[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1268 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1268

     To provide for the development and inventory of certain outer 
                      Continental Shelf resources.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 2, 2007

 Mr. Dorgan (for himself and Mr. Craig) introduced the following bill; 
   which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To provide for the development and inventory of certain outer 
                      Continental Shelf resources.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Domestic Offshore Energy Security 
Act''.

SEC. 2. DEVELOPMENT AND INVENTORY OF CERTAIN OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF 
              RESOURCES.

    (a) Definition of United States Person.--In this section, the term 
``United States person'' means--
            (1) any United States citizen or alien lawfully admitted 
        for permanent residence in the United States; and
            (2) any person other than an individual, if 1 or more 
        individuals described in paragraph (1) own or control at least 
        51 percent of the securities or other equity interest in the 
        person.
    (b) Authorization of Activities and Exports Involving Hydrocarbon 
Resources by United States Persons.--Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law (including a regulation), United States persons 
(including agents and affiliates of those United States persons) may--
            (1) engage in any transaction necessary for the exploration 
        for and extraction of hydrocarbon resources from any portion of 
        any foreign exclusive economic zone that is contiguous to the 
        exclusive economic zone of the United States; and
            (2) export without license authority all equipment 
        necessary for the exploration for or extraction of hydrocarbon 
        resources described in paragraph (1).
    (c) Travel in Connection With Authorized Hydrocarbon Exploration 
and Extraction Activities.--Section 910 of the Trade Sanctions Reform 
and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7209) is amended by 
inserting after subsection (b) the following:
    ``(c) General License Authority for Travel-Related Expenditures by 
Persons Engaging in Hydrocarbon Exploration and Extraction 
Activities.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall, 
        authorize under a general license the travel-related 
        transactions listed in section 515.560(c) of title 31, Code of 
        Federal Regulations, for travel to, from or within Cuba in 
        connection with exploration for and the extraction of 
        hydrocarbon resources in any part of a foreign maritime 
        Exclusive Economic Zone that is contiguous to the United 
        States' Exclusive Economic Zone.
            ``(2) Persons authorized.--Persons authorized to travel to 
        Cuba under this section include full-time employees, 
        executives, agents, and consultants of oil and gas producers, 
        distributors, and shippers.''.
    (d) Moratorium of Oil and Gas Leasing in Certain Areas of the Gulf 
of Mexico.--
            (1) In general.--Section 104(a) of the Gulf of Mexico 
        Energy Security Act of 2006 (43 U.S.C. 1331 note; Public Law 
        109-432) is amended--
                    (A) by striking paragraph (1);
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``125 miles'' and 
                inserting ``45 miles'';
                    (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ``100 miles'' 
                each place it appears and inserting ``45 miles''; and
                    (D) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as 
                paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively.
            (2) Regulations.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary of the Interior 
                shall promulgate regulations that establish appropriate 
                environmental safeguards for the exploration and 
                production of oil and natural gas on the outer 
                Continental Shelf.
                    (B) Minimum requirements.--At a minimum, the 
                regulations shall include--
                            (i) provisions requiring surety bonds of 
                        sufficient value to ensure the mitigation of 
                        any foreseeable incident;
                            (ii) provisions assigning liability to the 
                        leaseholder in the event of an incident causing 
                        damage or loss, regardless of the negligence of 
                        the leaseholder or lack of negligence;
                            (iii) provisions no less stringent than 
                        those contained in the Spill Prevention, 
                        Control, and Countermeasure regulations 
                        promulgated under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 
                        (33 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.);
                            (iv) provisions ensuring that--
                                    (I) no facility for the exploration 
                                or production of resources is visible 
                                to the unassisted eye from any shore of 
                                any coastal State; and
                                    (II) the impact of offshore 
                                production facilities on coastal vistas 
                                is otherwise mitigated;
                            (v) provisions to ensure, to the maximum 
                        extent practicable, that exploration and 
                        production activities will result in no 
                        significant adverse effect on fish or wildlife 
                        (including habitat), subsistence resources, or 
                        the environment; and
                            (vi) provisions that will impose seasonal 
                        limitations on activity to protect breeding, 
                        spawning, and wildlife migration patterns.
            (3) Conforming amendment.--Section 105 of the Department of 
        the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations 
        Act, 2006 (Public Law 109-54; 119 Stat. 521) (as amended by 
        section 103(d) of the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 
        2006 (43 U.S.C. 1331 note; Public Law 109-432)) is amended by 
        inserting ``and any other area that the Secretary of the 
        Interior may offer for leasing, preleasing, or any related 
        activity under section 104 of that Act'' after ``2006)''.
    (e) Inventory of Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Natural Gas 
Resources Off Southeastern Coast of the United States.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of the Interior (referred to 
        in this subsection as the ``Secretary'') may conduct an 
        inventory of oil and natural gas resources beneath the waters 
        of the outer Continental Shelf (as defined in section 2 of the 
        Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331)) off of the 
        coast of the States of Virginia, North Carolina, South 
        Carolina, or Georgia in accordance with this subsection.
            (2) Best available technology.--In conducting the 
        inventory, the Secretary shall use the best technology 
        available to obtain accurate resource estimates.
            (3) Request by governor.--The Secretary may conduct an 
        inventory under this subsection off the coast of a State 
        described in paragraph (1) only if the Governor of the State 
        requests the inventory.
            (4) Reports.--The Secretary shall submit to Congress and 
        the requesting Governor a report on any inventory conducted 
        under this subsection.
            (5) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized 
        to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this 
        subsection.
    (f) Enhanced Oil Recovery.--Section 354(c)(4)(B) of the Energy 
Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15910(c)(4)(B)) is amended--
            (1) in clause (iii), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in clause (iv), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(v) are carried out in geologically 
                        challenging fields.''.
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