gulf of Mexico.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the Protecting and Securing Florida’s Coastline Act of 2019
.
Permanent extension of moratorium on leasing in certain areas of the Gulf of Mexico
Section 104(a) of the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (43 U.S.C. 1331 note) is amended by striking Effective during
and all that follows through the Secretary
and inserting The Secretary
.
Production safety systems and well control
Subparts D, E, F, G, H, and Q of section 250 of title 30, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on January 1, 2018), shall have the same force and effect of law as if such subparts had been enacted by an Act of Congress.
Inspection Fee Collection
Section 22 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1348) is amended by adding at the end the following:
Inspection fees
Establishment
The Secretary of the Interior shall collect from the operators of facilities subject to inspection under subsection (c) non-refundable fees for such inspections—
at an aggregate level equal to the amount necessary to offset the annual expenses of inspections of outer Continental Shelf facilities (including mobile offshore drilling units) by the Secretary of the Interior; and
using a schedule that reflects the differences in complexity among the classes of facilities to be inspected.
Ocean Energy Safety Fund
There is established in the Treasury a fund, to be known as the Ocean Energy Safety Fund
(referred to in this subsection as the Fund
), into which shall be deposited all amounts collected as fees under paragraph (1) and which shall be available as provided under paragraph (3).
Availability of fees
Notwithstanding section 3302 of title 31, United States Code, all amounts deposited in the Fund—
shall be credited as offsetting collections;
shall be available for expenditure for purposes of carrying out inspections of outer Continental Shelf facilities (including mobile offshore drilling units) and the administration of the inspection program under this section;
shall be available only to the extent provided for in advance in an appropriations Act; and
shall remain available until expended.
Adjustment for inflation
For each fiscal year beginning after fiscal year 2020, the Secretary shall adjust each dollar amount specified in this subsection for inflation based on the change in the Consumer Price Index from fiscal year 2020.
Annual fees
Annual fees shall be collected under this subsection for facilities that are above the waterline, excluding drilling rigs, and are in place at the start of the fiscal year. Fees for fiscal year 2020 shall be—
$11,500 for facilities with no wells, but with processing equipment or gathering lines;
$18,500 for facilities with 1 to 10 wells, with any combination of active or inactive wells; and
$34,500 for facilities with more than 10 wells, with any combination of active or inactive wells.
Fees for drilling rigs
Fees shall be collected under this subsection for drilling rigs on a per inspection basis. Fees for fiscal year 2020 shall be—
$33,500 per inspection for rigs operating in water depths of 500 feet or more; and
$18,500 per inspection for rigs operating in water depths of less than 500 feet.
Fees for non-rig units
Fees shall be collected under this subsection for well operations conducted via non-rig units as outlined in subparts D, E, F, and Q of part 250 of title 30, Code of Federal Regulations, on a per inspection basis. Fees for fiscal year 2020 shall be—
$13,260 per inspection for non-rig units operating in water depths of 2,500 feet or more;
$11,530 per inspection for non-rig units operating in water depths between 500 and 2,499 feet; and
$4,470 per inspection for non-rig units operating in water depths of less than 500 feet.
Billing
The Secretary shall bill designated operators under paragraph (5) annually, with payment required within 30 days of billing. The Secretary shall bill designated operators under paragraph (6) within 30 days of the end of the month in which the inspection occurred, with payment required within 30 days after billing.
.
Determination of budgetary effects
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation
for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
Study on BSEE offshore oil and gas operations inspection program
The Secretary of the Interior shall contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to complete, not later than 21 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the study entitled “Review and Update of Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Offshore Oil and Gas Operations Inspection Program” that the Secretary of the Interior had previously contracted with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to complete.
Passed the House of Representatives September 11, 2019.
Cheryl L. Johnson,
Clerk