I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2643 

To require the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to further 

develop, finalize, and implement updated regulations for offshore oil 

and gas pipelines to address long-standing limitations regarding its ability 

to ensure active pipeline integrity and address safety and environmental 

risks associated with decommissioning, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 19, 2021 

Ms. BROWNLEY (for herself, Mr. GRIJALVA, and Mr. LOWENTHAL) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To require the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to further develop, finalize, and implement updated 

regulations for offshore oil and gas pipelines to address 

long-standing limitations regarding its ability to ensure 

active pipeline integrity and address safety and environmental risks associated with decommissioning, and for 

other purposes. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Offshore Pipeline Safe5 ty Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINALIZATION OF REGULATIONS RELATED TO OFF2 SHORE PIPELINES. 

3 Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment 

4 of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior, acting through 

5 the Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental 

6 Enforcement, shall issue final regulations relating to Oil 

7 and Gas and Sulphur Operations in the Outer Continental 

8 Shelf—Pipelines and Pipeline Rights-of-Way (72 Fed. 

9 Reg. 56,442 (Oct. 3, 2007)). Such regulations shall re10 quire owners of oil and gas pipelines subject to such regu11 lations— 

12 (1) to provide for internal and external inspec13 tions of pipelines by a third-party no less frequently 

14 than every two years, unless the Director of the Bu15 reau determines that any such inspection is not re16 quired; and 

17 (2) to equip such pipelines with a leak detection 

18 system or device that provides continuous volumetric 

19 comparison between the pipeline’s product input and 

20 output and includes alarms and adequate sensitivity 

21 to detect variations between input and discharge vol22 umes to enable any leaks from the pipeline to be de23 tected as quickly as possible. 


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1 SEC. 3. ADDRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS OF DECOM2 MISSIONING PIPELINES. 

3 (a) STUDY ON ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS OF DECOM4 MISSIONING PIPELINES VERSUS REMOVING PIPELINES.— 

5 (1) STUDY.—The Directors of the Bureau of 

6 Safety and Environmental Enforcement and the Bu7 reau of Ocean Energy Management shall jointly con8 duct a study to evaluate the environmental risks as9 sociated with decommissioning oil and gas pipelines 

10 in place on the sea floor compared to removing such 

11 pipelines. Such study shall include— 

12 (A) an evaluation of pipelines that have 

13 been decommissioned in place, identifying de14 commissioned pipelines at high-risk of causing 

15 safety and environmental harm, causing ob16 structions, or otherwise unduly interfering with 

17 present or future uses of the outer continental 

18 shelf; and 

19 (B) recommendations on the best uses of 

20 the revenues generated by the annual pipelines 

21 fees as authorized by subsection (d). 

22 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after 

23 the date of enactment of this Act, the Directors shall 

24 transmit a report to the Committee on Natural Re25 sources of the House of Representatives and the 

26 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 


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1 Senate, detailing the findings and determinations of 

2 the study, including any recommendations for legis3 lation. 

4 (b) REQUIRED CONSIDERATIONS IN REVIEWING DE5 COMMISSIONING APPLICATIONS.—In determining whether 

6 to permit an owner to decommission an oil or gas pipeline, 

7 the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, 

8 shall fully consider whether the offshore oil and gas pipe9 line constitutes a hazard to navigation and commercial 

10 fishing operations, unduly interferes with other uses of the 

11 outer continental shelf, or has adverse environmental ef12 fects. 

13 (c) ONGOING MONITORING OF DECOMMISSIONED

14 PIPELINES.—The Bureau of Safety and Environmental 

15 Enforcement shall continually monitor the condition and 

16 location of all oil and gas pipelines that have been decom17 missioned and remain in place, and shall maintain all rel18 evant records of such monitoring. 

19 (d) ANNUAL PIPELINE OWNERS FEE.—Not later 

20 than 180 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Bu21 reau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement shall issue 

22 regulations to assess an annual fee on owners of offshore 

23 oil and gas pipelines for the purpose of providing the Bu24 reau with funds to decommission or remove such pipelines 


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1 in the event an owner files for bankruptcy. Such fee shall 

2 be no less than— 

3 (1) $10,000 per mile for such pipelines in water 

4 with a depth of 500 feet or greater; and 

5 (2) $1,000 per mile for pipelines in water depth 

6 of under 500 feet. 

7 SEC. 4. REQUIREMENT RELATING TO EXPOSED SEGMENTS 

8 OF OFFSHORE PIPELINES. 

9 If the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforce10 ment identifies any exposed segment of any active or de11 commissioned pipeline, the Bureau shall either remove the 

12 pipeline from the ocean or ensure it is properly decommis13 sioned and does not pose a threat. If a segment of any 

14 active pipeline is exposed or shifts, the Bureau shall re15 secure such segment to the sea floor. 

16 SEC. 5. COMPLETION OF STUDY RELATING TO ENVIRON17 MENT RISKS OF CHEMICAL PRODUCTS USED 

18 IN OIL AND GAS OPERATIONS. 

19 (a) COMPLETION OF STUDY.—The Bureau of Safety 

20 and Environmental Enforcement shall complete a study 

21 addressing the risks to the environment of chemical prod22 ucts used in oil and gas operations including umbilical 

23 lines. In conducting the study, the Bureau shall seek input 

24 from chemical suppliers and the oil and gas industry. 


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1 (b) REPORT.—Not later than two years after the date 

2 of enactment of this Act, the Bureau shall transmit a re3 port of the findings and determinations in such study to 

4 Congress, including any recommendations for legislation. 

Æ 


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