1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Warding off Hostile Administrative Leasing Efforts Act or the WHALE Act . 2. Vessel speed or operational restrictions in the Gulf of Mexico (a) In general The Secretary of Commerce shall not issue an interim or final rule, and the Secretary of the Interior shall not include in an offshore oil and gas lease sale, exploration or development plan, or well permit in the Central or Western Planning Area of the Gulf of Mexico of the outer Continental Shelf a requirement or recommendation, that establishes a vessel speed or vessel operational restriction for any length of time in such a Planning Area until the Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of the Interior— (1) complete a study— (A) assessing the impact of any mitigation protocols developed under subsection (b) on— (i) the core habitat for Rice's whales in the Eastern Planning Area of the Gulf of Mexico; and (ii) seasonal occupation and usage patterns outside such core habitat; and (B) demonstrating that mitigation protocols developed under subsection (b) would have no negative impact on supply chains, United States offshore energy production and generation, military activities, including readiness, and United States commercial and recreational fishing or maritime commerce; and (2) not later than 60 days after completing the study described in paragraph (1), submit a report containing the findings of such study to— (A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate