# 119-hr-5745: Marine Fisheries Habitat Protection Act

119-hr-5745, Marine Fisheries Habitat Protection Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Ezell, Mike [R-MS-4] (R-MS); status in_committee (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5745
- As of: 2026-11-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-5745
- Congress: 119
- Title: Marine Fisheries Habitat Protection Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-10-14
- Sponsor: Rep. Ezell, Mike [R-MS-4] (R-MS)
- Cosponsors: 6
- Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-11-01

## Summary

**Convert inactive offshore oil and gas structures into artificial reefs to promote fish habitat.** This bill would build a single federal pathway for 'reefing in place', add a State program that can assume liability, and set clear timelines and appeals to make reefing projects more predictable. - Operators and permit applicants would follow a stepwise process with an assessment in 180 days, an eligibility decision within 60 days after the assessment, designation of a Reef Planning Area within 90 days, and possible reefing within three years if wells are plugged, hydrocarbons removed, and marking or other safety steps are done. - States could opt into a State Program to take ownership and ongoing liability for approved reefs within one year of planning area designation, with State funding capped at 50 percent of the applicant's documented cost savings unless the applicant agrees to more. - Fisheries and coastal communities would see more opportunities to create artificial reefs from eligible inactive structures under an approach designed to promote fish habitat while keeping pipeline abandonment rules unchanged. - The bill adds formal appeals windows for agency denials, including a 60-day appeal route under the reefing process and a 150-day appeal period tied to Outer Continental Shelf decisions, and it limits removal orders during defined assessment and approval phases to provide predictability. *Net effect: would establish a predictable, unified reefing framework that expands artificial reef options while preserving existing decommissioning pathways.*

## Cosponsors (6)

- Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2] (D-LA), 2025-10-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Veasey, Marc A. [D-TX-33] (D-TX), 2025-10-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fields, Cleo [D-LA-6] (D-LA), 2025-10-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7] (D-VA), 2025-10-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moore, Barry [R-AL-1] (R-AL), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Weber, Randy K. Sr. [R-TX-14] (R-TX), 2026-06-22T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New reef-in-place approval process: benefit, low. If enacted, this bill would create a step-by-step reef-in-place process for inactive offshore structures. You could file a Notice of Intent to Reef at any time. The agency would start an assessment within 180 days and try to finish it in one year. The Director would decide eligibility within 60 day…
- Pipeline abandonment rules unchanged: benefit, low. If enacted, this bill would not change current federal rules for pipeline abandonment or decommissioning. Pipeline abandonment in place would continue to follow existing regulatory processes. If enacted, a pipeline would not need new permits unless it is specifically designated for conversion to an…
- State takeover of reef liability option: benefit, low. If enacted, a State with a reef program could agree to take responsibility and legal liability for an Approved Structure. A State must enter such an agreement no later than one year after a Reef Planning Area is designated. If enacted, the State would pay the Applicant a one-time amount that may no…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4275: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4382: America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act
- 119-hr-1628: 761st Tank Battalion Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-5745 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5745)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-4275: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4275)
- [119-hr-4382: America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4382)
- [119-hr-1628: 761st Tank Battalion Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1628)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5745 (as of 2026-11-01).