Plug Offshore Wells Act

Bill: 118-s-5508
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT]
Introduced: 2024-12-12
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Latest action: action_date: 2024-12-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Summaries:

tv_txt: II 118th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 5508 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES December 12, 2024 Mr. Welch (for himself, Mr. Merkley , Mr. Wyden , and Mr. Markey ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources A BILL To require the Secretary of the Interior to annually submit to Congress, and make publicly available on a website, a report on decommissioning offshore oil and gas wells, platforms, and pipelines.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Plug Offshore Wells Act . 2. Annual report on decommissioning offshore oil and gas wells, platforms, and pipelines (a) Definitions In this Act: (1) Decommissioning The term decommissioning has the meaning given the term in section 250.1700 of title 30, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations). (2) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior. (b) Annual report Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress and make publicly available on the website of the Department of the Interior a report that describes, with respect to the preceding calendar year— (1) the number of applications for decommissioning an offshore oil and gas well, platform, or pipeline that were required to be submitted pursuant to subpart Q of part 250 of title 30, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations); (2) the number of applications described in paragraph (1) that were received by the Secretary; (3) the number of offshore oil and gas wells, platforms, and pipelines for which decommissioning did not occur by the date required pursuant to subpart Q of part 250 of title 30, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations); (4) the number of offshore oil and gas wells and platforms approved for decommissioning in place pursuant to section 250.1750 of title 30, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations); (5) the length of any offshore oil and gas pipelines that— (A) were decommissioned in place pursuant to section 250.1750 of title 30, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations); and (B) were removed pursuant to— (i) section 250.1752 of title 30, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations); and (ii) section 250.1754 of title 30, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations); and (6) the status of enforcement actions, including notices of incident of noncompliance, orders, citations, civil penalties, and disqualifications from future offshore operations, by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement with respect to decommissioning offshore oil and gas wells, platforms, and pipelines.