I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 840 
To allow the conduct of offshore energy exploration, development, and produc-
tion operations under drilling permits previously issued by the Minerals 
Management Service, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 28, 2011 
Mr. MURPHY of Pennsylvania (for himself, Mr. BROUN of Georgia, Mr. BUR-
TON of Indiana, Mr. CHAFFETZ, Mr. DUNCAN of Tennessee, Mr. FLORES, 
Mr. HARPER, Mr. LATTA, Mr. LONG, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mrs. MYRICK, 
Mr. RIBBLE, Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. WESTMORELAND, Mr. 
MCKINLEY, Mr. WHITFIELD, Mr. STEARNS, Mr. CASSIDY, Mr. BRADY of 
Texas, Mr. SCALISE, Mr. BOUSTANY, and Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
Resources 
A BILL 
To allow the conduct of offshore energy exploration, develop-
ment, and production operations under drilling permits 
previously issued by the Minerals Management Service, 
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 ‘‘Safe Exploration Com-
ing from Underwater Reserves of Energy Act’’ or the 
‘‘SECURE Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) The United States imported an estimated 
61 percent of its oil in 2010, sending approximately 
$337 billion, or $641,172 per minute, to foreign 
countries. 
(2) Approximately 1.6 billion barrels of petro-
leum imported into the United States last year came 
from members of the Organization of the Petroleum 
Exporting Countries, like Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, 
Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emir-
ates. 
(3) More than ten percent of the petroleum im-
ported into the United States came from Venezuela. 
(4) According to data from the Energy Infor-
mation Administration, by 2035, worldwide demand 
for oil and natural gas is expected to increase by al-
most 30 and 38 percent, respectively. 
(5) Domestic oil and natural gas resources off 
United States shores in undiscovered fields total 86 
billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of 
natural gas, enough oil to replace imports from 
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Saudi Arabia and Venezuela for the next 80 years 
and enough clean natural gas to power America’s in-
dustry for the next 63 years. 
(6) Oil and natural gas production off United 
States shores is projected to decrease in 2011 by 13 
percent from 2010 levels in part because of regu-
latory delays implemented by the Department of the 
Interior and increased uncertainty about future in-
vestment in drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf. 
(7) Regular-grade retail gasoline prices are ex-
pected to continue rising through 2011 to as much 
as $5.00 per gallon by 2012, according to some esti-
mates. 
(8) The Department of the Interior has pro-
scribed reforms to ensure the safe development of oil 
and natural gas production off United States shores, 
including implementing new rules that would 
strengthen safety requirements for offshore drilling 
operations. 
(9) The resumption of oil and natural gas drill-
ing operations off United States shores is imperative 
to the United States economic recovery and energy 
security. 
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SEC. 3. AUTHORITY TO CONDUCT OFFSHORE DRILLING 
UNDER APPROVED PERMITS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (b), each 
holder of a permit issued pursuant to an application for 
a permit to drill, including an application for a permit to 
sidetrack, that was approved by the Minerals Management 
Service before May 3, 2010, for purposes of Outer Conti-
nental Shelf energy exploration or development and pro-
duction may conduct all operations authorized under the 
terms of the permit (including all exploration plans, devel-
opment operations coordination documents, and develop-
ment production plans submitted for the permit)— 
(1) without further review by the Bureau of 
Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and En-
forcement; and 
(2) without further review or delay under the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) or any other similar statutes 
such as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 
U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) or the Marine Mammal Protec-
tion Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.). 
(b) OPERATIONS.—Operations conducted under sub-
section (a) shall be carried out in accordance with the safe-
ty protocols contained in part 250 of title 30, Code of Fed-
eral Regulations. 
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(c) REVIEW OF COMPLIANCE.—This section does not 
prohibit review of compliance with the terms of such a per-
mit. 
Æ 
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