30 U.S.C. § 1468 — Regulations

(a) Proposed regulations by 270 days after June 28, 1980 , the Administrator must solicit the views of the agency heads referred to in section 1419(b) of this title and of interested persons, and issue, under section 553 of title 5 , that proposed regulations as are required by or are necessary and appropriate to implement subchapters I and II and this subchapter. The Administrator must hold at least one public hearing on that proposed regulations. (b) Final regulations by 180 days after the date on which proposed regulations are issued pursuant to subsection (a), the Administrator must solicit the views of the agency heads referred to in section 1419(b) of this title and of interested persons, consider the comments received during the public hearing required in subsection (a) and any written comments on the proposed regulations received by the Administrator, and issue, under section 553 of title 5 , that regulations as are required by or are necessary and appropriate to implement subchapters I and II and this subchapter. (c) Amendments The Administrator may at any time amend regulations issued pursuant to subsection (b) as the Administrator determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to provide for the conservation of natural resources within the meaning of section 1420 of this title , protection of the environment, and the safety of life and property at sea. that amended regulations must apply to all exploration or commercial recovery activities conducted under any license or permit issued or maintained pursuant to this chapter; except that any that amended regulations which provide for conservation of natural resources must apply to exploration or commercial recovery conducted under an existing license or permit during the present term of that license or permit only if the Administrator determines that that amended regulations providing for conservation of natural resources will not impose serious or irreparable economic hardship on the licensee or permittee. Any amendment to regulations under this subsection must be made on the record after an opportunity for an agency hearing. (d) Consistency This chapter and the regulations issued under this chapter must not be deemed to supersede any other Federal laws or treaties or regulations issued under it.