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 Enforce-
ment 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 environ-
mental risks associated with decommissioning, 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 Pipeline Safe-
ty Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINALIZATION OF REGULATIONS RELATED TO OFF-
SHORE PIPELINES. 
Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior, acting through 
the Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental 
Enforcement, shall issue final regulations relating to Oil 
and Gas and Sulphur Operations in the Outer Continental 
Shelf—Pipelines and Pipeline Rights-of-Way (72 Fed. 
Reg. 56,442 (Oct. 3, 2007)). Such regulations shall re-
quire owners of oil and gas pipelines subject to such regu-
lations— 
(1) to provide for internal and external inspec-
tions of pipelines by a third-party no less frequently 
than every two years, unless the Director of the Bu-
reau determines that any such inspection is not re-
quired; and 
(2) to equip such pipelines with a leak detection 
system or device that provides continuous volumetric 
comparison between the pipeline’s product input and 
output and includes alarms and adequate sensitivity 
to detect variations between input and discharge vol-
umes to enable any leaks from the pipeline to be de-
tected as quickly as possible. 
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SEC. 3. ADDRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS OF DECOM-
MISSIONING PIPELINES. 
(a) STUDY ON ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS OF DECOM-
MISSIONING PIPELINES VERSUS REMOVING PIPELINES.— 
(1) STUDY.—The Directors of the Bureau of 
Safety and Environmental Enforcement and the Bu-
reau of Ocean Energy Management shall jointly con-
duct a study to evaluate the environmental risks as-
sociated with decommissioning oil and gas pipelines 
in place on the sea floor compared to removing such 
pipelines. Such study shall include— 
(A) an evaluation of pipelines that have 
been decommissioned in place, identifying de-
commissioned pipelines at high-risk of causing 
safety and environmental harm, causing ob-
structions, or otherwise unduly interfering with 
present or future uses of the outer continental 
shelf; and 
(B) recommendations on the best uses of 
the revenues generated by the annual pipelines 
fees as authorized by subsection (d). 
(2) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Directors shall 
transmit a report to the Committee on Natural Re-
sources of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
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Senate, detailing the findings and determinations of 
the study, including any recommendations for legis-
lation. 
(b) REQUIRED CONSIDERATIONS IN REVIEWING DE-
COMMISSIONING APPLICATIONS.—In determining whether 
to permit an owner to decommission an oil or gas pipeline, 
the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, 
shall fully consider whether the offshore oil and gas pipe-
line constitutes a hazard to navigation and commercial 
fishing operations, unduly interferes with other uses of the 
outer continental shelf, or has adverse environmental ef-
fects. 
(c) ONGOING MONITORING
OF DECOMMISSIONED 
PIPELINES.—The Bureau of Safety and Environmental 
Enforcement shall continually monitor the condition and 
location of all oil and gas pipelines that have been decom-
missioned and remain in place, and shall maintain all rel-
evant records of such monitoring. 
(d) ANNUAL PIPELINE OWNERS FEE.—Not later 
than 180 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Bu-
reau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement shall issue 
regulations to assess an annual fee on owners of offshore 
oil and gas pipelines for the purpose of providing the Bu-
reau with funds to decommission or remove such pipelines 
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