Congress·In Committee·H.R. 5745

Marine Fisheries Habitat Protection Act

Offshore Oil Rigs: Turning Old Platforms into Fish Reefs

Jan 13·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill is one vehicle in a longer effort. See the full story across every version.View effort →

Next up: A house committee

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process within the House Committee on Natural Resources. It recently had a hearing in a subcommittee and is considered active. There are no further actions scheduled at this time.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Could go either way

The bill has support from both parties and helps both the environment and the economy, but many bills like this struggle to get through the full legislative process.

How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 6814 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 6814 (118th) →

Key Points

This bill allows old offshore oil and gas platforms to stay in the ocean as artificial reefs instead of being completely removed. When these structures are left behind, they often become homes for coral, fish, and other sea creatures.
Oil companies would have to follow a strict process to make sure the structures are safe. They must plug all wells, remove hazardous liquids, and make sure the remaining parts are deep enough so they do not get in the way of ships.
States would take over the responsibility for these new reefs. In exchange, the oil companies would pay the state up to half of the money they saved by not having to tear the whole platform down.
The government would study each site to see how much marine life is already living there. If a platform is already acting like a natural reef, it is more likely to be approved to stay in place.
This plan aims to help both commercial and recreational fishers by creating more places for fish to live and grow. It also saves money for energy companies while providing new funding for state conservation programs.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

4 milestones4 actions

Jan 13, 2026House

Subcommittee Hearings Held

Jan 7, 2026House

Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

Oct 14, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Oct 14, 2025

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Marine Fisheries Habitat Protection Act

Bill NumberHR 5745

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionSubcommittee Hearings Held

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(6)

D: 4R: 2

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.