43 U.S.C. § 1802 : US Code - Section 1802: Congressional declaration of purposes

Search 43 U.S.C. § 1802 : US Code - Section 1802: Congressional declaration of purposes

The purposes of this chapter are to -
(1) establish policies and procedures for managing the oil and
natural gas resources of the Outer Continental Shelf which are
intended to result in expedited exploration and development of
the Outer Continental Shelf in order to achieve national economic
and energy policy goals, assure national security, reduce
dependence on foreign sources, and maintain a favorable balance
of payments in world trade;
(2) preserve, protect, and develop oil and natural gas
resources in the Outer Continental Shelf in a manner which is
consistent with the need (A) to make such resources available to
meet the Nation's energy needs as rapidly as possible, (B) to
balance orderly energy resource development with protection of
the human, marine, and coastal environments, (C) to insure the
public a fair and equitable return on the resources of the Outer
Continental Shelf, and (D) to preserve and maintain free
enterprise competition;
(3) encourage development of new and improved technology for
energy resource production which will eliminate or minimize risk
of damage to the human, marine, and coastal environments;
(4) provide States, and through States, local governments,
which are impacted by Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas
exploration, development, and production with comprehensive
assistance in order to anticipate and plan for such impact, and
thereby to assure adequate protection of the human environment;
(5) assure that States, and through States, local governments,
have timely access to information regarding activities on the
Outer Continental Shelf, and opportunity to review and comment on
decisions relating to such activities, in order to anticipate,
ameliorate, and plan for the impacts of such activities;
(6) assure that States, and through States, local governments,
which are directly affected by exploration, development, and
production of oil and natural gas are provided an opportunity to
participate in policy and planning decisions relating to
management of the resources of the Outer Continental Shelf;
(7) minimize or eliminate conflicts between the exploration,
development, and production of oil and natural gas, and the
recovery of other resources such as fish and shellfish;
(8) establish an oilspill liability fund to pay for the prompt
removal of any oil spilled or discharged as a result of
activities on the Outer Continental Shelf and for any damages to
public or private interests caused by such spills or discharges;
(9) insure that the extent of oil and natural gas resources of
the Outer Continental Shelf is assessed at the earliest
practicable time; and
(10) establish a fishermen's contingency fund to pay for
damages to commercial fishing vessels and gear due to Outer
Continental Shelf activities.