I 112th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 840 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 28, 2011 Mr. Murphy of Pennsylvania (for himself, Mr. Broun of Georgia, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. Chaffetz, Mr. Duncan of Tennessee, Mr. Flores, Mr. Harper, Mr. Latta, Mr. Long, Mr. McClintock, Mrs. Myrick, Mr. Ribble, Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania, Mr. Westmoreland, Mr. McKinley, Mr. Whitfield, Mr. Stearns, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Brady of Texas, Mr. Scalise, Mr. Boustany, and Mr. Davis of Kentucky) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources A BILL To allow the conduct of offshore energy exploration, development, and production operations under drilling permits previously issued by the Minerals Management Service, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Safe Exploration Coming from Underwater Reserves of Energy Act or the SECURE Act.

2.

Findings

The Congress finds the following: (1)The United States imported an estimated 61 percent of its oil in 2010, sending approximately $337 billion, or $641,172 per minute, to foreign countries. (2)Approximately 1.6 billion barrels of petroleum imported into the United States last year came from members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, like Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. (3)More than ten percent of the petroleum imported into the United States came from Venezuela. (4)According to data from the Energy Information Administration, by 2035, worldwide demand for oil and natural gas is expected to increase by almost 30 and 38 percent, respectively. (5)Domestic oil and natural gas resources off United States shores in undiscovered fields total 86 billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, enough oil to replace imports from Saudi Arabia and Venezuela for the next 80 years and enough clean natural gas to power America's industry for the next 63 years. (6)Oil and natural gas production off United States shores is projected to decrease in 2011 by 13 percent from 2010 levels in part because of regulatory delays implemented by the Department of the Interior and increased uncertainty about future investment in drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf. (7)Regular-grade retail gasoline prices are expected to continue rising through 2011 to as much as $5.00 per gallon by 2012, according to some estimates. (8)The Department of the Interior has proscribed reforms to ensure the safe development of oil and natural gas production off United States shores, including implementing new rules that would strengthen safety requirements for offshore drilling operations. (9)The resumption of oil and natural gas drilling operations off United States shores is imperative to the United States economic recovery and energy security.

3.

Authority to conduct offshore drilling under approved permits

(a)

In general

Subject to subsection (b), each holder of a permit issued pursuant to an application for a permit to drill, including an application for a permit to sidetrack, that was approved by the Minerals Management Service before May 3, 2010, for purposes of Outer Continental Shelf energy exploration or development and production may conduct all operations authorized under the terms of the permit (including all exploration plans, development operations coordination documents, and development production plans submitted for the permit)— (1)without further review by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement; and (2)without further review or delay under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) or any other similar statutes such as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) or the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.). (b)

Operations

Operations conducted under subsection (a) shall be carried out in accordance with the safety protocols contained in part 250 of title 30, Code of Federal Regulations. (c)

Review of compliance

This section does not prohibit review of compliance with the terms of such a permit.