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Witness urges House committee to back SJRes 11 to overturn BOEM rule on offshore archaeological reports
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Summary
A witness told the House Committee on Natural Resources that SJRes 11 would nullify a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management rule requiring archaeological reports for all offshore oil and gas plans, citing existing review under the National Historic Preservation Act and agency-estimated additional burden hours.
An unidentified testifier told the House Committee on Natural Resources on a date not specified that SJRes 11 would nullify a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management rule requiring archaeological reports for all offshore oil and gas exploration and development plans and urged the committee to report the resolution to the House.
The testifier said the rule replaced “a flexible, risk based approach” with a mandate that requires energy producers to produce archaeological reports for every offshore activity. “SJRes 11 nullifies a rule submitted by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management relating to the protection of marine archeological resources,” the testifier said.
The witness argued the National Historic Preservation Act’s Section 106 review already provides a framework for assessing offshore archaeological resources and engaging stakeholders and the public. “The National Historic Preservation Act section 106 already provides a robust framework for a thorough review of offshore archeological resources, engaging the advisory council on historic preservation, stakeholders, and the public before final decisions are made,” the testifier said.
Citing the agency’s analysis as presented in testimony, the witness said BOEM estimates the rule would impose an additional 500 annual burden hours on the agency and add equipment and contractor costs. The testifier described the rule as imposing “excessive regulatory burdens on domestic energy producers, increasing compliance cost and driving up energy prices for Americans.”
The testifier framed the resolution as supporting U.S. energy production and jobs while still allowing protection of historic sites, and urged the committee to advance the resolution. “I urge the committee to report an appropriate rule so this resolution may be considered in the House,” the testifier said. The witness concluded remarks with “thank you, and I yield back.”
No formal votes or committee actions on SJRes 11 were recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.
