This bill allows aging offshore oil and gas platforms and pipelines in federal waters to be converted into artificial reefs instead of being completely removed, if they meet certain conditions and support marine habitats. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration must assess each idle structure to determine whether it has established ecosystems of fish, corals, or other marine life, and compare the benefits of keeping it in place against the economic costs of removal. Companies that own these structures can apply to convert them into artificial reefs within five years of filing notice, provided they remove all hazardous materials, transfer liability to a federal or state agency, and meet safety standards. States can also establish programs to take over these structures as artificial reefs and receive funding of up to 50 percent of removal costs for maintenance and monitoring. The bill creates a public dashboard tracking all decommissioning activities in the Gulf of Mexico region and suspends removal requirements for structures found to support existing reef ecosystems while the federal government determines whether keeping them in place would benefit marine life.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.