Recent Federal Bills

Below are summaries of Bills Introduced, Committee Reports, Chamber Actions, and Public Laws reported in the most recent issue of ELR's Weekly Update.

would authorize the use of certain offshore oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico for artificial reefs.

would amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require the closure of oil storage and processing facilities that have spilled oil multiple times near residential neighborhoods.

would establish a program under which the Administrator of EPA shall provide grants to eligible state consortia to establish and carry out municipal sustainability certification programs.

would modify a land grant patent issued by the Secretary of the Interior.

would require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct certain offshore oil and gas lease sales, provide fair and equitable revenue sharing for all coastal states, formulate future offshore energy development plans in areas with the most potential, and generate revenue for American infrastructure.

would limit the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to issue regulations before December 31, 2013, under SMCRA.

would set clear rules for the development of U.S. oil shale resources and promote shale technology research and development.

would direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish and implement a competitive oil and gas leasing program for the exploration, development, and production of the oil and gas resources of the Coastal Plain of Alaska.

would establish in the Department of the Interior an Under Secretary for Energy, Lands, and Minerals and a Bureau of Ocean Energy, an Ocean Energy Safety Service, and an Office of Natural Resources Revenue.

would provide for the conveyance of certain property from the United States to the Maniilaq Association located in Kotzebue, Alaska.