To amend the National Marine Sanctuary Act to prohibit requiring an authorization for the installation, operation, maintenance, repair, or recovery of undersea fiber optic cables in a national marine sanctuary if such activities have previously been authorized by a Federal or State agency.
Latest Action
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Official Summary
Official summary has not been imported yet.
GovScope Watchdog™
AI Government Intelligence™This bill proposes an amendment to the National Marine Sanctuary Act to prevent the requirement of a new authorization for the installation, operation, maintenance, repair, or recovery of undersea fiber optic cables within national marine sanctuaries if those activities have already been authorized by a Federal or State agency. The intent is to streamline regulatory processes for undersea cable projects that have prior approval, potentially reducing duplicative permitting requirements within protected marine areas.
The bill aims to exempt certain undersea fiber optic cable activities in national marine sanctuaries from additional authorization if previously approved by other agencies, potentially simplifying regulatory procedures.
- Amends the National Marine Sanctuary Act to prohibit requiring new authorization for undersea fiber optic cable activities in sanctuaries if previously authorized by Federal or State agencies.
- Covers activities including installation, operation, maintenance, repair, and recovery of undersea fiber optic cables.
- Seeks to reduce regulatory redundancy within national marine sanctuaries for these specific cable-related activities.
['Undersea fiber optic cable companies and contractors', 'Federal and State regulatory agencies by potentially reducing overlapping permitting processes', 'National marine sanctuaries by clarifying regulatory requirements']
['Possible challenges in ensuring environmental protections are maintained without additional sanctuary-specific review', 'Coordination complexities between Federal and State agencies regarding prior authorizations', 'Potential gaps in oversight if prior authorizations do not fully address sanctuary-specific concerns']
The bill was introduced in the House during the 118th Congress and referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. It addresses regulatory processes related to national marine sanctuaries and undersea infrastructure, a topic relevant to public lands and natural resources policy. The bill status is noted as Failed/Expired, indicating it did not advance to enactment during the session.
Hidden impact flags detected: 2
GovScope reviewed 2 policy-risk categories. Hover for a quick definition. Click detected flags for bill-specific details.
['Potential acceleration of undersea fiber optic cable projects due to streamlined permitting processes.', 'Possible reduction in administrative workload for sanctuary management related to cable project authorizations.', 'Risk of diminished sanctuary-specific environmental assessments if prior authorizations do not fully address sanctuary concerns.']
The absence of a full official summary and full bill text limits detailed analysis. The bill's failure to advance suggests limited legislative support or competing priorities. Transparency considerations include monitoring how prior Federal or State authorizations align with sanctuary protection goals and ensuring that environmental safeguards are not compromised by reduced authorization requirements.
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