Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. RICE of South Carolina. Mr. Chairman, my amendment withholds funding for permitting of offshore oil exploration until the Secretary of the Interior reaches revenue-sharing agreements with coastal States.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program opens the mid- and south Atlantic regions to oil and gas development after several decades of being off-limits.

While advanced drilling techniques and spill response have made environmentally safe access to oil and gas reserves in the Atlantic possible, coastal States should consider and prepare for impacts that offshore energy development present.

Sharing of revenues with coastal States will help address the risk and responsibilities that States and coastal counties assume with offshore energy development. These revenues would help State governments expand coastal management and conservation, build necessary infrastructure, fund emergency preparation and response, and expand public service to support the influx of new industry and workforce.

Involving the coastal infrastructure and management will add to the overall economic well-being of the coastal communities. Before our coastal States agree to share in the burden of offshore drilling, we ought to ensure that our coastal States are able to share in the economic blessings of such drilling.

My amendment would prohibit funding for implementation of BOEM's plan until the Secretary of the Interior enters into a revenue sharing agreement with the States affected.

While it may not be possible this evening to adopt my amendment for coastal States, as we move forward with energy exploration off our coastlines, please be mindful of revenue sharing.

Because I understand my amendment is subject to a point of order, I plan to withdraw this amendment. But before I withdraw my amendment, I ask for the chairman's consideration to assist in development of revenue sharing agreements to compensate the coastal States and help them to mitigate risk.

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