H.R. 10318 – PACMESA | Legislate.dev

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Updated September 11, 2026 at 4:13 AM UTC

The Pacific Minerals Economic Security Act amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to give Pacific U.S. territories—Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands—greater economic benefit and protection from seabed mining. It blocks any reduction of royalties, requires financial guarantees from lease holders, and creates a revenue‑sharing system for leasing income. The bill also calls for an environmental‑impact study and establishes notification procedures for the territories.

Key Provisions

Prohibits the Secretary from reducing, waiving, or eliminating any cash bonus, rental, royalty, or other lease payment for covered offshore areas.
Requires a minimum $100,000 surety bond (or equivalent) before a lease can be issued, and supplemental bonds based on the lessee’s financial health, decommissioning costs, and environmental restoration costs.
Mandates the Secretary to conduct a study within one year on methods and costs to mitigate environmental impacts of seabed mining, consulting local colleges in Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Establishes revenue sharing starting FY 2027: 50% of leasing revenues go to the Treasury’s general fund, and 50% go to a special Treasury account for the Pacific territories, allocated by a formula based on distance from the lease center, with a minimum of 10% to each eligible territory.
Specifies that funds received by the territories may only be used for coastal restoration, infrastructure (including energy), environmental mitigation, or fiscal stabilization/debt reduction, and are available without further appropriation.
Requires the Secretary to notify the governors of adjacent territories of any prospecting, testing, or production plans and to allow them to comment on environmental assessments.
Defines “covered area” as offshore areas adjacent to Guam, American Samoa, or the Northern Mariana Islands, and clarifies the terms “covered leasing revenues” and “covered territory.”

Legislative Activity

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HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Natural Resources Committee

September 8, 2026

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

September 8, 2026

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Natural Resources Committee

September 8, 2026

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued September 8, 2026

I

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 10318

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 8, 2026

Ms. King-Hinds introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

A BILL

To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to enhance the economic security of Pacific territories adjacent to seabed mining through revenue sharing, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Pacific Minerals Economic Security Act or PACMESA.

2.

Amendment to OCSLA

(a)

Requirements for certain leases issued under Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act

Section 8(k) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1337(k)) is amended—

(1)

by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (6);

(2)

by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:

(2)

No royalty relief

The Secretary may not reduce, suspend, waive, eliminate, or otherwise exempt from payment any cash bonus, rental, royalty, or other amount due for a lease issued under paragraph (1) for a covered area of the outer Continental Shelf.

(3)

Security

(A)

Initial surety bond

The Secretary may not issue a lease under paragraph (1) for a covered area of the outer Continental Shelf unless and until the prospective lessee provides to the Secretary a surety bond (or other form of security or financial assurance, as the Secretary determines appropriate) of not less than $100,000 to cover the lessee’s obligations under the lease.

(B)

Supplemental surety bond

The Secretary may not approve a plan authorizing production activities pursuant to a lease issued under paragraph (1) for a covered area of the outer Continental Shelf unless and until the lessee provides to the Secretary a supplemental surety bond (or other form of security or financial assurance, as the Secretary determines appropriate) of an amount determined by the Secretary based on—

(i)

the financial health of the lessee;

(ii)

the financial ability of the lessee to cover obligations of the lease;

(iii)

the estimated cost of decommissioning; and

(iv)

the estimated cost of environmental restoration of area subject to the lease.

(C)

Adjustment of supplemental surety bond

(i)

In general

If the cumulative potential obligations and liabilities of a lease under paragraph (1) for a covered area either increase or decrease, the Secretary may adjust the amount of supplemental financial assurance required.

(ii)

Responsibility

An adjustment under clause (i) may be made—

(I)

independently by the Secretary; or

(II)

at the discretion of the Secretary at the request of the lessee.

(4)

Study

(A)

In general

Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of the Pacific Minerals Economic Security Act, the Secretary shall conduct a study on potential environmental impact mitigation methods for the different kinds of seabed mining being considered in the waters adjacent to covered territories.

(B)

Contents

The study required under subparagraph (A) shall include—

(i)

which potential activities could be employed to mitigate the environmental impacts of seabed mining; and

(ii)

the potential costs of each different kind of mitigation activity considered.

(C)

Consultation

In conducting the study under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall make reasonable efforts to consult with Northern Marianas College, the University of Guam, and American Samoa Community College.

(D)

Submission

The completed study under subparagraph (A) shall be submitted to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate.

(5)

Revenue sharing for certain leases

(A)

In general

Notwithstanding section 9 and subsection (m) of this section, beginning in fiscal year 2027 and for each fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary shall deposit—

(i)

50 percent of all covered leasing revenues in the general fund of the Treasury; and

(ii)

50 percent of all covered leasing revenues in a special account in the Treasury from which the Secretary shall disburse such covered leasing revenues to the covered territories a point on the coastline of which is located within 200 nautical miles of the geographic center of the applicable leased tract, to be allocated in amounts (based on a formula established by the Secretary by regulation) that are inversely proportional to the respective distances between the point on the coastline of each such covered territory that is closest to the geographic center of the applicable leased tract and the geographic center of the applicable leased tract.

(B)

Minimum allocation

For each applicable leased tract, the amount allocated under subparagraph (A)(ii) to each covered territory satisfying the distance requirement under that subparagraph with respect to that tract shall be at least 10 percent of the covered leasing revenues attributable to such tract that are available for allocation to covered territories under that subparagraph.

(C)

Use of amounts

Each covered territory shall use all amounts received pursuant to subparagraph (A)(ii) only for—

(i)

coastal restoration activities;

(ii)

the development and maintenance of infrastructure, including energy infrastructure;

(iii)

environmental mitigation activities; or

(iv)

fiscal stabilization or debt reduction.

(D)

Administration

Amounts made available pursuant to subparagraph (A)(ii) shall—

(i)

be made available, without further appropriation, in accordance with this paragraph;

(ii)

remain available until expended; and

(iii)

be in addition to any amounts otherwise appropriated under any other provision of law.

; and

(3)

by adding at the end the following:

(7)

Definitions

In this subsection:

(A)

Covered area of the outer Continental Shelf

The term covered area of the Outer Continental Shelf means an area on the Outer Continental Shelf that is adjacent to a covered territory.

(B)

Covered leasing revenues

The term covered leasing revenues—

(i)

means all cash bonuses, rentals, royalties, and other amounts paid to the Secretary for or under a lease issued under paragraph (1) for a covered area of the outer Continental Shelf; and

(ii)

does not include any cash bonus, rental, royalty, or other amount generated from such a lease subject to section 8(g).

(C)

Covered territory

The term covered territory means—

(i)

Guam;

(ii)

American Samoa; and

(iii)

the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

.

(b)

Notice

(1)

In general

With respect to any prospecting, testing, delineation, production plan, or permit application submitted pursuant to this Act or an amendment made by this Act that would require a consistency review under the Coastal Zone Management Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall, immediately upon submission of such plan, provide to the Governor of each adjacent covered territory notice of the plan.

(2)

Environmental review

In the case of a plan described in paragraph (1) requiring an environmental assessment, the Secretary of the Interior shall invite the Governor of each adjacent covered territory to review and provide comments regarding the proposed activities and include a specified period of time for the applicable Governor to provide such comments.

(3)

Adjacent covered territory defined

In this subsection, the term adjacent covered territory means a covered territory (as defined in section 8(k) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, as amended by this Act) that is adjacent to an area of the Outer Continental Shelf to which a plan described in paragraph (1) applies.