I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1520 
To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to require that oil and 
gas drilling and production operations on the outer Continental Shelf 
must have in place the best available technology for blowout preventers 
and emergency shutoff equipment, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 13, 2011 
Mr. INSLEE (for himself, Mr. REICHERT, and Mr. YOUNG of Florida) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 
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 require 
that oil and gas drilling and production operations on 
the outer Continental Shelf must have in place the best 
available technology for blowout preventers and emer-
gency shutoff equipment, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Offshore Drilling Safe-
ty Improvement Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. EMERGENCY SHUTOFF SAFETY REQUIREMENTS. 
(a) REQUIREMENTS.—Section 21(b) of the Outer 
Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1347(b)) is 
amended— 
(1) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ after ‘‘(b)’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(2)(A) The Secretary shall issue regulations that re-
quire, notwithstanding paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(i) that all oil and gas drilling and production 
operations on the outer Continental Shelf have safe-
ty and environmental management systems in place 
including blowout preventers and additional backup 
emergency shutoff equipment such as acoustic shut- 
off technology; and 
‘‘(ii) that such equipment use the best available 
and safest technologies. 
‘‘(B) In issuing regulations under this paragraph, the 
Secretary shall, based upon information provided by the 
Secretary of Energy pursuant to section 203(a)(12) of the 
Department of Energy Organization Act and other infor-
mation available to the Secretary— 
‘‘(i) incorporate safety technology information 
from independent scientists and experts, academic 
institutions, and from technology used internation-
ally; and 
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‘‘(ii) consider the need for different technology 
requirements in different environments and depths. 
‘‘(C) Regulations issued under this paragraph— 
‘‘(i) shall apply to all new oil and gas drilling 
and production operations; and 
‘‘(ii) shall apply to all existing and gas drilling 
and production operations upon the expiration of the 
6-month period beginning on the date of the 
issuance of the regulations. 
‘‘(D) Every 5 years after the date of the issuance of 
regulations under this paragraph, the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(i) review blowout preventer and emergency 
shutoff equipment technology; and 
‘‘(ii) revise the regulations as necessary to re-
quire use of the best available technology in accord-
ance with this paragraph.’’. 
(b) DEADLINE.—The Secretary of the Interior shall 
issue regulations under the amendment made by sub-
section (a) by not later than 6 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 3. BEST AVAILABLE AND SAFEST TECHNOLOGY. 
Section 203 of the Department of Energy Organiza-
tion Act (42 U.S.C. 7133) is amended by adding at the 
end of subsection (a) the following new paragraph: 
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‘‘(12) Offshore oil and gas exploration and pro-
duction best available and safest technology identi-
fication, including— 
‘‘(A) surveying industry practices and reg-
ulatory requirements both domestically and 
internationally; 
‘‘(B) identifying technology currently in 
use as well as technology that is not in wide-
spread use, but could be adopted for widespread 
use on a near-term basis; and 
‘‘(C) providing such information regarding 
the best available and safest technology to the 
Secretary of Interior in a timely fashion for use 
in the implementation of the Outer Continental 
Shelf Lands Act.’’. 
Æ 
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