View all text of Subchapter III [§ 1331 - § 1356c]
§ 1351. Oil and gas development and production
(a) Development and production plans; submission to Secretary; statement of facilities and operation; submission to Governors of affected States and local governments
(1) Prior to development and production pursuant to an oil and gas lease issued after September 18, 1978, in any area of the outer Continental Shelf, other than the Gulf of Mexico, or issued or maintained prior to September 18, 1978, in any area of the outer Continental Shelf, other than the Gulf of Mexico, with respect to which no oil or gas has been discovered in paying quantities prior to September 18, 1978, the lessee shall submit a development and production plan (hereinafter in this section referred to as a “plan”) to the Secretary, for approval pursuant to this section.
(2) A plan shall be accompanied by a statement describing all facilities and operations, other than those on the outer Continental Shelf, proposed by the lessee and known by him (whether or not owned or operated by such lessee) which will be constructed or utilized in the development and production of oil or gas from the lease area, including the location and site of such facilities and operations, the land, labor, material, and energy requirements associated with such facilities and operations, and all environmental and safety safeguards to be implemented.
(3) Except for any privileged or proprietary information (as such term is defined in regulations issued by the Secretary), the Secretary, within ten days after receipt of a plan and statement, shall (A) submit such plan and statement to the Governor of any affected State, and, upon request to the executive of any affected local government, and (B) make such plan and statement available to any appropriate interstate regional entity and the public.
(b) Development and production activities in accordance with plan as lease requirement
(c) Scope and contents of planA plan may apply to more than one oil and gas lease, and shall set forth, in the degree of detail established by regulations issued by the Secretary—
(1) the specific work to be performed;
(2) a description of all facilities and operations located on the outer Continental Shelf which are proposed by the lessee or known by him (whether or not owned or operated by such lessee) to be directly related to the proposed development, including the location and size of such facilities and operations, and the land, labor, material, and energy requirements associated with such facilities and operations;
(3) the environmental safeguards to be implemented on the outer Continental Shelf and how such safeguards are to be implemented;
(4) all safety standards to be met and how such standards are to be met;
(5) an expected rate of development and production and a time schedule for performance; and
(6) such other relevant information as the Secretary may by regulation require.
(d) State concurrence in land or water zone use in coastal zone of State
(e) Declaration of approval of development and production plan as major Federal action; submission of preliminary or final lease plans prior to commencement of National Environmental Policy provisions procedures
(1) At least once the Secretary shall declare the approval of a development and production plan in any area or region (as defined by the Secretary) of the outer Continental Shelf, other than the Gulf of Mexico, to be a major Federal action.
(2) The Secretary may require lessees of tracts for which development and production plans have not been approved, to submit preliminary or final plans for their leases, prior to or immediately after a determination by the Secretary that the procedures under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 [42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.] shall commence.
(f) Plans considered major Federal actions; submission of draft environmental impact statement to Governors of affected States and local governments
(g) Plans considered nonmajor Federal actions; comments and recommendations from States
(h) Approval, disapproval or modification of plan; reapplication; periodic review
(1) After reviewing the record of any public hearing held with respect to the approval of a plan pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 [42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.] or the comments and recommendations submitted under subsection (g) of this section, the Secretary shall, within sixty days after the release of the final environmental impact statement prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 in accordance with subsection (e) of this section, or sixty days after the period provided for comment under subsection (g) of this section, approve, disapprove, or require modifications of the plan. The Secretary shall require modification of a plan if he determines that the lessee has failed to make adequate provision in such plan for safe operations on the lease area or for protection of the human, marine, or coastal environment, including compliance with the regulations prescribed by the Secretary pursuant to paragraph (8) of section 1334(a) of this title. Any modification required by the Secretary which involves activities for which a Federal license or permit is required and which affects any land use or water use in the coastal zone of a State with a coastal zone management program approved pursuant to section 306 of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1455) must receive concurrence by such State with respect to the consistency certification accompanying such plan pursuant to section 307(c)(3)(B)(i) or (ii) of such Act [16 U.S.C. 1456(c)(3)(B)(i) or (ii)] unless the Secretary of Commerce makes the finding authorized by section 307(c)(3)(B)(iii) of such Act [16 U.S.C. 1456(c)(3)(B)(iii)]. The Secretary shall disapprove a plan—
(A) if the lessee fails to demonstrate that he can comply with the requirements of this subchapter or other applicable Federal law, including the regulations prescribed by the Secretary pursuant to paragraph (8) of section 1334(a) of this title;
(B) if any of the activities described in detail in the plan for which a Federal license or permit is required and which affects any land use or water use in the coastal zone of a State with a coastal zone management program approved pursuant to section 306 of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1455) do not receive concurrence by such State with respect to the consistency certification accompanying such plan pursuant to section 307(c)(3)(B)(i) or (ii) of such Act [16 U.S.C. 1456(c)(3)(B)(i) or (ii)] and the Secretary of Commerce does not make the finding authorized by section 307(c)(3)(B)(iii) of such Act [16 U.S.C. 1456(c)(3)(B)(iii)];
(C) if operations threaten national security or national defense; or
(D) if the Secretary determines, because of exceptional geological conditions in the lease areas, exceptional resource values in the marine or coastal environment, or other exceptional circumstances, that (i) implementation of the plan would probably cause serious harm or damage to life (including fish and other aquatic life), to property, to any mineral deposits (in areas leased or not leased), to the national security or defense, or to the marine, coastal or human environments, (ii) the threat of harm or damage will not disappear or decrease to an acceptable extent within a reasonable period of time, and (iii) the advantages of disapproving the plan outweigh the advantages of development and production.
(2)
(A) If a plan is disapproved—
(i) under subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1); or
(ii) under subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) with respect to a lease issued after approval of a coastal zone management program pursuant to the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1455),
the lessee shall not be entitled to compensation because of such disapproval.
(B) If a plan is disapproved—
(i) under subparagraph (C) or (D) of paragraph (1); or
(ii) under subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) with respect to a lease issued before approval of a coastal zone management program pursuant to the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 [16 U.S.C. 1451 et seq.], and such approval occurs after the lessee has submitted a plan to the Secretary,
the term of the lease shall be duly extended, and at any time within five years after such disapproval, the lessee may reapply for approval of the same or a modified plan, and the Secretary shall approve, disapprove, or require modifications of such plan in accordance with this subsection.
(C) Upon expiration of the five-year period described in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, or, in the Secretary’s discretion, at an earlier time upon request of a lessee, if the Secretary has not approved a plan, the Secretary shall cancel the lease and the lessee shall be entitled to receive compensation in accordance with section 1334(a)(2)(C) of this title. The Secretary may, at any time within the five-year period described in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, require the lessee to submit a development and production plan for approval, disapproval, or modification. If the lessee fails to submit a required plan expeditiously and in good faith, the Secretary shall find that the lessee has not been duly diligent in pursuing his obligations under the lease, and shall immediately initiate procedures to cancel such lease, without compensation, under the provisions of section 1334(c) of this title.
(3) The Secretary shall, from time to time, review each plan approved under this section. Such review shall be based upon changes in available information and other onshore or offshore conditions affecting or impacted by development and production pursuant to such plan. If the review indicates that the plan should be revised to meet the requirements of this subsection, the Secretary shall require such revision.
(i) Approval of revision of approved plan
(j) Cancellation of lease on failure to submit plan or comply with approved plan
(k) Production and transportation of natural gas; submission of plan to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; impact statement
(l) Application of provisions to leases in Gulf of Mexico
(Aug. 7, 1953, ch. 345, § 25, as added Pub. L. 95–372, title II, § 208, Sept. 18, 1978, 92 Stat. 659.)