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People & committees
Del. King-Hinds, Kimberlyn [R-MP-At Large] · R–MP
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Sep 18, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-09-08 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Pacific Minerals Economic Security Act would tighten payment and financial-security requirements for covered offshore leases near Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. It would direct half of covered lease revenues to eligible nearby territories for specified public purposes. It would also require a study of ways to reduce seabed mining’s environmental impacts and give territorial governors notice and opportunities to comment on certain plans.
This Act may be cited as the Pacific Minerals Economic Security Act or PACMESA.
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.
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.
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
The term covered territory means— (i) Guam; (ii) American Samoa; and (iii) the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
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.
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.
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
The bill would amend section 8(k) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Its new lease requirements would apply to leases under that subsection’s paragraph (1) in offshore areas adjacent to Guam, American Samoa, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Section 8(k) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1337(k)) is amended
a lease issued under paragraph (1) for 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.
The term covered territory means— (i) Guam; (ii) American Samoa; and (iii) the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
The Secretary would be prohibited from reducing, suspending, waiving, eliminating, or otherwise excusing payment of bonuses, rent, royalties, or other amounts owed for a covered lease.
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.
Before receiving a covered lease, an applicant would have to provide at least $100,000 in a surety bond—a financial guarantee covering lease obligations—or another form of financial security the Secretary considers appropriate.
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.
Before approving production activities, the Secretary would require additional financial security. Its amount would depend on the leaseholder’s financial health and ability to meet lease obligations, estimated costs of closing down operations, and estimated environmental-restoration costs.
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.
If a lease’s total potential obligations and liabilities increased or decreased, the Secretary could adjust the additional financial security. The Secretary could act independently or choose to grant a leaseholder’s request.
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.
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.
Within one year after enactment, the Secretary would have to conduct a study of ways to reduce environmental impacts from the kinds of seabed mining being considered near covered territories. The study would identify potential measures and their potential costs.
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.
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.
For the study, the Secretary would have to make reasonable efforts to consult Northern Marianas College, the University of Guam, and American Samoa Community College. The completed study would go to the House Natural Resources Committee and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
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.
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.
Beginning in fiscal year 2027 and continuing each fiscal year afterward, the Secretary would split covered lease revenues equally between the Treasury’s general fund and a special Treasury account for payments to eligible territories. This rule would override the referenced section 9 and section 8(m) provisions.
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 territory would qualify for revenue from a leased tract if some point on its coastline were within 200 nautical miles of the tract’s geographic center. The Secretary would establish a formula by regulation that allocates shares inversely to each eligible territory’s closest coastal distance: shorter distances would carry greater weight.
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.
For each leased tract, every territory meeting the distance requirement would receive at least 10 percent of that tract’s revenue pool available for territorial allocation. This minimum applies to the territories’ pool, rather than to all revenues from the tract.
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.
Territories could use the payments only to restore coasts, develop or maintain infrastructure including energy infrastructure, reduce environmental impacts, stabilize their finances, or reduce debt.
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.
The territorial payments would be available without another appropriation law, remain available until spent, and supplement amounts provided under other laws.
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.
Covered revenues would include cash bonuses, rent, royalties, and other amounts paid to the Secretary for covered leases. Amounts generated from a lease subject to section 8(g) would be excluded.
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).
For specified plans or permit applications submitted under the bill or its amendments that require a Coastal Zone Management Act consistency review—a check under that law—the Interior Secretary would have to notify every adjacent covered territory’s governor immediately upon submission.
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.
If a plan covered by the notice rule required an environmental assessment, the Interior Secretary would have to invite each adjacent covered territory’s governor to review and comment on the proposed activities, with a specified comment period.
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.
For the notice and comment rules, an adjacent covered territory would mean one of the covered territories next to the offshore area addressed by the plan.
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.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated September 18, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Natural Resources on September 8, 2026.
Source snapshot updated 2026-09-18T13:59:37Z. 2026-09-08: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. 2026-09-08: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-09-08. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy rider was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish what appears in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No earmark was identified in the complete supplied introduced text under the stated definition, which does not automatically treat statutory formula allocations as earmarks. This conclusion is limited to that version; formal earmark status cannot be established without relevant accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No narrow preferential exception beyond the policy’s intended beneficiaries or routine administration was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 18, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI