HR-1398 : Still Just a Bill


Advancing Offshore Wind Production Act - Exempts any project determined by the Secretary of the Interior to be an offshore meteorological site testing and monitoring project from environmental impact statement requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA).

Defines an "offshore meteorological site testing and monitoring project" as a project that is administered by the Department of the Interior and carried out on or in the waters of the Outer Continental Shelf to test or monitor weather (including wind, tidal, current, and solar energy) using towers, buoys, or other temporary ocean infrastructure and that: (1) causes less than one acre of surface or seafloor disruption at the location of each meteorological tower or other device and no more than five acres of surface or seafloor disruption within the proposed area affected by the project (including hazards to navigation), (2) is decommissioned within five years of its commencement, and (3) provides meteorological information to the Secretary of the Interior.

Directs the Secretary to: (1) require that any applicant seeking to conduct an offshore meteorological site testing and monitoring project on the outer Continental Shelf obtain a permit and right of way; (2) determine whether to issue such a permit and right of way within 30 days after receiving an application; (3) provide an opportunity for submission of comments by the public; (4) consult with the Secretary of Defense (DOD), the Commandant of the Coast Guard, and the heads of other federal, state, and local agencies that would be affected by issuance of the permit and right of way; and (5) provide an applicant the opportunity to remedy deficiencies in an application that was denied.

Action Timeline

Action DateTypeTextSource
2013-04-11CommitteeReferred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.House committee actions
2013-03-21IntroReferralReferred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.House floor actions
2013-03-21IntroReferralIntroduced in HouseLibrary of Congress

Policy Area :

Public Lands and Natural Resources
Related Subjects
  • Administrative remedies
  • Alternative and renewable resources
  • Atmospheric science and weather
  • Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
  • Environmental regulatory procedures
  • Licensing and registrations
  • Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Related Geographic Entities
Related Organizations
  • Department of the Interior

Related Bills

See Related Bills