What This Bill Does
This bill stops oil and gas leasing on public land on California's Central Coast. It requires the federal government to study environmental effects before allowing any new oil and gas leasing in that area.
##
Who It Affects
* The Bureau of Land Management (the federal agency that manages public land)
* The Environmental Protection Agency
* Oil and gas companies seeking to lease public land on California's Central Coast
* Communities and wildlife in that region
##
Key Provisions
* A decision to allow oil and gas leasing on the Central Coast, made on October 7, 2019, stops working immediately and stays stopped until the government completes a new environmental study (Sec. 2(r)(1))
* The new environmental study must look at how oil and gas development would affect air quality, greenhouse gases and climate, groundwater, surface water, earthquakes, wildlife and plants, and low-income communities and communities of color (Sec. 2(r)(1))
* If the study finds serious harmful effects on any of these areas, the original leasing decision stays canceled and the Bureau of Land Management must do a completely new review (Sec. 2(r)(2))
* The Environmental Protection Agency must review the study and tell the Bureau of Land Management if there are significant environmental impacts that should be avoided (Sec. 2(r)(3))
* Oil and gas leases that were already issued before this bill becomes law keep their rights (Sec. 2(r)(4))
##
What Changes
If this bill becomes law, the October 7, 2019 decision approving oil and gas leasing on the Central Coast loses all legal force. No new oil and gas leases can be issued until the government completes an environmental study and the Environmental Protection Agency reviews it. The Bureau of Land Management must consult with the Environmental Protection Agency before proceeding with any leasing if environmental concerns are raised.
##
Important Definitions
* "Supplemental environmental impact statement" - a detailed government study of how a proposed action (like oil and gas development) would affect the environment
* "Alternative F" - a specific proposal from an earlier government study that the new environmental review must examine
##
Effective Date
This bill takes effect on the date it becomes law (Sec. 2(r)(1)).
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 433
To establish a moratorium on oil and gas leasing on public land on the
Central Coast of California.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 20, 2023
Mr. PANETTA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Natural Resources
A BILL
To establish a moratorium on oil and gas leasing on public
land on the Central Coast of California.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘California Central
4
Coast Conservation Act’’.
5
SEC. 2. MORATORIUM ON OIL AND GAS LEASING ON PUB-
6
LIC LAND ON THE CENTRAL COAST OF CALI-
7
FORNIA.
8
Section 17(a) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C.
9
226(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
10
VerDate Sep 11 2014
01:32 Feb 02, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H433.IH
H433
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
2
•HR 433 IH
‘‘(r) MORATORIUM ON OIL AND GAS LEASING ON
1
PUBLIC LAND
ON
THE CENTRAL COAST
OF CALI-
2
FORNIA.—
3
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other
4
provision of this Act or any other law and except as
5
provided in paragraph (2), beginning on the date of
6
enactment of this subsection, the Record of Decision
7
for the Central Coast Field Office Resource Manage-
8
ment Plan Amendment for Oil and Gas Leasing and
9
Development published on October 7, 2019 (84 Fed.
10
Reg. 53470), shall have no force or effect until the
11
Bureau of Land Management Central Coast Field
12
Office completes and circulates for public comment
13
a supplemental environmental impact statement
14
under section 102 of the National Environmental
15
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332) and chapter 5
16
of title 5, United States Code, that considers the en-
17
vironmental effects of all oil and gas development
18
authorized to occur under the Bureau of Land Man-
19
agement’s preferred alternative ‘Alternative F’,
20
which appears in the final Environmental Impact
21
Statement published on May 10, 2019 (84 Fed. Reg.
22
20657), but was not included or analyzed in the
23
Draft Environmental Impact Statement published
24
January 6, 2017 (82 Fed. Reg. 1754), along with
25
VerDate Sep 11 2014
01:32 Feb 02, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H433.IH
H433
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
3
•HR 433 IH
the environmental effects of oil and gas development
1
that would be authorized as a result of such record
2
of decision, including such effects on—
3
‘‘(A) air quality;
4
‘‘(B) greenhouse gas emissions and the cli-
5
mate;
6
‘‘(C) groundwater quality and availability;
7
‘‘(D) surface water quality and availability;
8
‘‘(E) seismicity;
9
‘‘(F) wildlife and plant species, including
10
threatened species and endangered species; and
11
‘‘(G) low-income communities, communities
12
of color, and indigenous communities, including
13
federally and State-recognized Indian Tribes.
14
‘‘(2) NEW REVIEW.—If the supplemental envi-
15
ronmental impact statement under paragraph (1)
16
finds any significant detrimental effects on any mat-
17
ter described in subparagraphs (A) through (G) of
18
such paragraph, the Record of Decision referred to
19
in paragraph (1) shall have no force or effect and
20
the Director of the Bureau of Land Management
21
shall conduct a new review of Federal oil and gas
22
leasing on the Central Coast of California under sec-
23
tion 102 of the National Environmental Policy Act
24
of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332).
25
VerDate Sep 11 2014
01:32 Feb 02, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H433.IH
H433
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
4
•HR 433 IH
‘‘(3) ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
AGENCY
1
REVIEW.—
2
‘‘(A) After the date of the publication, pur-
3
suant to paragraph (2), of a supplemental envi-
4
ronmental impact statement under section
5
102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy
6
Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)), the Ad-
7
ministrator of the Environmental Protection
8
Agency shall review and publish comments re-
9
garding such statement, including—
10
‘‘(i) identification of any significant
11
environmental impacts of oil and gas leas-
12
ing on the Central Coast of California that
13
should be avoided to adequately protect the
14
region’s natural resources; or
15
‘‘(ii) a determination that the supple-
16
mental environmental impact statement
17
does not contain sufficient information to
18
assess such impacts.
19
‘‘(B) If the Administrator identifies signifi-
20
cant impacts under subparagraph (A)(i) or
21
makes a determination described in subpara-
22
graph (A)(ii), the Director of the Bureau of
23
Land Management shall consult with the Ad-
24
ministrator before taking any action to proceed
25
VerDate Sep 11 2014
01:32 Feb 02, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H433.IH
H433
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
5
•HR 433 IH
with Federal oil and gas leasing on the Central
1
Coast of California.
2
‘‘(4) EFFECT.—Nothing in this subsection af-
3
fects any rights under leases issued under this Act
4
before the date of enactment of this subsection.’’.
5
Æ
VerDate Sep 11 2014
01:32 Feb 02, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H433.IH
H433
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB