HR674-119

2. Prohibition on commercial offshore wind energy development in Lobster Management Area 1 Congress finds the following: The New England fishing industry has been an integral part of the history, culture, and economy of the region for over 400 years. In 2023, the New England commercial fisheries landed an estimated 415,966,992 pounds of catch, valued at $1,350,533,650, which supports thousands of fishermen, their families, and communities that depend on these ocean resources. The United States lobster fishery, with Maine and Massachusetts producing 93 percent of the lobster harvest, is one of the most valuable fisheries in the country with commercial landings totaling 113,007,821 pounds valued at $582,433,794. Lobster Management Area 1 in the Gulf of Maine is a critical and highly productive fishing ground for halibut, tuna, flounder, redfish, black sea bass, monkfish, mackerel, rock and sand crab, mussels, hardshell and softshell clams, oysters, scallops, conchs, squid, and lobster. In 2024, the Biden Administration’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced the Final Wind Energy Area for commercial offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine, which excluded all of Lobster Management Area 1. President Trump recently issued an Executive Order temporarily withdrawing from disposition for wind energy leasing all areas within the outer Continental Shelf citing the importance of marine life ensuring that the United States is able to maintain a robust fishing industry. The permanent protection of Lobster Management Area from commercial energy leasing and development would avoid conflict with the New England commercial and recreational fishing industries and preserve a vital fishing ground for future generations. Notwithstanding section 8 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1337), no lease, license, permit, or other authorization may be issued for the development of commercial offshore wind energy in Lobster Management Area 1. Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this section, the Comptroller General shall conduct a study to assess the sufficiency of the environmental review processes of the national Marine Fisheries Service, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and any other relevant Federal agency for offshore wind projects in the Gulf of Maine in place as of the date of enactment of this section. The study required under paragraph (1) shall include consideration of the following: The impacts of offshore wind projects in the Gulf of Maine on— marine mammals, including whales; finfish; benthic resources; the commercial and recreational fishing industries, including marine equipment retailers, onshore processors, fish markets, and other shoreside businesses; air quality and greenhouse gas emissions; cultural, historical, and Tribal resources; marine invertebrates; essential fish habitat (as that term is defined in section 3 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1802)); plankton abundance and distribution; recreation and tourism; and fisheries-dependent communities. How each agency described in paragraph (1) determines which stakeholders to consult with regard to offshore wind projects in the Gulf of Maine and if a timely, comprehensive comment period is provided for local representatives and interested parties with regard to such offshore wind projects. In this section, the term Lobster Management Area 1 has the meaning given the term EEZ Nearshore Management Area 1 in section 697.18 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation).