(b) IN GENERAL.—The Outer Continental Shelf 
Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.) is amended by insert-
ing after section 9 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 10. USE OF DECOMMISSIONED OFFSHORE OIL AND 
GAS PLATFORMS AND OTHER FACILITIES 
FOR MARICULTURE, ARTIFICIAL REEF, SCI-
ENTIFIC RESEARCH, OR OTHER USES. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall issue regula-
tions under which the Secretary may authorize use of an 
offshore oil and gas platform or other facility that is de-
commissioned from service for oil and gas purposes for 
culture of marine organisms, an artificial reef, scientific 
research, or any other use authorized under section 8(p). 
‘‘(b) TRANSFER
REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary 
shall not allow the transfer of a decommissioned offshore 
oil and gas platform or other facility to another person 
unless the Secretary is satisfied that the transferee is suf-
ficiently bonded, endowed, or otherwise financially able to 
fulfill its obligations, including but not limited to— 
‘‘(1) ongoing maintenance of the platform or 
other facility; 
‘‘(2) any liability obligations that might arise; 
‘‘(3) removal of the platform or other facility if 
determined necessary by the Secretary; and
‘‘(4) any other requirements and obligations 
that the Secretary may deem appropriate by regula-
tion. 
‘‘(c) PLUGGING
AND
ABANDONMENT.—The Sec-
retary shall ensure that obligations of a lessee regarding 
the plugging and abandonment of wells are unaffected by 
implementation of this section. 
‘‘(d) POTENTIAL TO PETITION TO OPT-OUT OF REG-
ULATIONS.—An Adjacent State acting through a resolu-
tion of its legislature, with concurrence of its Governor, 
may petition to opt-out of the application of regulations 
promulgated under this section to platforms and other fa-
cilities located in the area of its Adjacent Zone within 25 
miles of the coastline. The Secretary is authorized to ex-
cept such area from the application of such regulations, 
and shall approve such petition, unless the Secretary finds 
that approving the petition would probably cause serious 
harm or damage to the marine resources of the State’s 
Adjacent Zone. Prior to acting on the petition, the Sec-
retary shall complete an environmental assessment that 
documents the anticipated environmental effects of ap-
proving the petition. 
‘‘(e) LIMITATION ON LIABILITY.—A person that had 
used an offshore oil and gas platform or other facility for 
oil and gas purposes and that no longer has any ownership
or control of the platform or other facility shall not be 
liable under Federal law for any costs or damages arising 
from such platform or other facility after the date the plat-
form or other facility is used for any purpose under sub-
section (a), unless such costs or damages arise from— 
‘‘(1) use of the platform or other facility by the 
person for development or production of oil or gas; 
or 
‘‘(2) another act or omission of the person. 
‘‘(f) OTHER LEASING AND USE NOT AFFECTED.— 
This section, and the use of any offshore oil and gas plat-
form or other facility for any purpose under subsection 
(a), shall not affect— 
‘‘(1) the authority of the Secretary to lease any 
area under this Act; or 
‘‘(2) any activity otherwise authorized under 
this Act.’’. 
(c) DEADLINE FOR REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of 
the Interior shall issue regulations under subsection (b) 
by not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act. 
(d) STUDY AND REPORT ON EFFECTS OF REMOVAL 
OF PLATFORMS.—Not later than one year after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior, 
in consultation with other Federal agencies as the Sec-
retary deems advisable, shall study and report to the Con-
gress regarding how the removal of offshore oil and gas 
platforms and other facilities from the outer Continental 
Shelf would affect existing fish stocks and coral popu-
lations. 
SEC. 22. REPEAL OF REQUIREMENT TO CONDUCT COM-
PREHENSIVE INVENTORY OF OCS OIL AND 
NATURAL GAS RESOURCES. 
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109– 
58) is amended— 
(1) by repealing section 357 (119 Stat. 720; 42 
U.S.C. 15912); and 
(2) in the table of contents in section 1(b), by 
striking the item relating to such section 357. 
SEC. 23. MINING AND PETROLEUM SCHOOLS. 
(a) FEDERAL ENERGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES 
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND.— 
(1) PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
FUND.— 
There is established in the Treasury a separate ac-
count to be known as the ‘‘Federal Energy And 
Mineral Resources Professional Development Fund’’ 
(in this section referred to as the ‘‘Professional De-
velopment Fund’’).
(2) FUNDING.—The Secretary of the Treasury 
shall deposit in the Professional Development 
Fund— 
(A) such sums as are provided by sections 
9(b)(5)(A)(iii), 9(b)(5)(B)(iii), 9(c)(4)(A)(iii), 
and 9(c)(4)(B)(iii) of the Outer Continental 
Shelf Lands Act, as amended by this Act; 
(B)(i) during the period of October 1, 
2006, through September 30, 2015, 0.4 percent 
of all sums paid into the Treasury under sec-
tion 35 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 
191), and 
(ii) beginning October 1, 2015, and there-
after, 2.0 percent of all sums paid into the 
Treasury under section 35 of the Mineral Leas-
ing Act (30 U.S.C. 191); 
(C)(i) during the period of October 1, 
2006, through September 30, 2015, 0.4 percent 
of all sums paid into the Treasury from receipts 
derived from bonus bids and royalties from 
other mineral leasing on public lands, and 
(ii) beginning October 1, 2015, and there-
after, 2.0 percent of all sums paid into the 
Treasury from receipts derived from bonus bids
and royalties from other mineral leasing on 
public lands; 
(D) donations received under paragraph 
(4); 
(E) amounts referred to in section 2325 of 
the Revised Statutes; and 
(F) funds received under section 10 of the 
Energy and Mineral Schools Reinvestment Act, 
as amended by this Act. 
(3) INVESTMENTS.—The Secretary of the 
Treasury shall invest the amounts deposited under 
paragraph (2) and all accrued interest on the 
amounts deposited under paragraph (2) only in in-
terest bearing obligations of the United States or in 
obligations guaranteed as to both principal and in-
terest by the United States. 
(4) DONATIONS.—The Secretary of the Interior 
may solicit and accept donations of funds for deposit 
into the Professional Development Fund. 
(5) AVAILABILITY TO SECRETARY OF THE IN-
TERIOR.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Beginning with fiscal 
year 2007, and in each fiscal year thereafter, 
the amounts deposited into the Professional De-
velopment Fund, together with the interest
thereon, shall be available, without fiscal year 
limitations, to the Secretary of the Interior for 
use to carry out the Energy and Mineral 
Schools Reinvestment Act. 
(B) WITHDRAWALS
AND
TRANSFER
OF 
FUNDS.—The Secretary of the Treasury shall 
withdraw such amounts from the Professional 
Development Fund as the Secretary of the Inte-
rior may request and transfer such amounts to 
the Secretary of the Interior to be used, at the 
discretion of the Secretary to carry out the En-
ergy and Mineral Schools Reinvestment Act. 
(b) MAINTENANCE AND RESTORATION OF EXISTING 
AND HISTORIC PETROLEUM AND MINING ENGINEERING 
PROGRAMS.—Public Law 98–409 (30 U.S.C. 1221 et 
seq.) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 1. SHORT TITLE. 
‘‘This Act may be cited as the ‘Energy and Mineral 
Schools Reinvestment Act’. 
‘‘SEC. 2. POLICY. 
‘‘It is the policy of the United States to maintain the 
human capital needed to preserve and foster the economic, 
energy, and mineral resources security of the United 
States. The petroleum and mining engineering programs 
and the applied geology and geophysics programs at State
chartered schools, universities, and institutions that 
produce human capital are national assets and should be 
assisted with Federal funds to ensure their continued 
health and existence. 
‘‘SEC. 3. MAINTAINING AND RESTORING HISTORIC AND EX-
ISTING PETROLEUM AND MINING ENGINEER-
ING EDUCATION PROGRAMS. 
‘‘(a) Using the funds in the Federal Energy And Min-
eral Resources Professional Development Fund, the Sec-
retary of the Interior (in this Act referred to as the ‘Sec-
retary’) shall provide funds to each historic and existing 
State-chartered recognized petroleum or mining school to 
assist such schools, universities, and institutions in main-
taining programs in petroleum, mining, and mineral engi-
neering education and research. All funds shall be directed 
only to these programs and shall be subject to the condi-
tions of this section. Such funds shall not be less than 
35 percent of the annual outlay of funds under this Act. 
‘‘(b) In this Act the term ‘historic and existing State- 
chartered recognized petroleum or mining school’ means 
a school, university, or educational institution with the 
presence of an engineering program meeting the specific 
program criteria, established by the member societies of 
ABET, Inc., for petroleum, mining, or mineral engineer-
ing and that is accredited on the date of enactment of
the Domestic Energy Production through Offshore Explo-
ration and Equitable Treatment of State Holdings Act of 
2006 by ABET, Inc. 
‘‘(c) It shall be the duty of each school, university, 
or institution receiving funds under this section to provide 
for and enhance the training of undergraduate and grad-
uate petroleum, mining, and mineral engineers through re-
search, investigations, demonstrations, and experiments. 
All such work shall be carried out in a manner that will 
enhance undergraduate education. 
‘‘(d) Each school, university, or institution receiving 
funds under this Act shall maintain the program for which 
the funds are provided for 10 years after the date of the 
first receipt of such funds take steps agreed to by the Sec-
retary, to increase the number of undergraduate students 
enrolled in and completing the programs of study in petro-
leum, mining, and mineral engineering. 
‘‘(e) The research, investigation, demonstration, ex-
periment, and training authorized by this section may in-
clude development and production of conventional and 
non-conventional fuel resources, the production of metallic 
and non-metallic mineral resources including industrial 
mineral resources, and the production of stone, sand, and 
gravel. In all cases the work carried out with funds made
available under this Act shall include a significant oppor-
tunity for participation by undergraduate students. 
‘‘(f) Research funded by this Act related to energy 
and mineral resource development and production may in-
clude studies of petroleum, mining, and mineral extraction 
and immediately related beneficiation technology; mineral 
economics, reclamation technology and practices for active 
operations, and the development of re-mining systems and 
technologies to facilitate reclamation that fosters the ulti-
mate recovery of resources at abandoned petroleum, min-
ing, and aggregate production sites. 
‘‘(g) Grants for basic science and engineering studies 
and research shall not require additional participation by 
funding partners. Grants for studies to demonstrate the 
proof of concept for science and engineering or the dem-
onstration of feasibility and implementation shall include 
participation by industry and may include funding from 
other Federal agencies. 
‘‘(h)(1) No funds made available under this section 
shall be applied to the acquisition by purchase or lease 
of any land or interests therein, or the rental, purchase, 
construction, preservation, or repair of any building. 
‘‘(2) Funding made available under this section may 
be used with the express approval of the Secretary for pro-
posals that will provide for maintaining or upgrading of
existing laboratories and laboratory equipment. Funding 
for such maintenance shall not be used for university over-
head expenses. 
‘‘(3) Funding made available under this Act may be 
used for maintaining and upgrading mines and oil and gas 
drilling rigs owned by a school, university, or institution 
described in this section that are used for undergraduate 
and graduate training and worker safety training. All re-
quests for funding such mines and oil and gas drilling rigs 
must demonstrate that they have been owned by the 
school, university, or institution for 5 years prior to the 
date of enactment of the Domestic Energy Production 
through Offshore Exploration and Equitable Treatment of 
State Holdings Act of 2006 and have been actively used 
for instructional or training purposes during that time. 
‘‘(4) Any funding made available under this section 
for research, investigation, demonstration, experiment, or 
training shall not be used for university overhead charges 
in excess of 10 percent of the amount authorized by the 
Secretary. 
‘‘SEC. 4. FORMER AND NEW PETROLEUM AND MINING ENGI-
NEERING PROGRAMS. 
‘‘A school, university, or educational institution that 
formerly met the requirements of section 3(b) immediately 
before the date of the enactment of the Domestic Energy
Production through Offshore Exploration and Equitable 
Treatment of State Holdings Act of 2006, or that seeks 
to establish a new program described in section 3(b), shall 
be eligible for funding under this Act only if it— 
‘‘(1) establishes a petroleum, mining, or mineral 
engineering program that meets the specific program 
criteria and is accredited as such by ABET, Inc.; 
‘‘(2) agrees to the conditions of subsections (c), 
(d), and (e) of section 3 and the Secretary, as ad-
vised by the Committee established by section 11, 
determines that the program will strengthen and in-
crease the number of nationally available, well- 
qualified faculty members in petroleum, mining, and 
mineral engineering; and 
‘‘(3) agrees to maintain the accredited program 
for 10 years after the date of the first receipt of 
funds under this Act. 
‘‘SEC. 5. FUNDING OF CONSORTIA OF HISTORIC AND EXIST-
ING SCHOOLS. 
‘‘(a) Where appropriate, the Secretary may make 
funds available to consortia of schools, universities, or in-
stitutions described in sections 3, 4, and 6 to meet the 
necessary expenses for purposes of— 
‘‘(1) specific energy and mineral research 
projects of broad application that could not other-