“To promote fish habitat through the enhancement of certain offshore oil and gas platforms and pipelines as artificial reefs, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section revises section 206 of the National Fishing Enhancement Act of 1984 (i.e., the law promoting artificial reefs to enhance fishery resources in U.S. navigable waters and adjacent Outer Continental Shelf waters) by replacing its three existing definitions with 16 new or expanded definitions supporting the reefing in place of decommissioned offshore oil and gas platforms, pipelines, and infrastructure as artificial reefs, including: (1) "Artificial reef," now encompassing structures, facilities, equipment, and infrastructure (including "Approved Structures") placed in "Covered Waters" (previously "waters covered under this chapter") to enhance fisheries; (2) "Inactive structure" (oil or gas platforms etc. no longer useful for operations, on expired/terminated leases, or on the seafloor due to act of God); (3) "Applicant" (current/former lessee, right-of-way holder, or designated operator responsible for decommissioning); (4) "Reef in Place" or "Reefing in Place" (decommissioning an "Approved Structure"—an "Eligible Structure" approved by the Secretary of the Interior—via full/partial abandonment, "Toppling in Place," or "Partial Removal" to maximize reef ecosystems for benthic/pelagic species while ensuring navigational safety); and others such as "Decommissioning," "Director" (Principal Deputy Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement), "Established reef ecosystem," "Reef planning area," and "State program." The section also revises section 207 to authorize an Applicant to elect to Reef in Place an Inactive Structure by submitting a Notice of Intent to the Director, who must complete an assessment within 180 days of submission.