,i  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #cjda  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,april #bh1 #bjbe,mr4
 ,hunt introduced the following bill2   
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,natural ,resources1 and in addition to 
the ,committee on ,transportation and   
,infrastructure1 for a period to be     
subsequently determined by the ,speaker1
 in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the           
jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
,a ,,bill  ,to direct the executive     
agencies to ensure continuity of certain
 federal permits that are required to   
develop the nation's offshore energy    
resources4  #a4 ,short title ,this bill 
may be cited as the ,regulatory         
,integrity for ,gulf ,energy            
,development ,act of #bjbe or the       
,,riged ,act of #bjbe4  #b4 ,definitions
 ,for the purposes of this ,act3 7a7    
,offshore ,energy ,resource ,development
 refers to oil and gas leasing1         
exploration1 and production activities  

conducted on the ,outer ,continental    
,shelf1 as defined in ,section #b of the
 ,outer ,continental ,shelf ,lands ,act 
7#dc ,u4,s4,c4 #acca74  7b7 ,secretary  
refers to the ,secretaries of the       
,interior and_/or ,commerce4  7c7       
,administrator refers to the            
,administrator or ,acting ,administrator
 of the ,national ,oceanic and          
,atmospheric ,administration 7,,noaa74  
#c4 ,continuity of permits for offshore 
energy development  7a7 ,federal permits
 for oil and gas leasing ,section #h of 
the ,outer ,continental ,shelf ,lands   
,act 7#dc ,u4,s4,c4 #accg7 is amended by
 adding at the end the following3  7q7  
,continuity of federal permits ,if a    
previously issued permit under this ,act
 is required for offshore oil and gas   
production and has expired1 the         
,secretary shall1 to the extent of his  
or her authority1 ensure that all terms1
 conditions1 and requirements of the    
expired permit remain in effect for any 
permittee previously covered under the  

permit1 as well as any similarly        
situated new or prospective permittee1  
until a new permit is finalized and     
issued4 ,in determining the equivalence 
of1 or applicability to1 new or         
prospective permittees1 the ,secretary  
shall consider consistency with         
applicable federal laws1 federal        
regulations1 and the protection of human
 life and the environment4 7#a7 ,in     
carrying out subsection 7q71 the        
,secretary is authorized and directed to
 coordinate with any other ,federal     
agency having jurisdiction over an      
expiring or expired permit to ensure    
that the terms1 conditions1 and         
requirements of such permit remain in   
effect1 consistent with applicable laws 
and regulations4 7,a7 ,to facilitate the
 coordination required under paragraph  
7#a71 the ,secretary may establish joint
 agency working groups composed of      
representatives from relevant ,federal  
agencies4 ,these working groups shall be
 responsible for ensuring interagency   

collaboration1 streamlining permit      
continuity processes1 and maintaining   
compliance with applicable environmental
 and regulatory requirements4  7,b7     
,establishment of joint agency working  
groups pursuant to this subsection shall
 be notified to ,congress and the       
,president no later than #ae days       
following establishment of the working  
group's creation4 ,notification shall   
include3 7i7 ,the names and titles of   
the ,federal officials serving on the   
working group2  7ii7 ,the scope1        
objectives1 and intended outcomes of the
 working group2 and  7iii7 ,an estimated
 duration of the working group's        
activities1 expressed in days4  4  7b7  
,federal permits for oil and gas        
production ,section #djb7;a7 of the     
,federal ,water ,pollution ,control ,act
 7#cc ,u4,s4,c4 #acdb7;a77 is amended by
 inserting before the period at the end 
the following3  7#f7 ,if the            
,administrator is in the process of     
issuing a new permit under this         

subsection that covers multiple         
permittees with similar operations and  
types of discharges1 and the new permit 
is reasonably similar to an expired     
permit covering such permittees1 the    
,administrator shall continue to apply  
the same terms1 conditions1 and         
requirements as the expired permit to   
both existing and prospective           
permittees1 until the new permit is     
issued4  4  7c7 ,continuity of federal  
biological opinions ,for purposes of the
 ,bureau of ,ocean ,energy ,management's
 ,national ,outer ,continental ,shelf   
,oil and ,gas ,leasing ,program1        
compliance with the ,biological ,opinion
 on ,federally ,regulated ,oil and ,gas 
,program ,activities in the ,gulf of    
,mexico1 issued by the ,national ,marine
 ,fisheries ,service on ,march #ac1     
#bjbj1 and amended on ,april #bd1 #bjba1
 shall be deemed compliance with all    
applicable requirements of the          
,endangered ,species ,act 7#af ,u4,s4,c4
 #aeca et seq47 and the ,marine ,mammal 

,protection ,act 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #acfa et
 seq471 until the ,secretary of the     
,interior or ,secretary of ,commerce    
approves a new biological opinion under 
their respective authorities pursuant to
 those ,acts or any other applicable    
federal law1 superseding the existing   
opinion and establishing new compliance 
obligations4