I 

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. 

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 Installation 

5 Emergency Evacuation Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. MANNED EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND RESCUE VES2 SELS AT OCS INSTALLATIONS. 

3 Section 21(c) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands 

4 Act (43 U.S.C. 1347(c)) is amended by designating the 

5 existing text as paragraph (1) and adding at the end 

6 thereof the following new paragraph: 

7 ‘‘(2) EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND RESCUE VES8 SELS.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the 

10 department in which the Coast Guard is oper11 ating shall, within 180 days after the date of 

12 enactment of the Offshore Installation Emer13 gency Evacuation Act, promulgate regulations 

14 requiring that a manned Emergency Response 

15 and Rescue Vessel must be located within 3 

16 blocks of every manned outer Continental Shelf 

17 facility or mobile offshore drilling unit, as fol18 lows: 

19 ‘‘(i) In the case of such a facility or 

20 unit being used for deep water drilling op21 erations, the Emergency Response and 

22 Rescue Vessel must be so located at all 

23 times. 

24 ‘‘(ii) In the case of such a facility or 

25 unit being used for shallow water drilling 

26 operations, the Emergency Response and 


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1 Rescue Vessel must be so located at all 

2 times when workers on the facility or unit 

3 are performing drilling, plugging, aban4 doning, or construction operations. 

5 ‘‘(B) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph: 

6 ‘‘(i) The term ‘block’ means an area 

7 of the outer Continental Shelf that has 

8 been appropriately platted for leasing in 

9 accordance with section 256.8 of title 30, 

10 Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect 

11 on the date of enactment of the Offshore 

12 Installation Emergency Evacuation Act. 

13 ‘‘(ii) The term ‘deep water drilling op14 eration’ means any drilling operation con15 ducted in 500 feet of water or more. 

16 ‘‘(iii) The term ‘Emergency Response 

17 and Rescue Vessel’ means a standby vessel 

18 that meets the requirements of subpart E 

19 of part 143 of title 33, Code of Federal 

20 Regulations, as in effect on the date of en21 actment of the Offshore Installation Emer22 gency Evacuation Act. 


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1 ‘‘(iv) The term ‘shallow water drilling 

2 operation’ means any drilling operation in 

3 no more than 500 feet of water.’’. 

Æ 


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