A bill to amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit preleasing, leasing, and related activities in the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea Planning Areas unless certain conditions are met.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jan 29, 2008
Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from offering for leasing, preleasing, and specified related activity within the Chukchi or Beaufort Sea Planning Area until the following prerequisites have been met: (1) the Secretary enters into an agreement with the National Research Council to report to Congress upon specified missing information regarding the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea marine and coastal ecosystems, and the adequacy of environmental, public health and cultural studies; (2) the polar bear is listed as an endangered species or a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and critical habitat is designated for it, or the Secretary publishes a determination that such a listing is not warranted; (3) the Secretary determines that specified deployable mechanical oil spill response technologies exist; and (4) the Secretary determines that oil and gas exploration and development can be conducted in the Planning Areas without risk of substantial adverse impact to wildlife or wildlife habitat and subsistence, and that risk avoidance measures are identified and their efficacy established.
Source last updated: Sep 8, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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