[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1572 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1572

  To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to improve safety at 
         manned offshore installations, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 15, 2011

  Mr. Landry introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
  Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on 
  Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to improve safety at 
         manned offshore installations, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Offshore Installation Emergency 
Evacuation Act''.

SEC. 2. MANNED EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND RESCUE VESSELS AT OCS 
              INSTALLATIONS.

    Section 21(c) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 
1347(c)) is amended by designating the existing text as paragraph (1) 
and adding at the end thereof the following new paragraph:
            ``(2) Emergency response and rescue vessels.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary of the department 
                in which the Coast Guard is operating shall, within 180 
                days after the date of enactment of the Offshore 
                Installation Emergency Evacuation Act, promulgate 
                regulations requiring that a manned Emergency Response 
                and Rescue Vessel must be located within 3 blocks of 
                every manned outer Continental Shelf facility or mobile 
                offshore drilling unit, as follows:
                            ``(i) In the case of such a facility or 
                        unit being used for deep water drilling 
                        operations, the Emergency Response and Rescue 
                        Vessel must be so located at all times.
                            ``(ii) In the case of such a facility or 
                        unit being used for shallow water drilling 
                        operations, the Emergency Response and Rescue 
                        Vessel must be so located at all times when 
                        workers on the facility or unit are performing 
                        drilling, plugging, abandoning, or construction 
                        operations.
                    ``(B) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
                            ``(i) The term `block' means an area of the 
                        outer Continental Shelf that has been 
                        appropriately platted for leasing in accordance 
                        with section 256.8 of title 30, Code of Federal 
                        Regulations, as in effect on the date of 
                        enactment of the Offshore Installation 
                        Emergency Evacuation Act.
                            ``(ii) The term `deep water drilling 
                        operation' means any drilling operation 
                        conducted in 500 feet of water or more.
                            ``(iii) The term `Emergency Response and 
                        Rescue Vessel' means a standby vessel that 
                        meets the requirements of subpart E of part 143 
                        of title 33, Code of Federal Regulations, as in 
                        effect on the date of enactment of the Offshore 
                        Installation Emergency Evacuation Act.
                            ``(iv) The term `shallow water drilling 
                        operation' means any drilling operation in no 
                        more than 500 feet of water.''.
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