Safer Oil and Natural Gas Drilling Technology Research and Development Act
Latest action · Aug 5, 2010 Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 517.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJul 13, 2010
- Passed HouseJul 21, 2010
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Safer Oil and Natural Gas Drilling Technology Research and Development Act - (Sec. 3) Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to direct the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to implement: (1) a deepwater (in lieu of ultra-deepwater) technologies research and development program that addresses technology challenges for well control and accident prevention; and (2) research supportive of such activities through DOE and its Office of Fossil Energy.
Revises the petroleum resources research and development program to replace ultra-deepwater activities with deepwater architecture, well control and accident prevention, and deepwater technology. Extends the program to drilling in all waters greater than 1,000 feet (currently, limited to only those waters greater than 15,000 feet).
Directs DOE, in implementing this Act, to consult regularly with other federal agencies (as well as the Secretary of the Interior, as under current law), including those serving on, and collaborating with, the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research.
Directs DOE to advance safe and environmentally responsible exploration, development, and production of natural gas and petroleum resources.
Modifies focus areas for awards to include: (1) specified aspects of deepwater resources (including technologies and systems aimed at improving operational safety and reducing potential environmental impacts of deepwater exploration and production activities); (2) expanded unconventional onshore resources (including advanced coalbed methane, deep drilling, natural gas production from tight sands, natural gas production from gas shales, stranded gas, and innovative exploration and production techniques, and enhanced recovery techniques); (3) consortia of small producers advancing energy efficient, safe, and environmentally responsible production of unconventional oil reservoirs in tar sands and oil shales; and (4) safety, accident prevention, mitigation research, and commercial application activities (which may include technologies and best management practices for enhanced well integrity and accident mitigation, as well as methodologies for risk management decisionmaking).
Requires DOE to include in its mandatory annual plan a summary of ongoing and planned activities to improve operational safety and to reduce environmental impacts of exploration and production.
Directs DOE to ensure that safety and accident prevention and mitigation are regularly included as specific focus areas for solicitations for proposals for grant awards for research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities.
Transfers from the U.S. Geological Survey to the Department of the Interior activities implementing long-term research programs.
Transfers program review and oversight functions from the National Energy Technology Laboratory to the Office of Fossil Energy.
(Sec. 4) Renames the Ultra-Deepwater Advisory Committee as the Program Advisory Committee. Requires Committee members to be qualified by education, training, and experience to evaluate scientific and technical information relevant to research, development, and demonstration under such Act.
(Sec. 6) Renames the Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Research Fund as the Safer Oil and Natural Gas Drilling Technology Research and Development Fund. Revises the formula for Fund allocations.
Directs DOE to ensure that research activities carried out by the consortium and by DOE under this Act are coordinated and not duplicative of one another.
Cosponsors
Members who signed on, in the order they did.
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Science, Space, and Technology Committee | Referred Jul 13, 2010Markup Jul 14, 2010Reported Jul 21, 2010 |
| House | Natural Resources Committee | Referred Jul 13, 2010Discharged Jul 21, 2010 |
Actions 16
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Aug 5, 2010Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 517.
- Jul 22, 2010Received in the Senate.
- Jul 21, 2010Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Science and Technology. H. Rept. 111-554, Part I.
- Jul 21, 2010Committee on Natural Resources discharged.
- Jul 21, 2010Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 317.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House · Extensions | Debate and remarks E1391, E1394, H5874–H5878Text printed H5875 | Bart Gordon D-TN, Brian Baird D-WA, Chris Van Hollen D-MD, Michael F. Doyle D-PA, Ralph M. Hall R-TX, Tim Murphy R-PA | Jul 21, 2010 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimates 2
- Jul 19, 2010H.R. 5716, Safer Oil and Natural Gas Drilling Technology Research and Development Act<p>Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Science and Technology on July 14, 2010</p>
- Jul 19, 2010H.R. 5716, Safer Oil and Natural Gas Drilling Technology Research and Development ActCost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Science and Technology on July 14, 2010
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 3509 | Safer Oil and Gas Production Research and Development Act of 2010 | Related bill | Jun 24, 2010 |
Titles 4
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To provide for enhancement of existing efforts in support of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities to advance technologies for the safe and environmentally responsible exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas resources.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Safer Oil and Natural Gas Drilling Technology Research and Development Act
- Short Titles as Reported to House
- Safer Oil and Natural Gas Drilling Technology Research and Development Act
- Short Titles as Passed House
- Safer Oil and Natural Gas Drilling Technology Research and Development Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Energy.
- Accidents
- Advisory bodies
- Energy
- Energy efficiency and conservation
- Energy research
- Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
- Environmental technology
- Higher education
- Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
- Marine pollution
- Oil and gas
- Research administration and funding
- Research and development
- Technology assessment
Text 4
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Aug 5, 2010Placed on Calendar Senate
- Jul 21, 2010Engrossed in House
- Jul 21, 2010Reported in House
- Jul 13, 2010Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
