Vote to pass a bill that establishes various bureaus within the Department of the Interior and amends regulations for nonrenewable resource management.
Pursuant to all other Federal applicable laws, including the administration and approval of all instruments and agreements concerning renewable and nonrenewable energy and mineral resources development activities.
Levying fines and penalties against disqualifying operators.
Requires the Secretary of the Interior to issue supplementary ethics guidance for employees who have "regular, direct contact" with lessees and operators as part of their official duties, and requires the Secretary to update such guidance at least once every 3 years thereafter (Sec. 104).Abolishes the Minerals Management Service (Sec. 106).
Establishes the Outer Continental Shelf Safety and Environmental Advisory Board to provide the Department of the Interior with technical and scientific advice on safe and environmentally compliant exploration, development and production of renewable and nonrenewable energy and mineral resources (Sec. 108).
Establishes a fine of $200 million for every 1 million barrels of oil or other hazardous substance discharged into the Gulf of Mexico from an offshore facility, which shall be in addition to any other penalties that the owner or operator may incur (Sec. 504).
Repeals the limit on liability for oil pollution from an offshore facility other than a deepwater port, which in existing law equals no more than the total of all removal costs plus $75 million (Sec. 702).
"As appropriate," remotely operated vehicle intervention capabilities for secondary control of all sub sea blowout preventer functions.
Requires the Secretary of the Interior establish "appropriate" standards for the approval of independent third-party certifiers of functions for blowout preventers, well design and cementing (Sec. 205).
Requires cement bond logs for all cementing jobs intended to provide a barrier to hydrocarbon flow, and requires cement bond logs or other integrity tests prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior for other cement jobs (Sec. 205).
Been assessed civil penalties and criminal fines for violations committed under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) and the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.) in a total amount of more than $10 million for each of the aforementioned Acts.
Appropriates $900 million from Outer Continental Shelf lease revenues, for fiscal year 2011 and each year thereafter, to the Land and Water Conservation Fund to carry out the purposes of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (sec. 207).
Requires that all lessees operating under an approved exploration plan obtain a permit prior to drilling and prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from granting a permit prior to a full engineer review of the well system and the completion of a safety and environmental management plan (Sec. 208).
The applicant can begin and complete a relief well if necessary.
Repeals certain incentives for natural gas production from deep wells in shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Section 344 of Public Law 109-58), and repeals the suspension of certain royalties for deep water production in the Gulf of Mexico (Sec. 345 of Public Law 109-58) (Sec. 219).
Allows the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling to issue subpoenas to compel the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of books, records, correspondence, memoranda, and other documents (Sec. 221).
Appropriates $900 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund each fiscal year to carry out the purposes of this act, with 1.5 percent of that funding going toward the securing of public access to Federal land for recreational use (Sec. 403).
Establishes a Gulf of Mexico Restoration Program to coordinate Federal, State and local restoration programs to maximize the efforts in restoring biological integrity, productivity and ecosystem functions in the Gulf (Sec. 501).
Establishes the Gulf of Mexico Restoration Task Force consisting of the Governors of the Gulf Coast States and the heads of appropriate Federal agencies as selected by the President. The task force shall issue a comprehensive plan for long-term restoration of the Gulf of Mexico no later than 12 months after the enactment of this act and update the plan every 5 years thereafter (Sec. 501).
Establishes a long-term, comprehensive marine environmental monitoring and research program for the marine and coastal environment of the Gulf of Mexico (Sec. 502). -Prohibits vessels that are not owned by a citizen of the United States from engaging in support of exploration, development, or production of resources in, on, above, or below the exclusive economic zone of the United States (Sec. 709).
Protect the environment and natural resources from impacts of oil or hazardous substance discharge or threat of substantial discharge.
Prohibits a person from using an offshore facility for exploration, development or production of oil or natural gas in, above, or below the exclusive economic zone, unless the facility was built in the United States (Sec. 725).
Expands the definition of a 'responsible party' under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2701(32)) to include any person, other than an individual, that has a direct or indirect ownership interest in a vessel, onshore facility, offshore facility, deepwater port, or pipeline that amounts to more than 25 percent of the total ownership interests in such entity, if the assets of the entity are insufficient to pay claims owed under the aforementioned Act (Sec. 731).
Establishes, within 180 days after the enactment of this act, a conservation fee on Federal onshore and offshore lands of $2 per barrel of oil and $.20 per million BTU of natural gas (Sec. 802).
Prohibits an employer from discharging or discriminating against an employee who provides information or testimony concerning a violation of this act (Sec. 1002).