Offshore Production and Safety Act of 2011
Latest action · May 18, 2011 Motion to proceed to consideration of measure, under the order of 5/16/2011, not having achieved 60 votes in the affirmative, withdrawn in Senate. (consideration: CR S3086)
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.
- IntroducedMay 11, 2011
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Offshore Production and Safety Act of 2011 - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to require an exploration plan to incorporate a third-party reviewed response plan which describes the means and timeline to contain and terminate an ongoing discharge of oil.
Requires the Secretary to certify, as a prerequisite to plan approval, the technological feasibility of methods proposed to be used under a response plan, as demonstrated by the potential lessee through simulation, demonstration, or other means.
Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE), acting through the DOE Office of Science, to use specified funds to study, in collaboration with the DOE Office of Fossil Energy, means of improving prevention methodologies and technological responses to oil spills and mitigating the effects of oil spills on natural habitat.
Requires the DOE Secretary, as part of the study, to convene a task force to assess: (1) such methodologies and technological response to the blowout and explosion of the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon on April 20, 2010, and the resulting hydrocarbon releases into the environment; as well as (2) the adequacy of existing technologies for prevention and responses to deep water oil spills.
Directs the Comptroller General to study existing federal capabilities and legal authorities to prevent and respond to oil spills.
Instructs the Secretary to conduct certain oil and gas lease sales within specified deadlines.
States that such lease sales are considered to satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.
Prohibits the Secretary from issuing a permit without ensuring that the proposed drilling operations meet all: (1) critical safety system requirements, including blowout prevention; and (2) oil spill response and containment requirements. Requires the Secretary to decide whether to issue a permit within 30 days after receiving an application. Allows up to two 15-day extensions of such deadline. Prescribes implementation procedures.
Imposes a deadline for a final decision on certain permit applications under existing leases.
Directs the Secretary to extend by one year the terms of certain oil and gas leases (covered leases) for the Gulf of Mexico outer Continental Shelf (OCS) region.
Establishes any district court within the Fifth Circuit as the exclusive venue for civil actions relating to covered energy projects on leased federal land in the Gulf of Mexico unless there is no proper venue within that circuit.
Bars such a civil action unless it is filed within 60 days after the final federal action to which it relates.
Sets forth a standard of review under which: (1) the court is directed to hear and determine any covered civil action as expeditiously as possible; and (2) any judicial review of a covered civil action makes a presumption that the administrative findings and conclusions relating to the challenged federal action or decision are correct.
Sets restrictions on prospective relief.
Prohibits federal payment of attorneys' fees, expenses, and other court costs to any party in a covered civil action under this Act.
Recorded votes 1
Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.
| Roll call | Question | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate 73 | On the Motion to Proceed S. 953 | Motion to Proceed Rejected42–57 | May 18, 2011 |
Cosponsors 22
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 12, 2011 to May 17, 2011.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-TN | Bob Corker | May 12, 2011 | |
| R-IN | Daniel Coats | May 12, 2011 | |
| R-NV | Dean Heller | May 12, 2011 | |
| R-KS | Jerry Moran | May 12, 2011 | |
| R-WY | John Barrasso | May 12, 2011 | |
| R-AR | John Boozman | May 12, 2011 | |
| R-GA | Johnny Isakson | May 12, 2011 | |
| R-NH | Kelly Ayotte | May 12, 2011 | |
| R-TN | Lamar Alexander | May 12, 2011 | |
| R-AK | Lisa Murkowski | May 12, 2011 | |
| R-WY | Michael B. Enzi | May 12, 2011 | |
| R-NE | Mike Johanns | May 12, 2011 | |
| R-KS | Pat Roberts | May 12, 2011 | |
| R-KY | Rand Paul | May 12, 2011 | |
| R-MS | Roger F. Wicker | May 12, 2011 |
Actions 7
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 18, 2011Motion to proceed to measure considered in Senate. (consideration: CR S3069-3086)
- May 18, 2011Motion to proceed to consideration of measure, under the order of 5/16/2011, not having achieved 60 votes in the affirmative, rejected in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 42 - 57. Record Vote Number: 73. (consideration: CR S3086)
- May 18, 2011Motion to proceed to consideration of measure, under the order of 5/16/2011, not having achieved 60 votes in the affirmative, withdrawn in Senate. (consideration: CR S3086)
- May 17, 2011Motion to proceed to consideration of measure by Senator Reid made in Senate. (consideration: CR S3013)
- May 12, 2011Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 43. (text of measure as introduced in Senate: CR S2931-2932)
- May 11, 2011Introduced in Senate
- May 11, 2011Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
In the Congressional Record 6
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S3165 | Jon Tester D-MT | May 19, 2011 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S3063, S3067–S3086, S3088Recorded votes S3086motion to proceed | James M. Inhofe R-OK, Jeff Sessions R-AL, Joe Manchin III D-WV, John Hoeven R-ND, Kay Bailey Hutchison R-TX, Lamar Alexander R-TN, Lisa Murkowski R-AK, Max Baucus D-MT, Michael B. Enzi R-WY, Mike Johanns R-NE, Mitch McConnell R-KY, Orrin G. Hatch R-UT, Pat Roberts R-KS, Richard J. Durbin D-IL, Rob Portman R-OH, Robert Menendez D-NJ, Roger F. Wicker R-MS, Roy Blunt R-MO, Saxby Chambliss R-GA | May 18, 2011 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S3004, S3018, S3030, S3034, S3035Motions S3013 | Chuck Grassley R-IA, David Vitter R-LA, Harry Reid D-NV (motion), Kay Bailey Hutchison R-TX, Mitch McConnell R-KY, Orrin G. Hatch R-UT | May 17, 2011 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S2984, S3002 | Bill Nelson D-FL, Jeff Merkley D-OR | May 16, 2011 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S2896Text printed S2931 | Harry Reid D-NV, Mitch McConnell R-KY (text) | May 12, 2011 |
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.
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R41684 | Enacted and Proposed Oil Spill Legislation in the 112th Congress Archived | Report | Jan 16, 2013 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 1229 | Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act | Related bill | May 16, 2011 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to authorize the conduct of certain lease sales in the Outer Continental Shelf, to amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to modify the requirements for exploration, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Offshore Production and Safety Act of 2011
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Energy.
- Civil actions and liability
- Congressional oversight
- Energy
- Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
- Environmental technology
- Gulf of Mexico
- Judicial review and appeals
- Jurisdiction and venue
- Licensing and registrations
- Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
- Marine pollution
- Oil and gas
- Technology assessment
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 12, 2011Placed on Calendar Senate
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.
