Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 104 Part 1.djvu/590

 104 STAT. 556 PUBLIC LAW 101-380 —AUG. 18, 1990 additional offshore leasing, exploration, or development off- shore North Carolina; and (8) the National Research Council report entitled "The Adequacy of Environmental Information for Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Decisions: Florida and California", issued in 1989, concluded that— (A) information with respect to those States, which have received greater scrutiny than has North Carolina, is inadequate; and (B) there are serious generic defects in the Minerals Management Service's methods of environmental analysis, reinforcing concerns about the adequacy of the scientific and technical information which are the basis for a decision to lease additional tracts or approve an exploration plan offshore North Carolina, especially with respect to oceanographic, ecological, and socioeconomic information. (c) PROHIBITION OF OIL AND GAS LEASING, EXPLORATION, AND DEVELOPMENT. — (1) PROHIBITION.—The Secretary of the Interior shall not— (A) conduct a lesise sale; (B) issue any new leases; (C) approve any exploration plan; (D) approve any development and production plan; (E) approve any application for permit to drill; or (F) permit any drilling, for oil or gas under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act on any lands of the Outer Continental Shelf offshore North Carolina. (2) BOUNDARIES. —For purposes of paragraph (1), the term "offshore North Carolina" means the area within the lateral seaward boundaries between areas offshore North Carolina and areas offshore— (A) Virginia as provided in the joint resolution entitled "Joint resolution granting the consent of Congress to an agreement between the States of North Carolina and Virginia establishing their lateral seaward boundary" approved October 27, 1972 (86 Stat. 1298); and (B) South Carolina as provided in the Act entitled "An Act granting the consent of Congress to the agreement between the States of North Carolina and South Carolina establishing their lateral seaward boundary" approved October 9, 1981 (95 Stat. 988). (3) DURATION OF PROHIBITION.— (A) IN GENERAL.—The prohibition under pargigraph (1) shall remain in effect until the later of—: (i) October 1, 1991; or Reports. (ii) 45 days of continuous session of the Congress after submission of a written report to the Congress by the Secretary of the Interior, made after consideration of the findings and recommendations of the Environmental Sciences Review Panel under subsection (e)— (I) certifying that the information available, including information acquired pursuant to subsection (d), is sufficient to enable the Secretary to carry out his responsibilities under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act with respect to authorizing the activities described in paragraph (1); and

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