II 
Calendar No. 517 
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5716 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
JULY 22, 2010 
Received 
AUGUST 5, 2010 
Read twice and placed on the calendar 
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 responsible exploration, develop-
ment, and production of oil and natural gas resources. 
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 ‘‘Safer Oil and Natural 
Gas Drilling Technology Research and Development Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. SUBTITLE AMENDMENT. 
Subtitle J of title IX of the Energy Policy Act of 
2005 (42 U.S.C. 16371 et seq.) is amended in the subtitle 
heading by striking ‘‘Ultra-Deepwater and Uncon-
ventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum 
Resources’’ and inserting ‘‘Safer Oil and Natural 
Gas Drilling Technology Research and Devel-
opment Program’’. 
SEC. 3. SAFER OIL AND NATURAL GAS DRILLING TECH-
NOLOGY 
RESEARCH 
AND 
DEVELOPMENT 
PROGRAM. 
(a) PROGRAM AUTHORITY.—Section 999A of the En-
ergy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16371) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘ultra-deepwater’’ and in-
serting ‘‘deepwater’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘well control and accident 
prevention,’’ after ‘‘safe operations,’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘, accident prevention and 
mitigation,’’ after ‘‘improving safety’’; 
(B) by striking paragraph (1) and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(1) Deepwater architecture and technology, in-
cluding those for drilling to formations in water 
depths greater than 1,000 feet.’’; and 
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(C) by striking paragraph (4) and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(4) Complementary research carried out by 
the Department.’’; 
(3) in subsection (d)— 
(A) in the subsection heading, by striking 
‘‘NATIONAL ENERGY TECHNOLOGY LABORA-
TORY’’ and inserting ‘‘DEPARTMENT
OF EN-
ERGY’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘National Energy Tech-
nology Laboratory’’ and inserting ‘‘Office of 
Fossil Energy of the Department’’; 
(4) in subsection (e)— 
(A) in the subsection heading, by striking 
‘‘SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR’’ and inserting 
‘‘OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘and other agencies as 
appropriate, including those serving on, and col-
laborating with, the Interagency Coordinating 
Committee on Oil Pollution Research as estab-
lished under section 7001 of the Oil Pollution 
Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2761(a))’’ after ‘‘Sec-
retary of the Interior’’; and 
(5) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(f) PARTNERSHIPS.—In carrying out the program 
under this subtitle, the Secretary shall seek to establish 
partnerships with eligible research performers, as de-
scribed by section 999E, to undertake research and devel-
opment not likely otherwise to be undertaken in the ab-
sence of support from the program.’’. 
(b) PROGRAM ELEMENTS.—Section 999B of the En-
ergy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16372) is amended— 
(1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘ULTRA- 
DEEPWATER AND UNCONVENTIONAL ONSHORE 
NATURAL GAS AND OTHER PETROLEUM’’ and 
inserting ‘‘SAFER OIL AND NATURAL GAS DRILL-
ING TECHNOLOGY’’; 
(2) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out 
the activities under section 999A to maximize the benefits 
of natural gas and other petroleum resources of the 
United States by advancing the safe and environmentally 
responsible exploration, development, and production of 
those resources.’’; 
(3) in subsection (c)(1)— 
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (D) 
and (E) as subparagraphs (E) and (F), respec-
tively; and 
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(B) by inserting after subparagraph (C) 
the following: 
‘‘(D) select projects on a competitive 
basis;’’; 
(4) in subsection (c)(3)(A)(ii), by striking 
‘‘under subsection (f)(4)’’; 
(5) in subsection (d)— 
(A) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘ultra- 
deepwater’’ and inserting ‘‘deepwater’’; and 
(B) by striking paragraph (7) and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(7) FOCUS AREAS FOR AWARDS.— 
‘‘(A) DEEPWATER
RESOURCES.—Awards 
from allocations under section 999H(d)(1) shall 
focus on research, development, demonstration, 
and commercial application activities in areas 
that include— 
‘‘(i) technologies and systems aimed 
at improving operational safety and reduc-
ing potential environmental impacts of 
deepwater exploration and production ac-
tivities, including— 
‘‘(I) wellbore integrity, well con-
trol, and blowout prevention; 
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‘‘(II) capture and containment of 
oil at or near the wellhead; and 
‘‘(III) expanding operational ca-
pabilities and efficiency of remotely 
operated devices and mechanics; 
‘‘(ii) safe and environmentally respon-
sible deepwater exploration and production 
technologies, integrated systems, and ar-
chitectures for enhancing oil and natural 
gas drilling and recovery, including under 
extreme conditions; 
‘‘(iii) methods and technologies for se-
vere weather and ocean surface condition 
preparedness; 
‘‘(iv) utilization of exploration and 
production methods and materials that re-
duce the potential impact of such activities 
on the environment; and 
‘‘(v) other areas as determined appro-
priate by the Secretary. 
‘‘(B) UNCONVENTIONAL
ONSHORE
RE-
SOURCES.—Awards from allocations under sec-
tion 999H(d)(2) shall focus on research, devel-
opment, demonstration, and commercial appli-
cation activities in areas that include— 
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‘‘(i) advanced coalbed methane, deep 
drilling, natural gas production from tight 
sands, natural gas production from gas 
shales, stranded gas, innovative exploration 
and production techniques, and enhanced 
recovery techniques; 
‘‘(ii) increased efficiency of energy use 
in exploration and production activities; 
‘‘(iii) utilization of exploration and 
production methods and materials that re-
duce the potential impact of such activities 
on the environment; 
‘‘(iv) recovery, utilization, reduction, 
and improved management of produced 
water from exploration and production ac-
tivities; and 
‘‘(v) accident prevention and mitiga-
tion of unconventional natural gas and 
other petroleum resources exploration and 
production. 
‘‘(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 
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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— 
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‘‘(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; 
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‘‘(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 
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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: 
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