IB 

Union Calendar No. 436 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 3404 

[Report No. 112–601] 

To 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, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 14, 2011 

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Natural Resources 

JULY 17, 2012 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on November 14, 2011] 


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A BILL 

To 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, and for other 

purposes. 


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1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF UNDER SECRETARY FOR 

4 ENERGY, LANDS, AND MINERALS AND ASSIST5 ANT SECRETARY OF OCEAN ENERGY AND 

6 SAFETY. 

7 There shall be in the Department of the Interior— 

8 (1) an Under Secretary for Energy, Lands, and 

9 Minerals, who shall— 

10 (A) be appointed by the President, by and 

11 with the advise and consent of the Senate; 

12 (B) report to the Secretary of the Interior, 

13 or to the Deputy Secretary of the Interior if or14 dered by the Secretary; 

15 (C) be paid at the rate payable for level III 

16 of the Executive Schedule; and 

17 (D) be responsible for— 

18 (i) the safe and responsible develop19 ment of our energy and mineral resources 

20 on Federal lands in appropriate accordance 

21 with United States energy demands, includ22 ing administration of the Office of Surface 

23 Mining and the Bureau of Land Manage24 ment as separate, independent agencies of 

25 the Department under the Assistant SecVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:01 Jul 18, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H3404.RH H3404

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1 retary of Land and Minerals Management; 

2 and 

3 (ii) ensuring multiple-use missions of 

4 the Department of the Interior that promote 

5 the safe and sustained development of en6 ergy and minerals resources on public lands 

7 (as that term is defined in the Federal 

8 Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 

9 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)); 

10 (2) an Assistant Secretary of Ocean Energy and 

11 Safety, who shall— 

12 (A) be appointed by the President, by and 

13 with the advise and consent of the Senate; 

14 (B) report to the Under Secretary for En15 ergy, Lands, and Minerals; 

16 (C) be paid at the rate payable for level IV 

17 of the Executive Schedule; and 

18 (D) be responsible for ensuring safe and ef19 ficient development of energy and minerals on 

20 the Outer Continental Shelf of the United States; 

21 and 

22 (3) an Assistant Secretary of Land and Minerals 

23 Management, who shall— 

24 (A) be appointed by the President, by and 

25 with the advise and consent of the Senate; 


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1 (B) report to the Under Secretary for En2 ergy, Lands, and Minerals; 

3 (C) be paid at the rate payable for level IV 

4 of the Executive Schedule; and 

5 (D) be responsible for ensuring safe and ef6 ficient development of energy and minerals on 

7 public lands and other Federal onshore lands 

8 under the jurisdiction of the Department of the 

9 Interior, including implementation of the Min10 eral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.) and the 

11 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act 

12 (30 U.S.C. 1201 et seq.) and administration of 

13 the Office of Surface Mining. 

14 SEC. 2. BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY. 

15 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the De16 partment of the Interior a Bureau of Ocean Energy (re17 ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Bureau’’), which shall— 

18 (1) be headed by a Director of Ocean Energy (re19 ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Director’’); and 

20 (2) be administered under the direction of the 

21 Assistant Secretary of Ocean Energy and Safety. 

22 (b) DIRECTOR.— 

23 (1) APPOINTMENT.—The Director shall be ap24 pointed by the Secretary of the Interior. 


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1 (2) COMPENSATION.—The Director shall be com2 pensated at the rate provided for Level V of the Exec3 utive Schedule under section 5316 of title 5, United 

4 States Code. 

5 (c) DUTIES.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior 

7 shall carry out through the Bureau all functions, 

8 powers, and duties vested in the Secretary relating to 

9 the administration of a comprehensive program of off10 shore mineral and renewable energy resources man11 agement. 

12 (2) SPECIFIC AUTHORITIES.—The Director shall 

13 promulgate and implement regulations— 

14 (A) for the proper issuance of leases for the 

15 exploration, development, and production of non16 renewable and renewable energy and mineral re17 sources on the Outer Continental Shelf; 

18 (B) relating to resource identification, ac19 cess, evaluation, and utilization; 

20 (C) for development of leasing plans, lease 

21 sales, and issuance of leases for such resources; 

22 (D) regarding issuance of environmental 

23 impact statements related to leasing and post 

24 leasing activities including exploration, develop25 ment, and production, and the use of third party 


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1 contracting for necessary environmental analysis 

2 for the development of such resources; and 

3 (E) for the processing of exploration plans 

4 and development plans. 

5 (3) LIMITATION.—The Secretary shall not carry 

6 out through the Bureau any function, power, or duty 

7 that is— 

8 (A) required by section 3 to be carried out 

9 through the Ocean Energy Safety Service; or 

10 (B) required by section 4 to be carried out 

11 through the Office of Natural Resources Revenue. 

12 (d) RESPONSIBILITIES OF LAND MANAGEMENT AGEN13 CIES.—Nothing in this section shall affect the authorities 

14 of the Bureau of Land Management under the Federal Land 

15 Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et 

16 seq.) or of the Forest Service under the National Forest 

17 Management Act of 1976 (Public Law 94–588). 

18 SEC. 3. OCEAN ENERGY SAFETY SERVICE. 

19 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the De20 partment of the Interior an Ocean Energy Safety Service 

21 (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Service’’), which shall— 

22 (1) be headed by a Director of Energy Safety (re23 ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Director’’); and 

24 (2) be administered under the direction of the 

25 Assistant Secretary of Ocean Energy and Safety. 


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1 (b) DIRECTOR.— 

2 (1) APPOINTMENT.—The Director shall be ap3 pointed by the Secretary of the Interior. 

4 (2) COMPENSATION.—The Director shall be com5 pensated at the rate provided for Level V of the Exec6 utive Schedule under section 5316 of title 5, United 

7 States Code. 

8 (c) DUTIES.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior 

10 shall carry out through the Service all functions, pow11 ers, and duties vested in the Secretary relating to the 

12 administration of safety and environmental enforce13 ment activities related to offshore mineral and renew14 able energy resources on the Outer Continental Shelf 

15 pursuant to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 

16 (43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.) including the authority to de17 velop, promulgate, and enforce regulations to ensure 

18 the safe and sound exploration, development, and pro19 duction of mineral and renewable energy resources on 

20 the Outer Continental Shelf in a timely fashion. 

21 (2) SPECIFIC AUTHORITIES.—The Director shall 

22 be responsible for all safety activities related to explo23 ration and development of renewable and mineral re24 sources on the Outer Continental Shelf, including— 


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1 (A) exploration, development, production, 

2 and ongoing inspections of infrastructure; 

3 (B) the suspending or prohibiting, on a 

4 temporary basis, any operation or activity, in5 cluding production under leases held on the 

6 Outer Continental Shelf, in accordance with sec7 tion 5(a)(1) of the Outer Continental Shelf 

8 Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1334(a)(1)); 

9 (C) cancelling any lease, permit, or right-of10 way on the Outer Continental Shelf, in accord11 ance with section 5(a)(2) of the Outer Conti12 nental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1334(a)(2)); 

13 (D) compelling compliance with applicable 

14 Federal laws and regulations relating to worker 

15 safety and other matters; 

16 (E) requiring comprehensive safety and en17 vironmental management programs for persons 

18 engaged in activities connected with the explo19 ration, development, and production of mineral 

20 or renewable energy resources; 

21 (F) developing and implementing regula22 tions for Federal employees to carry out any in23 spection or investigation to ascertain compliance 

24 with applicable regulations, including health, 

25 safety, or environmental regulations; 


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1 (G) implementing the Offshore Technology 

2 Research and Risk Assessment Program under 

3 section 21 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands 

4 Act (43 U.S.C. 1347); 

5 (H) summoning witnesses and directing the 

6 production of evidence; 

7 (I) levying fines and penalties and disquali8 fying operators; 

9 (J) carrying out any safety, response, and 

10 removal preparedness functions; and 

11 (K) the processing of permits. 

12 (d) EMPLOYEES.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ensure 

14 that the inspection force of the Bureau consists of 

15 qualified, trained employees who meet qualification 

16 requirements and adhere to the highest professional 

17 and ethical standards. 

18 (2) QUALIFICATIONS.—The qualification require19 ments referred to in paragraph (1)— 

20 (A) shall be determined by the Secretary, 

21 subject to subparagraph (B); and 

22 (B) shall include— 

23 (i) three years of practical experience 

24 in oil and gas exploration, development, or 

25 production; or 


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1 (ii) a degree in an appropriate field of 

2 engineering from an accredited institution 

3 of higher learning. 

4 (3) ASSIGNMENT.—In assigning oil and gas in5 spectors to the inspection and investigation of indi6 vidual operations, the Secretary shall give due consid7 eration to the extent possible to their previous experi8 ence in the particular type of oil and gas operation 

9 in which such inspections are to be made. 

10 (4) BACKGROUND CHECKS.—The Director shall 

11 require that an individual to be hired as an inspec12 tion officer undergo an employment investigation (in13 cluding a criminal history record check). 

14 (5) LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS.—Individuals 

15 hired as inspectors must be able to read, speak, and 

16 write English well enough to— 

17 (A) carry out written and oral instructions 

18 regarding the proper performance of inspection 

19 duties; and 

20 (B) write inspection reports and statements 

21 and log entries in the English language. 

22 (6) ANNUAL PROFICIENCY REVIEW.— 

23 (A) ANNUAL PROFICIENCY REVIEW.—The 

24 Director shall provide that an annual evaluation 


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1 of each individual assigned inspection duties is 

2 conducted and documented. 

3 (B) CONTINUATION OF EMPLOYMENT.—An 

4 individual employed as an inspector may not 

5 continue to be employed in that capacity unless 

6 the evaluation demonstrates that the indi7 vidual— 

8 (i) continues to meet all qualifications 

9 and standards; 

10 (ii) has a satisfactory record of per11 formance and attention to duty based on the 

12 standards and requirements in the inspec13 tion program; and 

14 (iii) demonstrates the current knowl15 edge and skills necessary to courteously, 

16 vigilantly, and effectively perform Inspec17 tion functions. 

18 (7) LIMITATION ON RIGHT TO STRIKE.—Any in19 dividual that conducts permitting or inspections 

20 under this section may not participate in a strike, or 

21 assert the right to strike. 

22 (8) PERSONNEL AUTHORITY.—Notwithstanding 

23 any other provision of law, the Director may employ, 

24 appoint, discipline and terminate for cause, and fix 

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1 ment of Federal service for individuals as the employ2 ees of the Service in order to restore and maintain the 

3 trust of the people of the United States in the ac4 countability of the management of our Nation’s en5 ergy safety program. 

6 (9) TRAINING ACADEMY.— 

7 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall es8 tablish and maintain a National Offshore En9 ergy Health and Safety Academy (referred to in 

10 this paragraph as the ‘‘Academy’’) as an agency 

11 of the Ocean Energy Safety Service. 

12 (B) FUNCTIONS OF ACADEMY.—The Sec13 retary, through the Academy, shall be responsible 

14 for— 

15 (i) the initial and continued training 

16 of both newly hired and experienced offshore 

17 oil and gas inspectors in all aspects of 

18 health, safety, environmental, and oper19 ational inspections; 

20 (ii) the training of technical support 

21 personnel of the Bureau; 

22 (iii) any other training programs for 

23 offshore oil and gas inspectors, Bureau per24 sonnel, Department personnel, or other per25 sons as the Secretary shall designate; and 


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1 (iv) certification of the successful com2 pletion of training programs for newly 

3 hired and experienced offshore oil and gas 

4 inspectors. 

5 (C) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 

6 (i) IN GENERAL.—In performing func7 tions under this paragraph, and subject to 

8 clause (ii), the Secretary may enter into co9 operative educational and training agree10 ments with educational institutions, related 

11 Federal academies, other Federal agencies, 

12 State governments, safety training firms, 

13 and oil and gas operators and related in14 dustries. 

15 (ii) TRAINING REQUIREMENT.—Such 

16 training shall be conducted by the Academy 

17 in accordance with curriculum needs and 

18 assignment of instructional personnel estab19 lished by the Secretary. 

20 (10) USE OF DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL.—In per21 forming functions under this subsection, the Secretary 

22 shall use, to the extent practicable, the facilities and 

23 personnel of the Department of the Interior. The Sec24 retary may appoint or assign to the Academy such of25 ficers and employees as the Secretary considers necVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:01 Jul 18, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H3404.RH H3404

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1 essary for the performance of the duties and functions 

2 of the Academy. 

3 (11) ADDITIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMS.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall work 

5 with appropriate educational institutions, opera6 tors, and representatives of oil and gas workers 

7 to develop and maintain adequate programs 

8 with educational institutions and oil and gas op9 erators that are designed— 

10 (i) to enable persons to qualify for po11 sitions in the administration of this Act; 

12 and 

13 (ii) to provide for the continuing edu14 cation of inspectors or other appropriate 

15 Department of the Interior personnel. 

16 (B) FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL ASSIST17 ANCE.—The Secretary may provide financial 

18 and technical assistance to educational institu19 tions in carrying out this paragraph. 

20 (e) LIMITATION.—The Secretary shall not carry out 

21 through the Service any function, power, or duty that is— 

22 (1) required by section 2 to be carried out 

23 through Bureau of Ocean Energy; or 

24 (2) required by section 4 to be carried out 

25 through the Office of Natural Resources Revenue. 


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1 SEC. 4. OFFICE OF NATURAL RESOURCES REVENUE. 

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the De3 partment of the Interior an Office of Natural Resources 

4 Revenue (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Office’’) to be 

5 headed by a Director of Natural Resources Revenue (re6 ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Director’’). 

7 (b) APPOINTMENT AND COMPENSATION.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall be ap9 pointed by the Secretary of the Interior. 

10 (2) COMPENSATION.—The Director shall be com11 pensated at the rate provided for Level V of the Exec12 utive Schedule under section 5316 of title 5, United 

13 States Code. 

14 (c) DUTIES.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior 

16 shall carry out, through the Office, all functions, pow17 ers, and duties vested in the Secretary and relating 

18 to the administration of offshore royalty and revenue 

19 management functions. 

20 (2) SPECIFIC AUTHORITIES.—The Secretary 

21 shall carry out, through the Office, all functions, pow22 ers, and duties previously assigned to the Minerals 

23 Management Service (including the authority to de24 velop, promulgate, and enforce regulations) regarding 

25 offshore royalty and revenue collection; royalty and 

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1 tigation and enforcement of royalty and revenue regu2 lations; and asset management for onshore and off3 shore activities. 

4 (d) LIMITATION.—The Secretary shall not carry out 

5 through the Office any function, power, or duty that is— 

6 (1) required by section 2 to be carried out 

7 through Bureau of Ocean Energy; or 

8 (2) required by section 3 to be carried out 

9 through the Ocean Energy Safety Service. 

10 SEC. 5. ETHICS AND DRUG TESTING. 

11 (a) CERTIFICATION.—The Secretary of the Interior 

12 shall certify annually that all Department of the Interior 

13 officers and employees having regular, direct contact with 

14 lessees, contractors, concessionaires, and other businesses in15 terested before the Government as a function of their official 

16 duties, or conducting investigations, issuing permits, or re17 sponsible for oversight of energy programs, are in full com18 pliance with all Federal employee ethics laws and regula19 tions under the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. 

20 App.) and part 2635 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, 

21 and all guidance issued under subsection (c). 

22 (b) DRUG TESTING.—The Secretary shall conduct a 

23 random drug testing program of all Department of the Inte24 rior personnel referred to in subsection (a). 


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1 (c) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

2 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue supple3 mentary ethics and drug testing guidance for the employees 

4 for which certification is required under subsection (a). The 

5 Secretary shall update the supplementary ethics guidance 

6 not less than once every 3 years thereafter. 

7 SEC. 6. ABOLISHMENT OF MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERV8 ICE. 

9 (a) ABOLISHMENT.—The Minerals Management Serv10 ice is abolished. 

11 (b) COMPLETED ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Completed administrative ac13 tions of the Minerals Management Service shall not be 

14 affected by the enactment of this Act, but shall con15 tinue in effect according to their terms until amend16 ed, modified, superseded, terminated, set aside, or re17 voked in accordance with law by an officer of the 

18 United States or a court of competent jurisdiction, or 

19 by operation of law. 

20 (2) COMPLETED ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION DE21 FINED.—For purposes of paragraph (1), the term 

22 ‘‘completed administrative action’’ includes orders, 

23 determinations, memoranda of understanding, memo24 randa of agreements, rules, regulations, personnel acVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:01 Jul 18, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H3404.RH H3404

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1 tions, permits, agreements, grants, contracts, certifi2 cates, licenses, registrations, and privileges. 

3 (c) PENDING PROCEEDINGS.—Subject to the authority 

4 of the Secretary of the Interior and the officers of the De5 partment of the Interior under this Act— 

6 (1) pending proceedings in the Minerals Manage7 ment Service, including notices of proposed rule8 making, and applications for licenses, permits, cer9 tificates, grants, and financial assistance, shall con10 tinue, notwithstanding the enactment of this Act or 

11 the vesting of functions of the Service in another 

12 agency, unless discontinued or modified under the 

13 same terms and conditions and to the same extent 

14 that such discontinuance or modification could have 

15 occurred if this Act had not been enacted; and 

16 (2) orders issued in such proceedings, and ap17 peals therefrom, and payments made pursuant to 

18 such orders, shall issue in the same manner and on 

19 the same terms as if this Act had not been enacted, 

20 and any such orders shall continue in effect until 

21 amended, modified, superseded, terminated, set aside, 

22 or revoked by an officer of the United States or a 

23 court of competent jurisdiction, or by operation of 

24 law. 


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1 (d) PENDING CIVIL ACTIONS.—Subject to the authority 

2 of the Secretary of the Interior or any officer of the Depart3 ment of the Interior under this Act, pending civil actions 

4 shall continue notwithstanding the enactment of this Act, 

5 and in such civil actions, proceedings shall be had, appeals 

6 taken, and judgments rendered and enforced in the same 

7 manner and with the same effect as if such enactment had 

8 not occurred. 

9 (e) REFERENCES.—References relating to the Minerals 

10 Management Service in statutes, Executive orders, rules, 

11 regulations, directives, or delegations of authority that pre12 cede the effective date of this Act are deemed to refer, as 

13 appropriate, to the Department, to its officers, employees, 

14 or agents, or to its corresponding organizational units or 

15 functions. Statutory reporting requirements that applied in 

16 relation to the Minerals Management Service immediately 

17 before the effective date of this Act shall continue to apply. 

18 SEC. 7. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS TO EXECUTIVE SCHED19 ULE PAY RATES. 

20 (a) UNDER SECRETARY FOR ENERGY, LANDS, AND

21 MINERALS.—Section 5314 of title 5, United States Code, 

22 is amended by inserting after the item relating to ‘‘Under 

23 Secretaries of the Treasury (3)’’ the following: 

24 ‘‘Under Secretary for Energy, Lands, and Min25 erals, Department of the Interior.’’. 


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1 (b) ASSISTANT SECRETARIES.—Section 5315 of title 5, 

2 United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘Assistant Sec3 retaries of the Interior (6).’’ and inserting the following: 

4 ‘‘Assistant Secretaries, Department of the Inte5 rior (7).’’. 

6 (c) DIRECTORS.—Section 5316 of title 5, United States 

7 Code, is amended by striking ‘‘Director, Bureau of Mines, 

8 Department of the Interior.’’ and inserting the following 

9 new items: 

10 ‘‘Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy, Department 

11 of the Interior. 

12 ‘‘Director, Ocean Energy Safety Service, Depart13 ment of the Interior. 

14 ‘‘Director, Office of Natural Resources Revenue, 

15 Department of the Interior.’’. 

16 SEC. 8. OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF ENERGY SAFETY ADVI17 SORY BOARD. 

18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of the Interior 

19 shall establish, under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 

20 an Outer Continental Shelf Energy Safety Advisory Board 

21 (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Board’’)— 

22 (1) to provide the Secretary and the Directors es23 tablished by this Act with independent scientific and 

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1 eral and renewable energy exploration, development, 

2 and production activities; and 

3 (2) to review operations of the National Offshore 

4 Energy Health and Safety Academy established under 

5 section 3(d), including submitting to the Secretary 

6 recommendations of curriculum to ensure training 

7 scientific and technical advancements. 

8 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

9 (1) SIZE.—The Board shall consist of not more 

10 than 11 members, who— 

11 (A) shall be appointed by the Secretary 

12 based on their expertise in oil and gas drilling, 

13 well design, operations, well containment and oil 

14 spill response; and 

15 (B) must have significant scientific, engi16 neering, management, and other credentials and 

17 a history of working in the field related to safe 

18 energy exploration, development, and production 

19 activities. 

20 (2) CONSULTATION AND NOMINATIONS.—The Sec21 retary shall consult with the National Academy of 

22 Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering to 

23 identify potential candidates for the Board and shall 

24 take nominations from the public. 


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1 (3) TERM.—The Secretary shall appoint Board 

2 members to staggered terms of not more than 4 years, 

3 and shall not appoint a member for more than 2 con4 secutive terms. 

5 (4) BALANCE.—In appointing members to the 

6 Board, the Secretary shall ensure a balanced rep7 resentation of industry and research interests. 

8 (c) CHAIR.—The Secretary shall appoint the Chair for 

9 the Board from among its members. 

10 (d) MEETINGS.—The Board shall meet not less than 

11 3 times per year and shall host, at least once per year, a 

12 public forum to review and assess the overall energy safety 

13 performance of Outer Continental Shelf mineral and renew14 able energy resource activities. 

15 (e) OFFSHORE DRILLING SAFETY ASSESSMENTS AND

16 RECOMMENDATIONS.—As part of its duties under this sec17 tion, the Board shall, by not later than 180 days after the 

18 date of enactment of this section and every 5 years there19 after, submit to the Secretary a report that— 

20 (1) assesses offshore oil and gas well control tech21 nologies, practices, voluntary standards, and regula22 tions in the United States and elsewhere; and 

23 (2) as appropriate, recommends modifications to 

24 the regulations issued under this Act to ensure ade25 quate protection of safety and the environment, inVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:01 Jul 18, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H3404.RH H3404

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1 cluding recommendations on how to reduce regula2 tions and administrative actions that are duplicative 

3 or unnecessary. 

4 (f) REPORTS.—Reports of the Board shall be submitted 

5 by the Board to the Committee on Natural Resources of the 

6 House or Representatives and the Committee on Energy 

7 and Natural Resources of the Senate and made available 

8 to the public in electronically accessible form. 

9 (g) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Members of the Board, other 

10 than full-time employees of the Federal Government, while 

11 attending meeting of the Board or while otherwise serving 

12 at the request of the Secretary or the Director while serving 

13 away from their homes or regular places of business, may 

14 be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 

15 subsistence, as authorized by section 5703 of title 5, United 

16 States Code, for individuals in the Government serving 

17 without pay. 

18 SEC. 9. VETERANS PREFERENCE. 

19 Consistent with existing law, the Under Secretary for 

20 Energy, Lands, and Minerals shall, in administering the 

21 programs and authorities referenced under this Act, provide 

22 a hiring preference to eligible members listed under section 

23 2108 of title 5, United States Code. 


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Union Calendar No. 436 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 3404 

[Report No. 112–601] 

A BILL 

To establish in the Department of the Interior an 

Resources Revenue, and for other purposes. Energy Safety Service, and an Office of Natural erals and a Bureau of Ocean Energy, an Ocean Under Secretary for Energy, Lands, and MinJULY 17, 2012 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


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