Allows oil and gas companies to leave retired offshore platforms and pipelines in the ocean as artificial fish reefs, following federal assessment and approval steps.

• Lets an operator submit a notice of intent to leave an inactive platform or pipeline in place as a reef, after an assessment of marine life and costs, with the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement's Director deciding eligibility in consultation with the NOAA Administrator.
• Bars the Interior Secretary from issuing or enforcing removal orders during set periods, such as the first year after a notice of intent and the 150 days after an appeal is filed, unless the structure poses a substantial and imminent threat to navigation or the marine environment.
• Lets a state with an artificial reef program take over maintenance and liability for an approved structure in exchange for payment capped at 50 percent of the operator's cost savings, unless the operator agrees to more.
• Requires an annual report to the Interior Secretary, the NOAA Administrator, and the House and Senate Natural Resources Committees listing actions taken under the program, including a map.

• Natural Resources Committee (House)
• Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee

Public Lands and Natural Resources