119-hr513

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 513 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 513

To nullify certain Presidential withdrawals of unleased offshore land, 
amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to establish limits on the 
authority of the President to withdraw unleased offshore land, and for 
 other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 January 16, 2025

 Mr. Higgins of Louisiana (for himself, Mr. Hunt, Mr. Weber of Texas, 
 Mr. Burchett, Mr. Shreve, Mr. Meuser, Mr. Arrington, Mrs. Miller of 
 West Virginia, Mr. Crenshaw, Mr. Brecheen, Ms. Van Duyne, Mr. Perry, 
 Mr. Tiffany, Mrs. Miller of Illinois, Mr. Ogles, Mr. Burlison, Mr. 
 Clyde, Mr. Biggs of Arizona, Mr. Harris of Maryland, and Mr. Moore of 
 Alabama) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on 
 Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
 each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
 jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To nullify certain Presidential withdrawals of unleased offshore land, 
amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to establish limits on the 
authority of the President to withdraw unleased offshore land, 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 Lands Authorities Act of 
2025''.

SEC. 2. NULLIFICATION OF PRESIDENTIAL WITHDRAWALS OF UNLEASED OFFSHORE 
 LAND.

 The following Presidential withdrawals of unleased offshore land 
shall have no force or effect:

    (1) The Presidential Memorandum of December 20, 2016, 
 titled ``Memorandum on Withdrawal of Certain Portions of the 
 United States Arctic Outer Continental Shelf From Mineral 
 Leasing'' (relating to the Chukchi Sea Planning Area and the 
 Beaufort Sea Planning Area).

    (2) The Presidential Memorandum of December 16, 2014, 
 titled ``Memorandum on Withdrawal of Certain Areas of the 
 United States Outer Continental Shelf From Leasing 
 Disposition'' (relating to the North Aleutian Basin Planning 
 Area).

    (3) Section 3 of Executive Order 13754 (81 Fed. Reg. 90669; 
 relating to Northern Bering Sea climate resilience).

    (4) Section 4

    (b) of Executive Order 13990 (86 Fed. Reg. 
 7037; relating to reinstating Executive Order 13754 and the 
 Presidential Memorandum of December 20, 2016).

    (5) The Presidential Memorandum of March 13, 2023, titled 
 ``Memorandum on Withdrawal of Certain Areas off the United 
 States Arctic Coast of the Outer Continental Shelf from Oil or 
 Gas Leasing'' (relating to the Beaufort Planning Area).

    (6) The Presidential Memorandum of December 20, 2016, 
 titled ``Memorandum on Withdrawal of Certain Areas off the 
 Atlantic Coast on the Outer Continental Shelf From Mineral 
 Leasing'' (relating to canyons and canyon complexes offshore 
 the Atlantic coast).

    (7) The Presidential Memorandum of January 6, 2025, titled 
 ``Memorandum on the Withdrawal of Certain Areas of the United 
 States Outer Continental Shelf from Oil or Natural Gas 
 Leasing'' (relating to the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic, and 
 Pacific areas).

    (8) The Presidential Memorandum of January 6, 2025, titled 
 ``Memorandum on the Withdrawal of Certain Areas of the United 
 States Outer Continental Shelf from Oil or Natural Gas 
 Leasing'' (relating to the Northern Bering Sea Climate 
 Resilience Area).

SEC. 3. LIMITATION OF AUTHORITY OF THE PRESIDENT TO WITHDRAW UNLEASED 
 OFFSHORE LANDS.

 

Section 12

    (a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 
1341

    (a) ) is amended--

    (1) by striking ``

    (a) The President'' and inserting the 
 following:
 ``

    (a) Withdrawal of Unleased Lands by the President.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraphs

    (2) and

    (3) , the President'';

    (2) by inserting ``Beginning on the date of enactment of 
 the Offshore Lands Authorities Act of 2025, the President shall 
 transmit a withdrawal made under the preceding sentence to the 
 President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of 
 Representatives.'' after ``outer Continental Shelf.''; and

    (3) by adding at the end the following:
 ``

    (2) Limitations.--
 ``
        (A) Acres.--A withdrawal under paragraph

    (1) may 
 not exceed an area larger than 150,000 acres in total 
 or contiguous with any other withdrawal under such 
 paragraph.
 ``
        (B) Period.--A withdrawal under paragraph

    (1) may 
 not be made for a period longer than 20 years.
 ``
            (C) Cumulative withdrawals.--No President may, 
 under paragraph

    (1) , withdraw more than 500,000 acres 
 cumulatively without obtaining Congressional approval.
 ``

    (3) Assessments required.--The President may not withdraw 
 unleased lands of the outer Continental Shelf under paragraph

    (1) unless--
 ``
        (A) the Secretary completed a quantitative and 
 qualitative geophysical and geological mineral resource 
 assessment of the lands to be withdrawn during the 5-
 year period ending on the date of such withdrawal;
 ``
        (B) the Secretary, in consultation with the 
 Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Energy, the 
 Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Agriculture, 
 completed an assessment of the economic, energy, and 
 national security value of mineral deposits identified 
 in the mineral resource assessment completed under 
 subparagraph
        (A) ;
 ``
            (C) the Secretary completed an assessment of the 
 expected reduction in future Federal revenues resulting 
 from the proposed withdrawal to the Treasury, States 
 (including from allocations made under 

section 105 of 
 the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (43 
 U.S.C. 1331 note)), the Land and Water Conservation 
 Fund, and the Historic Preservation Fund; and
 ``
            (D) the Secretary submits to the Committees on 
 Natural Resources, Agriculture, Armed Services, Energy 
 and Commerce, and Foreign Affairs of the House of 
 Representatives and the Committees on Agriculture, 
 Nutrition, and Forestry, Armed Services, Energy and 
 Natural Resources, and Foreign Relations of the Senate 
 a report that includes the results of the assessments 
 completed under this subsection.
 ``

    (4) Congressional disapproval procedure.--
 ``
        (A) Joint resolution defined.--For the purposes 
 of this paragraph, the term `joint resolution' means 
 only a joint resolution, which may not have a preamble, 
 the matter after the resolving clause of which is as 
 follows: `That Congress disapproves the withdrawal made 
 under 

section 12

    (a)

    (1) of the Outer Continental Shelf 
 Lands Act on ____, relating to ____, and such 
 withdrawal shall have no force or effect.' (the blank 
 spaces being appropriately filled in).
 ``
        (B) Referral.--A joint resolution described in 
 subparagraph
        (A) shall be referred to the committees in 
 each House of Congress with jurisdiction.
 ``
            (C) Discharge.--In the Senate, if the committee 
 to which is referred a joint resolution described in 
 subparagraph
        (A) has not reported such joint resolution 
 (or a joint resolution aimed at the same Presidential 
 withdrawal) at the end of 20 calendar days after the 
 submission or introduction of legislation to disapprove 
 the withdrawal, such committee may be discharged from 
 further consideration of such joint resolution and 
 placed on the appropriate calendar of the Senate upon a 
 petition supported in writing by 30 Members of the 
 Senate.
 ``
            (D) Floor consideration.--
 ``
            (i) In general.--In the Senate, when the 
 committee to which a joint resolution is 
 referred has reported, or when a committee is 
 discharged (under subparagraph
            (C) ) from 
 further consideration of, a joint resolution 
 described in subparagraph
        (A) , it is at any 
 time thereafter in order (even though a 
 previous motion to the same effect has been 
 disagreed to) for a motion to proceed to the 
 consideration of the joint resolution, and all 
 points of order against the joint resolution 
 (and against consideration of joint resolution) 
 are waived. The motion is not subject to 
 amendment, to a motion to postpone, or to a 
 motion to proceed to the consideration of other 
 business. A motion to reconsider the vote by 
 which the motion is agreed to or disagreed to 
 shall not be in order. If a motion to proceed 
 to the consideration of the joint resolution is 
 agreed to, the joint resolution shall remain 
 the unfinished business of the Senate until 
 disposed of.
 ``
            (ii) Debate.--In the Senate, debate on 
 the joint resolution, and on all debatable 
 motions and appeals in connection therewith, 
 shall be limited to not more than 10 hours, 
 which shall be divided equally between those 
 favoring and those opposing the resolution. A 
 motion further to limit debate is in order and 
 not debatable. An amendment to, or a motion to 
 postpone, or a motion to proceed to the 
 consideration of other business, or a motion to 
 recommit the resolution is not in order.
 ``
            (iii) Final passage.--In the Senate, 
 immediately following the conclusion of the 
 debate on a resolution described in 
 subparagraph
        (A) , and a single quorum call at 
 the conclusion of the debate if requested in 
 accordance with the rules of the Senate, the 
 vote on final passage of the resolution shall 
 occur.
 ``
            (iv) Appeals.--In the Senate, appeals 
 from the decisions of the Chair relating to the 
 application of the rules of the Senate to the 
 procedure relating to a resolution described in 
 subparagraph
        (A) shall be decided without 
 debate.
 ``
            (v) Treatment if other house has acted.--
 If, before the passage by one House of a 
 resolution of that House described in 
 subparagraph
        (A) , that House receives from the 
 other House a resolution described in 
 subparagraph
        (A) , then the following procedures 
 shall apply:
 ``
            (I) Nonreferral.--The resolution 
 of the other House shall not be 
 referred to a committee.
 ``
            (II) Final passage.--With respect 
 to a resolution described in 
 subparagraph
        (A) of the House receiving 
 the resolution--
 ``

    (aa) the procedure in 
 that House shall be the same as 
 if no resolution had been 
 received from the other House; 
 but
 ``

    (bb) the vote on final 
 passage shall be on the 
 resolution of the other House.
 ``
            (vi) Debate on veto message.--In the 
 Senate, debate on a veto message from the 
 President on a joint resolution described in 
 subparagraph
        (A) , including all debatable 
 motions and appeals in connection therewith, 
 shall be limited to not more than 10 hours, 
 equally divided between those favoring and 
 those opposing the resolution. A motion further 
 to limit debate is in order and not debatable. 
 No amendment to the veto message shall be in 
 order. The vote on passage of the joint 
 resolution following the veto message shall 
 occur immediately following the conclusion of 
 debate.
 ``
        (E) Constitutional authority.--Subparagraphs
        (A) through
            (D) are enacted by Congress--
 ``
            (i) as an exercise of the rulemaking 
 power of the Senate and the House of 
 Representatives, respectively, and as such it 
 is deemed a part of the rules of each House, 
 respectively, but applicable only with respect 
 to procedure to be followed in this paragraph, 
 and it supersedes other rules only to the 
 extent that it is inconsistent with such rules; 
 and
 ``
            (ii) with full recognition of the 
 constitutional right of either House to change 
 the rules (so far as relating to the procedure 
 of that House) at any time, in the same manner, 
 and to the same extent as in the case of any 
 other rule of that House.
 ``
        (F) Lack of effect or continuance; substantially 
 similar withdrawals.--
 ``
            (i) Lack of effect or continuance.--A 
 withdrawal made under 

section 12

    (a)

    (1) of the 
 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act shall not 
 take effect (or continue), if the Congress 
 enacts a joint resolution of disapproval, 
 described under subparagraph
        (A) , of the 
 withdrawal.
 ``
            (ii) Substantially similar withdrawals.--
 A withdrawal that does not take effect (or does 
 not continue) under clause
            (i) may not be 
 reissued in substantially the same form, and a 
 new withdrawal that is substantially the same 
 as such a withdrawal may not be issued, unless 
 the reissued or new withdrawal is specifically 
 authorized by a law enacted after the date of 
 the joint resolution disapproving the original 
 withdrawal.
 ``
        (G) Judicial review.--No determination, finding, 
 action, or omission under this paragraph shall be 
 subject to judicial review.
 ``
        (H) Submission of covered agency action to 
 congress.--
 ``
            (i) Requirement to submit.--Any covered 
 agency action subject to the disapproval 
 procedures under this subsection shall be 
 submitted to Congress by the agency responsible 
 for the action. Such submission must include 
 the text of the agency action, a concise 
 summary of the action, and the date on which 
 the action was taken.
 ``
            (ii) Transmittal.--For purposes of this 
 subsection, the date of submission of the 
 covered agency action to Congress shall be the 
 later of--
 ``
            (I) the date on which the agency 
 submits the action to both the 
 President of the Senate and the Speaker 
 of the House of Representatives; or
 ``
            (II) the date on which the agency 
 makes the action publicly available in 
 the Federal Register or by another 
 publicly accessible method.
 ``
            (iii) Start of procedures.--The 
 submission of the covered agency action under 
 clause
            (i) shall trigger the expedited 
 parliamentary procedures set forth in this 
 subsection. No resolution under this subsection 
 may be considered in either chamber until such 
 submission has occurred.
 ``
            (iv) Notice of submission.--Upon receipt 
 of a covered agency action, the President of 
 the Senate and the Speaker of the House of 
 Representatives shall cause a notice of such 
 submission to be published in the Congressional 
 Record on the next calendar day of their 
 respective chambers.
 ``

    (5) Integration with 5-year oil and gas leasing 
 program.--The President may not make a withdrawal under 
 paragraph

    (1) that conflicts with areas included in a lease 
 sale scheduled under an oil and gas leasing program approved 
 under 

Section 18.''.
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