‘‘(C) SMALL
PRODUCERS.—Awards from 
allocations under section 999H(d)(3) shall be 
made to consortia consisting of small producers 
or organized primarily for the benefit of small 
producers, and shall focus on areas that in-
clude— 
‘‘(i) safety and accident prevention, 
environmental mitigation, waste reduction, 
reduction of energy use, and well control 
and systems integrity; 
‘‘(ii) complex geology involving rapid 
changes in the type and quality of the oil 
and gas reserves across the reservoir; 
‘‘(iii) low reservoir pressure and un-
conventional natural gas reservoirs in coal-
beds, deep reservoirs, tight sands, or 
shales; and 
‘‘(iv) advancing energy efficient, safe, 
and environmentally responsible production 
of unconventional oil reservoirs in tar 
sands and oil shales. 
‘‘(D) SAFETY, AND ACCIDENT PREVENTION 
AND MITIGATION, TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND 
DEVELOPMENT BY THE DEPARTMENT.—Awards 
from allocations under section 999H(d)(4) shall
focus on safety, and accident prevention and 
mitigation, research, development, demonstra-
tion, and commercial application activities in 
areas that may include— 
‘‘(i) improved technologies and best 
management practices for enhanced well 
integrity including— 
‘‘(I) cementing; 
‘‘(II) casing; 
‘‘(III) 
wellbore 
sealant 
tech-
nologies; 
‘‘(IV) well-plugging and abandon-
ment; 
‘‘(V) improvement and standard-
ization of blowout prevention devices; 
‘‘(VI) actuation and pressure 
testing; and 
‘‘(VII) other well control activi-
ties; 
‘‘(ii) research to aid in the develop-
ment of industry best practices and stand-
ards for workforce training, design of safe 
workplace environments, and safety related 
decisionmaking processes, including by 
drawing on existing research into human
factors and safety related practices in 
fields such as the nuclear energy, aviation, 
and automotive industries; 
‘‘(iii) secondary control systems to ac-
tivate blowout prevention devices and ter-
minate well-flow, including— 
‘‘(I) deadman switches; 
‘‘(II) automatic shears; and 
‘‘(III) remote acoustic switches; 
‘‘(iv) technologies and methods for ac-
cident mitigation, including— 
‘‘(I) capture, containment, or dis-
persing of oil at or near the wellhead; 
‘‘(II) estimating flow rate; 
‘‘(III) diagnostic sensors to de-
termine equipment malfunction; and 
‘‘(IV) procedures to terminate 
flow; 
‘‘(v) continuing ongoing efforts, in-
cluding in resource assessment and charac-
terization, and in simulation of safe and 
effective drilling under extreme conditions, 
including high temperatures and pressures; 
‘‘(vi) development of methodologies 
for risk management decisionmaking, in-
cluding comparative risk analysis and 
quantitative risk assessment of potential 
for failure in the technologies, management 
practices, and systems studies under this 
subsection; and 
‘‘(vii) other activities as described in 
this paragraph or as determined appro-
priate by the Secretary.’’; 
(6) in subsection (e)— 
(A) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) in the second sentence of subpara-
graph (A), by inserting ‘‘to the Secretary 
for review’’ after ‘‘submit’’; and 
(ii) in the first sentence of subpara-
graph (B), by striking ‘‘Ultra-Deepwater’’ 
and all that follows through ‘‘and such Ad-
visory Committees’’ and inserting ‘‘Pro-
gram 
Advisory 
Committee 
established 
under section 999D(a), and the Advisory 
Committee’’; 
(B) in paragraph (4)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of 
subparagraph (A);
(ii) by striking the period at the end 
of subparagraph (B) and inserting ‘‘; 
and’’; and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new subparagraph: 
‘‘(C) a summary of ongoing and planned 
activities aimed at improving operational safety 
and reducing potential environmental impacts 
of exploration and production.’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(6) RESEARCH FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDA-
TIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary shall 
publish in the Federal Register an annual report on 
the research findings of the program carried out 
under this section and any recommendations for im-
plementation that the Secretary determines to be 
necessary.’’; 
(7) in subsection (f)(2), by inserting ‘‘In car-
rying out this subsection, the Secretary shall ensure 
that safety and accident prevention and mitigation 
be regularly included as specific focus areas for so-
licitations.’’ after ‘‘consortium.’’; 
(8) in subsection (i)— 
(A) in the subsection heading, by striking 
‘‘UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY’’ and
inserting ‘‘DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR’’; 
and 
(B) by striking ‘‘, through the United 
States Geological Survey,’’; and 
(9) in subsection (j), by striking ‘‘National En-
ergy Technology Laboratory’’ and inserting ‘‘Office 
of Fossil Energy of the Department’’. 
SEC. 4. PROGRAM ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 
Section 999D of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 
U.S.C. 16374) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 999D. PROGRAM ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of enactment of the Safer Oil and Natural Gas 
Drilling Technology Research and Development Act, the 
Secretary shall establish an advisory committee to be 
known as the ‘Program Advisory Committee’ (referred to 
in this section as the ‘Advisory Committee’). 
‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Advisory Committee 
shall be composed of members appointed by the Sec-
retary, each of whom shall be qualified by education, 
training, and experience to evaluate scientific and 
technical information relevant to the research, devel-
opment, and demonstration under this subtitle. 
Members shall include—
‘‘(A) individuals with extensive research 
experience or operational knowledge of oil and 
natural gas exploration and production; 
‘‘(B) individuals broadly representative of 
the affected interests in oil and natural gas pro-
duction, including interests in environmental 
protection and operational safety; 
‘‘(C) State regulatory agency representa-
tives; and 
‘‘(D) other individuals, as determined by 
the Secretary. 
‘‘(2) LIMITATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Advisory Com-
mittee shall not include individuals who are 
board members, officers, or employees of the 
program consortium. 
‘‘(B) CATEGORICAL REPRESENTATION.—In 
appointing members of the Advisory Committee, 
the Secretary shall ensure that no class of indi-
viduals described in any of subparagraphs (B), 
(C), or (D) of paragraph (1) comprises more 
than 1⁄3 of the membership of the Advisory 
Committee.
‘‘(c) SUBCOMMITTEES.—The Advisory Committee 
may establish subcommittees or ad hoc working groups for 
the research focus areas described in section 999B(d)(7). 
‘‘(d) DUTIES.—The Advisory Committee shall— 
‘‘(1) advise the Secretary on the development 
and implementation of programs under this subtitle; 
and 
‘‘(2) carry out section 999B(e)(2)(B). 
‘‘(e) COMPENSATION.—A member of the Advisory 
Committee shall serve without compensation but shall be 
entitled to receive travel expenses in accordance with sub-
chapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code. 
‘‘(f) PROHIBITION.—The Advisory Committee shall 
not make recommendations on funding awards to par-
ticular consortia or other entities, or for specific 
projects.’’. 
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 999G of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 
U.S.C. 16377) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘200 but less 
than 1,500 meters’’ and inserting ‘‘1,000 feet’’; 
(2) by striking paragraphs (8), (9), and (10); 
(3) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 
(7) and (11) as paragraphs (4) through (9) and 
(10), respectively; and
(4) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(2) DEEPWATER ARCHITECTURE.—The term 
‘deepwater architecture’ means the integration of 
technologies for the safe and environmentally re-
sponsible exploration for, or production of, natural 
gas or other petroleum resources located at deep-
water depths. 
‘‘(3) DEEPWATER
TECHNOLOGY.—The term 
‘deepwater technology’ means a discrete technology 
that is specially suited to address 1 or more chal-
lenges associated with the safe and environmentally 
responsible exploration for, or production of, natural 
gas or other petroleum resources located at deep-
water depths.’’. 
SEC. 6. FUNDING. 
Section 999H of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 
U.S.C. 16378) is amended— 
(1) in the first sentence of subsection (a) by 
striking ‘‘Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Nat-
ural Gas and Other Petroleum Research Fund’’ and 
inserting ‘‘Safer Oil and Natural Gas Drilling Tech-
nology Research and Development Fund’’; 
(2) in subsection (d)—
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘35 per-
cent’’ and inserting ‘‘32.5 percent’’; 
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘32.5 
percent’’ and inserting ‘‘25 percent’’; and 
(C) in paragraph (4)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘25 percent’’ and in-
serting ‘‘35 percent’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘contract manage-
ment,’’ and all that follows through the pe-
riod at the end and inserting ‘‘and contract 
management.’’; 
(3) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘Ultra-Deep-
water and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other 
Petroleum Research Fund’’ and inserting ‘‘Safer Oil 
and Natural Gas Drilling Technology Research and 
Development Fund’’; and 
(4) at the end of the section, by inserting the 
following new subsection: 
‘‘(g) COORDINATION
AND NONDUPLICATION.—The 
Secretary shall ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, 
that the research activities carried out by the consortium 
funded under paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of subsection 
(d), and the research activities carried out by the Depart-
ment of Energy as funded by subsection (d)(4), shall be 
coordinated and not duplicative of one another.’’.
SEC. 7. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 
The table of contents of the Energy Policy Act of 
2005 is amended— 
(1) by amending the item relating to subtitle J 
of title IX to read as follows: 
‘‘Subtitle J—Safer Oil and Natural Gas Drilling Technology Research and 
Development Program’’; 
(2) by amending the item relating to section 
999B to read as follows: 
‘‘Sec. 999B. Safer Oil and Natural Gas Drilling Technology Research and De-
velopment Program.’’; 
and 
(3) by amending the item relating to section 
999D to read as follows: 
‘‘Sec. 999D. Program Advisory Committee.’’. 
Passed the House of Representatives July 21, 2010. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5716 
AN ACT 
To provide for enhancement of existing efforts in 
support of research, development, demonstration, 
and commercial application activities to advance 
technologies for the safe and environmentally re-
sponsible exploration, development, and produc-
tion of oil and natural gas resources.