# 117-hr-6148: Alabama Underwater Forest National Marine Sanctuary and Protection Act

117-hr-6148, Alabama Underwater Forest National Marine Sanctuary and Protection Act, is a 117th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Carl, Jerry L. [R-AL-1] (R-AL); status Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-6148
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 117-hr-6148
- Congress: 117
- Title: Alabama Underwater Forest National Marine Sanctuary and Protection Act
- Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife.
- Introduced: 2021-12-07
- Sponsor: Rep. Carl, Jerry L. [R-AL-1] (R-AL)
- Cosponsors: 8
- Policy area: Environmental Protection
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

Alabama Underwater Forest National Marine Sanctuary and Protection Act This bill designates an ancient cypress forest in the Gulf of Mexico as the Alabama Underwater Forest National Marine Sanctuary under the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972. In the sanctuary, the following activities are prohibited: cutting, removing, or any kind of subsurface salvage of the cypress trees; lowering certain devices (e.g., dredging) below the surface of the water; detonating explosives below the surface of the water; drilling or coring the seabed; and lowering, laying, positioning, or raising any type of seabed cable or cable-laying device. However, the prohibitions do not apply to fishing, diving, mooring, or similar recreational or commercial activities; necessary operations of public vessels; construction or placement of artificial reef structures for the purpose of enhancing fishery resources, fishing opportunities, or recreational diving opportunities; exploration, development, or production of oil or gas projects authorized before this bill's enactment; and certain other activities authorized by the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) must develop a comprehensive management plan for the sanctuary. NOAA must also establish an advisory council for the sanctuary.

## Cosponsors (8)

- Rep. Rogers, Mike D. [R-AL-3] (R-AL), 2021-12-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Brooks, Mo [R-AL-5] (R-AL), 2021-12-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Wittman, Robert J. [R-VA-1] (R-VA), 2021-12-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Graves, Garret [R-LA-6] (R-LA), 2021-12-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moore, Barry [R-AL-1] (R-AL), 2022-07-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7] (D-AL), 2022-07-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36] (D-CA), 2022-07-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6] (D-MA), 2022-08-19T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 117-hr-1448: PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act
- 117-hr-3537: Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act
- 117-hr-82: Social Security Fairness Act of 2021
- 117-hr-5142: To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal, in commemoration to the servicemembers who perished in Afghanistan on August 26, 2021, during the evacuation…
- 117-hres-881: Condemning the heinous terrorist attack on Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, on January 15, 2022.
- 117-hr-1282: Major Richard Star Act

## Sources
- [117-hr-6148 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6148)

## Related
- [117-hr-1448: PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-1448)
- [117-hr-3537: Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-3537)
- [117-hr-82: Social Security Fairness Act of 2021](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-82)
- [117-hr-5142: To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal, in commemoration to the servi…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-5142)
- [117-hres-881: Condemning the heinous terrorist attack on Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyvi…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hres-881)
- [117-hr-1282: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-1282)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-6148 (as of 2025-11-18).