I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 52 
To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to require that treatment 
of the issuance of any exploration plans, development production plans, 
development operation coordination documents, and lease sales required 
under Federal law for offshore drilling activity on the outer Continental 
Shelf as a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of 
the human environment for the purposes of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 5, 2011 
Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia (for himself and Mr. TONKO) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to require 
that treatment of the issuance of any exploration plans, 
development production plans, development operation co-
ordination documents, and lease sales required under 
Federal law for offshore drilling activity on the outer 
Continental Shelf as a major Federal action significantly 
affecting the quality of the human environment for the 
purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Oil Pollution Environ-
mental Review Act’’ or ‘‘OPERA’’. 
SEC. 2. APPLICATION OF NEPA TO OFFSHORE DRILLING 
ACTIVITY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Outer Continental Shelf 
Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 32. APPLICATION OF NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL 
POLICY ACT OF 1969. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The head of any Federal agency 
shall treat the issuance of any exploration plans, develop-
ment production plans, development operation coordina-
tion documents, and lease sales required under Federal 
law for offshore drilling activity on the outer Continental 
Shelf as a major Federal action significantly affecting the 
quality of the human environment for the purposes of sec-
tion 102 of the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, and requiring detailed environmental analysis of 
such proposed actions and reasonably foreseeable subse-
quent actions. 
‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section the term ‘off-
shore drilling activity’— 
‘‘(1) means drilling for oil or gas under a lease, 
or conducting a major geophysical seismic survey, 
under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act; and 
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‘‘(2) includes such drilling or surveying for ex-
ploration, development, or production.’’. 
(b) REPEAL OF 30-DAY DEADLINE FOR APPROVAL 
OF EXPLORATION ACTIVITIES.—Section 11(c)(1) of the 
Outer 
Continental 
Shelf 
Lands 
Act 
(43 
U.S.C. 
1340(c)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘The Secretary shall 
approve such plan, as submitted or modified, within thirty 
days of its submission, except that the’’ and by inserting 
‘‘The’’. 
Æ 
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