PHASEOUT OF VESSELS SUPPORTING OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT.

SEC. 306. PHASEOUT OF VESSELS SUPPORTING OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT.(a) In General.—Notwithstanding section 12111(d) of title 46, United States Code, foreign-flag vessels may be chartered by, or on behalf of, a lessee to be employed for the setting, relocation, or recovery of anchors or other mooring equipment of a mobile offshore drilling unit that is located over the Outer Continental Shelf (as defined in section 2(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf 124 STAT. 2927 Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331(a)) for operations in support of exploration, or flow-testing and stimulation of wells, for offshore mineral or energy resources in the Beaufort Sea or the Chukchi Sea adjacent to Alaska—(1) for a 1-year period from the date the lessee gives the Secretary of Transportation written notice of the commencement of such exploration drilling if the Secretary determines, after publishing notice in the Federal Register, that insufficient vessels documented under section 12111(d) of title 46, United States Code, are reasonably available and suitable for these support operations and all such reasonably available and suitable vessels are employed in support of such operations; and(2) for an additional period until such vessels are available if the Secretary of Transportation determines—(A) that, by April 30 of the year following the commencement of exploration drilling, the lessee has entered into a binding agreement to employ a suitable vessel or vessels to be documented under section 12111(d) of title 46, United States Code, in sufficient numbers and with sufficient suitability to replace any foreign-flag vessel or vessels operating under this section; and(B) after publishing notice in the Federal Register, that insufficient vessels documented under section 12111(d) of title 46, United States Code, are reasonably available and suitable for these support operations and all such reasonably available and suitable vessels are employed in support of such operations.(b) Expiration.—Irrespective of the year in which the commitment referred to in subsection (a)(2)(A) occurs, foreign-flag anchor handling vessels may not be employed for the setting, relocation, or recovery of anchors or other mooring equipment of a mobile offshore drilling unit after December 31, 2017.(c) Lessee Defined.—In this section, the term “lessee” means the holder of a lease (as defined in section 1331(c) of title 43, United States Code), who, prior to giving the written notice in subsection (a)(1), has entered into a binding agreement to employ a suitable vessel documented or to be documented under 12111(d) of title 46, United States Code.(d) Savings Provision.—Nothing in subsection (a) may be construed to authorize the employment in the coastwise trade of a vessel that does not meet the requirements of 12111 of title 46, United States Code.