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‘‘(2) ENGINEERING
REVIEW
REQUIRED.—The 
Secretary may not grant any drilling permit or 
modification of the permit prior to completion of a 
full engineering review of the well system, including 
a determination that critical safety systems, includ-
ing blowout prevention, will utilize best available 
technology and that blowout prevention systems will 
include redundancy and remote triggering capability. 
‘‘(3) OPERATOR SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL 
MANAGEMENT REQUIRED.—The Secretary shall not 
grant any drilling permit or modification of the per-
mit prior to completion of a safety and environ-
mental management plan to be utilized by the oper-
ator during all well operations.’’. 
(e) EXPLORATION PERMIT REQUIREMENTS.—Sec-
tion 11(g) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 
U.S.C. 1340(g)) is amended by— 
(1) striking ‘‘shall be issued’’ and inserting 
‘‘may be issued’’; 
(2) inserting ‘‘and after consultation with the 
Secretary of Commerce,’’ after ‘‘in accordance with 
regulations issued by the Secretary’’; 
(3) striking the ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 
(2); 
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(4) in paragraph (3) striking ‘‘will not be un-
duly harmful to’’ and inserting ‘‘is not likely to 
harm’’; 
(5) striking the period at the end of paragraph 
(3) and inserting a semicolon; and 
(6) adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) the exploration will be conducted in ac-
cordance with other applicable environmental and 
natural resource conservation laws; 
‘‘(5) in the case of geophysical surveys, the ap-
plicant will use the best available technologies and 
methods to minimize impacts on marine life; and 
‘‘(6) in the case of drilling operations, the appli-
cant has available oil spill response and clean-up 
equipment and technology that has been dem-
onstrated to be capable of effectively remediating a 
worst-case release of oil.’’. 
(f) ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
OF PLANS; DEEP-
WATER PLAN; PLAN DISAPPROVAL.—Section 11 of the 
Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1340) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(i) ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW OF PLANS.—The Sec-
retary shall treat the approval of an exploration plan, or 
a significant revision of such a plan, as an agency action 
requiring preparation of an environmental assessment or 
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environmental impact statement in accordance with the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
4321 et seq.), and shall require that such plan— 
‘‘(1) be based on the best available technology 
to ensure safety in carrying out both the drilling of 
the well and any oil spill response; and 
‘‘(2) contain a technical systems analysis of the 
safety of the proposed activity, the blowout preven-
tion technology, and the blowout and spill response 
plans. 
‘‘(j) DISAPPROVAL OF PLAN.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall dis-
approve the plan if the Secretary determines, be-
cause of exceptional geological conditions in the 
lease areas, exceptional resource values in the ma-
rine or coastal environment, or other exceptional cir-
cumstances, that— 
‘‘(A) implementation of the plan would 
probably cause serious harm or damage to life 
(including fish and other aquatic life), to prop-
erty, to any mineral deposits (in areas leased or 
not leased), to the national security or defense, 
or to the marine, coastal, or human environ-
ments; 
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‘‘(B) the threat of harm or damage will 
not disappear or decrease to an acceptable ex-
tent within a reasonable period of time; and 
‘‘(C) the advantages of disapproving the 
plan outweigh the advantages of exploration. 
‘‘(2) CANCELLATION
OF
LEASE
FOR
DIS-
APPROVAL OF PLAN.—If a plan is disapproved under 
this subsection, the Secretary may cancel such lease 
in accordance with subsection (c)(1) of this sec-
tion.’’. 
SEC. 209. OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF LEASING PROGRAM. 
Section 18 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 
(43 U.S.C. 1344) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a) in the second sentence by 
striking ‘‘meet national energy needs’’ and inserting 
‘‘balance national energy needs and the protection of 
the marine and coastal environment and all the re-
sources in that environment,’’; 
(2) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘considers’’ 
and inserting ‘‘gives equal consideration to’’; 
(3) in subsection (a)(2)(A)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘existing’’ and inserting 
‘‘the best available scientific’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘, including at least three 
consecutive years of data’’ after ‘‘information’’; 
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(4) in subsection (a)(2)(D), by inserting ‘‘po-
tential and existing sites of renewable energy instal-
lations,’’ after ‘‘deepwater ports,’’; 
(5) in subsection (a)(2)(H), by inserting ‘‘in-
cluding the availability of infrastructure to support 
oil spill response’’ before the period; 
(6) in subsection (a)(3), by— 
(A) striking ‘‘to the maximum extent prac-
ticable,’’; 
(B) striking ‘‘obtain a proper balance be-
tween’’ and inserting ‘‘minimize’’; and 
(C) striking ‘‘damage,’’ and all that follows 
through the period and inserting ‘‘damage and 
adverse impacts on the marine, coastal, and 
human environments, and enhancing the poten-
tial for the discovery of oil and gas.’’; 
(7) in subsection (b)(1), by inserting ‘‘environ-
mental, marine, and energy’’ after ‘‘obtain’’; 
(8) in subsection (b)(2), by inserting ‘‘environ-
mental, marine, and’’ after ‘‘interpret the’’; 
(9) in subsection (b)(3), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 
the semicolon at the end; 
(10) by striking the period at the end of sub-
section (b)(4) and inserting a semicolon; 
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(11) by adding at the end of subsection (b) the 
following: 
‘‘(5) provide technical review and oversight of 
exploration plans and a systems review of the safety 
of well designs and other operational decisions; 
‘‘(6) conduct regular and thorough safety re-
views and inspections; and 
‘‘(7) enforce all applicable laws and regula-
tions.’’; 
(12) in the first sentence of subsection (c)(1), 
by inserting ‘‘the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration and’’ after ‘‘including’’; 
(13) in subsection (c)(2)— 
(A) by inserting after the first sentence the 
following: ‘‘The Secretary shall also submit a 
copy of such proposed program to the head of 
each Federal agency referred to in, or that oth-
erwise provided suggestions under, paragraph 
(1).’’; 
(B) in the third sentence, by inserting ‘‘or 
head of a Federal agency’’ after ‘‘such Gov-
ernor’’; and 
(C) in the fourth sentence, by inserting ‘‘or 
between the Secretary and the head of a Fed-
eral agency,’’ after ‘‘affected State,’’; 
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(14) by redesignating subsection (c)(3) as sub-
section (c)(4) and by inserting before subsection 
(c)(4) (as so redesignated) the following: 
‘‘(3) At least 60 days prior to the publication of a 
proposed leasing program under this section, the Sec-
retary shall request a review by the Secretary of Com-
merce of the proposed leasing program with respect to im-
pacts on the marine and coastal environments. If the Sec-
retary rejects or modifies any of the recommendations 
made by the Secretary of Commerce concerning the loca-
tion, timing, or conduct of leasing activities under the pro-
posed leasing program, the Secretary shall provide in writ-
ing justification for rejecting or modifying such rec-
ommendations.’’. 
(15) in the second sentence of subsection 
(d)(2), by inserting ‘‘, the head of a Federal agen-
cy,’’ after ‘‘Attorney General’’; 
(16) in subsection (g), by inserting after the 
first sentence the following: ‘‘Such information may 
include existing inventories and mapping of marine 
resources previously undertaken by the Department 
of the Interior and the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration, information provided by the 
Department of Defense, and other available data re-
garding energy or mineral resource potential, navi-
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gation uses, fisheries, aquaculture uses, recreational 
uses, habitat, conservation, and military uses on the 
outer Continental Shelf.’’; and 
(17) by adding at the end the following new 
subsection: 
‘‘(i) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.—The Secretary 
shall carry out a program of research and development 
to ensure the continued improvement of methodologies for 
characterizing resources of the outer Continental Shelf 
and conditions that may affect the ability to develop and 
use those resources in a safe, sound, and environmentally 
responsible manner. Such research and development ac-
tivities may include activities to provide accurate estimates 
of energy and mineral reserves and potential on the Outer 
Continental Shelf and any activities that may assist in fill-
ing gaps in environmental data needed to develop each 
leasing program under this section.’’. 
SEC. 210. ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES. 
(a) INFORMATION NEEDED FOR ASSESSMENT AND 
MANAGEMENT
OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS.—Section 
20 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 
1346) is amended by striking so much as precedes ‘‘of 
any area’’ in subsection (a)(1) and inserting the following: 
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‘‘SEC. 20. ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES. 
‘‘(a)(1) The Secretary, in cooperation with the Sec-
retary of Commerce, shall conduct a study no less than 
once every three years’’. 
(b) IMPACTS OF DEEP WATER SPILLS.—Section 20 
of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 
1346) is amended by— 
(1) redesignating subsections (c) through (f) as 
(d) through (g); and 
(2) inserting after subsection (b) the following 
new subsection: 
‘‘(c) The Secretary shall conduct research to identify 
and reduce data gaps related to impacts of deepwater hy-
drocarbon spills, including— 
‘‘(1) effects to benthic substrate communities 
and species; 
‘‘(2) water column habitats and species; 
‘‘(3) surface and coastal impacts from spills 
originating in deep waters; and 
‘‘(4) the use of dispersants.’’. 
SEC. 211. SAFETY REGULATIONS. 
Section 21 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 
(43 U.S.C. 1347) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘Upon the 
date of enactment of this section,’’ and inserting 
‘‘Within 6 months after the date of enactment of the 
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Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments of 
2010 and every three years thereafter,’’; 
(2) in subsection (b) by— 
(A) striking ‘‘for the artificial islands, in-
stallations, and other devices referred to in sec-
tion 4(a)(1) of’’ and inserting ‘‘under’’; 
(B) striking ‘‘which the Secretary deter-
mines to be economically feasible’’; and 
(C) adding at the end ‘‘Not later than 6 
months after the date of enactment of the 
Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amend-
ments of 2010 and every 3 years thereafter, the 
Secretary shall, in consultation with the Outer 
Continental Shelf Safety and Environmental 
Advisory Board established under title I of the 
Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Re-
sources Act of 2010, identify and publish an 
updated list of (1) the best available tech-
nologies for key areas of well design and oper-
ation, including blowout prevention and blowout 
and oil spill response and (2) technology needs 
for which the Secretary intends to identify best 
available technologies in the future.’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(g) SAFETY CASE.—Not later than 6 months after 
the date of enactment of the Outer Continental Shelf 
Lands Act Amendments of 2010, the Secretary shall pro-
mulgate regulations requiring a safety case be submitted 
along with each new application for a permit to drill on 
the outer Continental Shelf. Not later than 5 years after 
the date final regulations promulgated under this sub-
section go into effect, and not less than every 5 years 
thereafter, the Secretary shall enter into an arrangement 
with the National Academy of Engineering to conduct a 
study to assess the effectiveness of these regulations and 
to recommend improvements in their administration. 
‘‘(h) OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND RISK 
ASSESSMENT PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry 
out a program of research, development, and risk as-
sessment to address technology and development 
issues associated with exploration for, and develop-
ment and production of, energy and mineral re-
sources on the outer Continental Shelf, with the pri-
mary purpose of informing its role relating to safety, 
environmental protection, and spill response. 
‘‘(2) SPECIFIC
FOCUS
AREAS.—The program 
under this subsection shall include research and de-
velopment related to— 
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