zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Offshore Drilling Safety Improvement Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue regulations requiring: (1) that all oil and gas drilling and production operations on the outer Continental Shelf have safety and environmental management systems in place, including blowout preventers and additional backup emergency shutoff equipment such as acoustic shut-off technology; and (2) that such equipment use the best available and safest technologies. Requires consideration of the need for different technology requirements in different environments and depths. Applies such regulations to: (1) all new oil and gas drilling and production operations, and (2) all existing drilling and production operations six months after the issuance of the regulations. Requires the Secretary, every five years thereafter, to review blowout preventer and emergency shutoff equipment technology and revise the regulations as necessary to require use of the best available technology. Amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to require the Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretaries to identify the best available and safest technology for offshore oil and gas exploration and production.

Date: 2011-04-13
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Offshore Installation Emergency Evacuation Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to direct the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to promulgate regulations requiring that a manned Emergency Response and Rescue Vessel be located within three blocks of every manned outer Continental Shelf facility or mobile offshore drilling unit.

Date: 2011-04-15
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Emergency management
California Ocean and Coastal Protection Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit oil and gas preleasing, leasing, and related activities in areas of the Outer Continental Shelf located off the coast of California.

Date: 2011-04-15
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Secure All Facilities to Effectively Guard the United States Against and Respond to Dangerous Spills Act of 2011 or the SAFEGUARDS Act of 2011 - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to: (1) prohibit the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) from issuing a permit or other authorization for exploration for or production of oil and gas under a lease under such Act unless an oil spill response plan for the operations of the facility on which the activity is conducted has been approved by the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating as meeting requirements for such a plan under provisions of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act); (2) require the Secretary to approve an oil and gas exploration plan within 90 (currently 30) days of submission, with a 60-day extension authorized if the Secretary certifies that it's necessary to allow adequate consideration of the plan; and (3) prohibit an exploration plan from being eligible for a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Amends the Clean Water Act to require: (1) the President to issue regulations to require owners or operators of offshore facilities to have their plans for responding to a worst case discharge of oil or a hazardous substance approved by the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating; and (2) such worst case plans of owners and operators of tank vessels, nontank vessels, offshore facilities, or onshore facilities to include plans for responding to uncontrolled or uncontained discharges from wells. Requires the National Contingency Plan for removal of oil and hazardous substances to: (1) include water quality monitoring by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of waters affected by discharges of oil or other hazardous substances that begins not later than 48 hours after such a discharge is reported; (2) include designation of the Commandant of the Coast Guard as the National Incident Commander for activities in response to a discharge that results in a substantial threat to the public health or welfare of the United States if such a discharge affects waters with respect to which the Coast Guard is responsible for response efforts under the Plan; and (3) be updated by the President every five years, including separate response plans for discharges of oil or other hazardous materials into or upon land and water.

Date: 2011-04-15
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Open Fuel Standard Act of 2011 - Requires each fleet of a manufacturer of passenger automobiles (including light-duty motor vehicles) to comprise at least: (1) 50% qualified vehicles in model year 2014, (2) 80% qualified vehicles in model year 2016, and (3) 95% qualified vehicles in model year 2017 and each subsequent year. Defines "qualified vehicle" as: (1) a vehicle that operates solely on natural gas, hydrogen, or biodiesel; (2) a flexible fuel vehicle capable of operating on gasoline, E85, and M85; (3) a plug-in electric drive vehicle; or (4) a vehicle propelled solely by fuel cell or by something other than an internal combustion engine. Authorizes a manufacturer to request an exemption from such requirement from the Secretary of Transportation (DOT).

Date: 2011-05-03
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Big Oil Welfare Repeal Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny a tax deduction for income attributable to the domestic production, refining, processing, transportation, or distribution of oil, gas, or any primary products thereof by a major integrated oil company (an oil company which has an average daily worldwide production of crude oil of at least 500,000 barrels for the taxable year and which had gross receipts in excess of $1 billion for its last taxable year ending during calendar year 2005).

Date: 2011-05-03
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
Job Creation and Energy Security Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt sales of natural gas, or any product derived from natural gas, for use in motor vehicles from the $5 million retail sales limitation applicable to independent producers of petroleum products for purposes of the oil and gas depreciation allowance.

Date: 2011-05-04
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
Surface Transportation and Taxation Equity Act or the STATE Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the federal excise tax on gasoline and special fuels (but not below two cents per gallon) by corresponding increases in fuel taxes imposed by states as of May 5, 2011 (the date of introduction of this Act).

Date: 2011-05-05
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
Taxpayer and Gas Price Relief Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny major integrated oil companies: (1) a tax deduction for income attributable to producing, refining, processing, transporting, or distributing oil, gas, or primary products thereof; (2) the last-in, first-out inventory method; and (3) deductions for intangible drilling and development costs in the case of oil and gas wells. Deficit Reduction Through Fair Oil Royalties Act - Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from issuing new oil or natural gas production leases in the Gulf of Mexico under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to certain lessees unless they have renegotiated covered leases to require the payment of royalties if the price of oil and natural gas is greater than or equal to specified OCSLA price thresholds. Requires rentals or royalties received by the United States to be deposited in the Treasury for federal budget deficit reduction or, if there is no federal budget deficit, for reducing the federal debt. Directs the Secretary to agree to a lessee's request to amend any lease issued for any Central and Western Gulf of Mexico tract in the period of January 1, 1996, through November 28, 2000, to incorporate price thresholds applicable to royalty suspension requirements that are equal to or less than the price thresholds specified under OCSLA. Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act - Makes it unlawful for any person, during a proclaimed international crisis affecting the oil market, to sell gasoline or any other petroleum distillate at a price that: (1) is unconscionably excessive; and (2) indicates the seller is taking unfair advantage of the circumstances of the crisis to increase prices unreasonably. Authorizes the President to issue such a proclamation. Enhanced Supply and Price Reduction Act of 2011 or the Enhanced SPR Act - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to authorize the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to sell at least 30 million barrels of petroleum from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) and acquire refined petroleum product. Requires the Secretary to deposit the cash proceeds from such sales into the SPR Petroleum Account. Authorizes the President to instruct the Secretary to drawdown and sell or exchange petroleum product in a specified amount from the SPR if a circumstance exists of such significance and scope that action would be warranted to address market manipulation or otherwise be in the public interest.

Date: 2011-05-05
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Consumer Relief for Pain at the Pump Act - Sets forth a deadline for action on certain permit applications under existing Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) leases. Amends the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 to repeal the moratorium on oil and gas leasing in certain areas of the Gulf of Mexico. Instructs the Secretary of the Interior to offer for leasing areas made available as a result of such repeal. Instructs the Secretary to: (1) offer specified areas for oil and gas leasing pursuant to certain Lease Sale Schedules, (2) conduct OCS lease sales in specified Planning Areas, (3) share OCS receipts derived from all leases with states and local governments, (4) implement a leasing program for certain land within the Arctic Coastal Plain, and (5) issue rights-of-way and easements across the Coastal Plain for oil and gas transportation. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to designate certain Coastal Plain lands, including the Sadlerochit Spring area, as Special Areas requiring special management and regulatory protection. Revokes a specified Secretarial Order relating to protecting wilderness characteristics on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 to repeal the prohibition on the use of funds for either a commercial oil shale leasing program or for oil shale lease sales. Directs the Secretary to offer leases for oil shale resources. Confers exclusive jurisdiction upon the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for covered energy projects under this Act. Establishes the Office of the Federal Oil and Gas Permit Coordinator. Instructs the Secretary to establish and maintain, in coordination with the Mayor of the North Slope Borough of Alaska, a separate Alaska Offshore Continental Shelf Coordination Office to coordinate the leasing program. Amends the Clean Air Act to redefine "air pollutant" to exclude carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, or sulfur hexafluoride (greenhouse gases). Declares that nothing in specified statutes addressing pollution control shall be treated as authorizing or requiring the regulation of climate change or global warming. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to repeal the prohibition against federal procurement of alternative or synthetic fuel. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), upon request of the governor of a state or the governing body of an Indian tribe, to enter into a streamlined refinery permitting agreement. Sets forth deadlines for: (1) approval or disapproval of consolidated permits for construction of new or expansion of existing refineries, and (2) submission of existing refinery permit applications. Requires the EPA Administrator to conduct a research and demonstration program to evaluate the air quality benefits of ultra-clean Fischer-Tropsch transportation fuel, including diesel and jet fuel.

Date: 2011-05-05
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Enhanced Supply and Price Reduction Act of 2011 or Enhanced SPR Act - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to require the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to include refined petroleum products within its required capacity of 1 billion barrels of petroleum products. Authorizes the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to sell at least 30 million barrels of petroleum from the SPR and acquire refined petroleum product. Prescribes a schedule for such transactions. Directs the Secretary to deposit the cash proceeds from such sales into the SPR Petroleum Account. Authorizes the President to instruct the Secretary to drawdown and sell or exchange petroleum product from the SPR if a circumstance exists of such significance and scope that action would be warranted to address market manipulation or otherwise be in the public interest.

Date: 2011-05-10
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Gas Price Relief Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to distribute an equal amount of the revenues raised by this Act to each holder of a valid driver's license. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require seven-year amortization of the geological and geophysical expenditures of covered large oil companies. Defines "covered large oil company" as a taxpayer which is a major integrated oil company or which has gross receipts in excess of $50 million in a taxable year. Denies certain tax benefits to any taxpayer that is not a small, independent oil and gas company, including: (1) the tax credits for producing oil and gas from marginal wells and for enhanced oil recovery, (2) expensing of intangible drilling and development costs in the case of gas wells and geothermal wells, (3) percentage depletion, (4) the tax deduction for qualified tertiary injectant expenses, (5) the exemption from limitations on passive activity losses, and (6) the tax deduction for income attributable to domestic production activities. Prohibits the use of the last-in, first-out (LIFO) accounting method by major integrated oil companies. Limits or denies the foreign tax credit and tax deferrals for amounts paid or accrued by a dual capacity taxpayer to a foreign country or U.S. possession for any period with respect to combined foreign oil and gas income. Defines "dual capacity taxpayer" as a person who is subject to a levy of a foreign country or U.S. possession and receives (or will receive) directly or indirectly a specific economic benefit from such county or possession.

Date: 2011-05-10
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
Clean Coal-Derived Fuels for Energy Security Act of 2011 - Directs the President to promulgate regulations to ensure that aviation fuel, motor vehicle fuel, home heating oil, and boiler fuel sold or introduced into commerce in the United States, on an annual average basis, contains the applicable volume of clean coal-derived fuel, determined in accordance with this Act. Exempts small refineries from compliance with such regulations until calendar year 2020. Directs the Secretary of Energy to study whether compliance with the requirements of this Act would impose a disproportionate economic hardship upon small refineries. Requires the President to extend such exemption for a maximum of two additional years if such compliance would impose a disproportionate economic hardship upon small refineries. Allows a small refinery to: (1) petition the President for an exemption at any time for the reason of disproportionate economic hardship; and (2) opt-in and be subject to such regulations if it notifies the President that it waives the exemption.

Date: 2011-05-12
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Save America from Environmentally Reckless Drilling Act or SAFER Drilling Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to require, as a condition and term of any exploration plan or any development and production plan, that the applicant submit and implement an oil spill containment and cleanup plan (to be approved by the Secretary and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA]) capable of handling a worst-case scenario oil spill. Describes required plan contents. Allows approval by the Administrator only if the applicant has demonstrated adequate technology, organization, resources, and capacity both to contain and to prevent shoreline contamination by a significant proportion of a worst-case spill, and to provide for long-term cleanup and remediation of the marine and coastal environments. Authorizes cancellation of a lease (without compensation) upon failure of the lease holder to submit an exploration plan or development and production plan in accordance with this Act or to implement an approved oil spill containment and cleanup plan.

Date: 2011-05-12
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Oil Consumer Protection Act of 2011 - No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act of 2011 or NOPEC - Amends the Sherman Act to declare it to be illegal and a violation of the Act for any foreign state or instrumentality thereof to act collectively or in combination with any other foreign state or any other person, whether by cartel or any other association or form of cooperation or joint action, to limit the production or distribution of oil, natural gas, or any other petroleum product (petroleum), to set or maintain the price of petroleum, or to otherwise take any action in restraint of trade for petroleum, when such action has a direct, substantial, and reasonably foreseeable effect on the market, supply, price, or distribution of petroleum in the United States. Denies a foreign state engaged in such conduct sovereign immunity from the jurisdiction or judgments of U.S. courts in any action brought to enforce this Act. States that no U.S. court shall decline, based on the act of state doctrine, to make a determination on the merits in an action brought under this Act. Authorizes the Attorney General (DOJ) to bring an action in U.S. district court to enforce this Act. Amends the federal judicial code to make an exception to the jurisdictional immunity of a foreign state in an action brought under this Act. Oil and Gas Industry Antitrust Act of 2011 - Amends the Clayton Act to make it unlawful for any person to refuse to sell, or to export or divert, existing supplies of petroleum, gasoline, or natural gas with the primary intention of increasing prices or creating a shortage in a geographic market. Requires a study on: (1) the applicability of monopoly prohibitions of the Clayton Act to persons engaged in exploring for, producing, refining, storing, marketing, or selling petroleum, gasoline, or natural gas; and (2) the effectiveness of divestitures required under certain federal consent decrees. Requires the Attorney General and the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish a joint federal-state task force to investigate information-sharing among persons engaged in exploring for, producing, refining, storing, marketing, or selling petroleum, gasoline, or natural gas. Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act - Makes it unlawful for any person, during a proclaimed international crisis affecting the oil market, to sell gasoline or any other petroleum distillate at a price that: (1) is unconscionably excessive; and (2) indicates the seller is taking unfair advantage of the circumstances of the crisis to increase prices unreasonably. Authorizes the President to issue such a proclamation for up to a 30-day period, and to renew it as necessary. Sets forth factors to be considered in determining if a violation of this Act has occurred. Requires the FTC to enforce a violation as an unfair or deceptive act or practice and to give priority to enforcement actions concerning companies with U.S. sales over $10 billion per year. Prescribes civil and criminal penalties for violations. Authorizes a state to bring a civil action for enforcement.

Date: 2011-05-13
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Commerce
Gas Price Stabilization Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Energy to publish a plan to: (1) sell light grade petroleum from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) and acquire an equivalent volume of heavy grade petroleum, (2) deposit the cash proceeds from such sales into the SPR Petroleum Account established under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, and (3) withdraw from such cash proceeds the amount necessary to pay for the direct administrative and operational costs of the sale and acquisition.

Date: 2011-05-13
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
North American-Made Energy Security Act - Directs the President, acting through the Secretary of Energy (DOE), to coordinate with each federal agency responsible for coordinating or considering an aspect of the President's National Interest Determination and Presidential Permit decision regarding construction and operation of the Keystone XL pipeline (from Hardisty, Alberta, to Steele City, Nebraska, and then on to the U.S. Gulf Coast through Cushing, Oklahoma) to ensure that all necessary actions are taken on an expedited schedule. Requires each such agency to comply with any deadline the Secretary establishes. Directs the President, within 30 days after the final environmental impact statement, but not later than November 1, 2011, to issue a final order granting or denying the Presidential Permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. States that no action by the Secretary pursuant to this Act shall affect any duty or responsibility to comply with any requirement to conduct environmental review. Declares the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States must decrease its dependence on oil from countries hostile to its interests, and (2) increased access to Canadian energy resources will create jobs in the United States.

Date: 2011-05-23
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Pain at the Pump Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal certain tax incentives for oil and gas companies, including: (1) the tax credit for enhanced oil recovery, (2) the tax credit for producing oil and gas from marginal wells, (3) the expensing allowance for intangible drilling and development costs, (4) the tax deduction for tertiary injectant expenses, (5) the exception to passive loss limitations for working interests in oil and gas properties, and (6) percentage depletion for oil and gas wells. Denies a tax deduction for income attributable to the domestic production, refining, processing, transportation, or distribution of oil, gas, or any primary product thereof. Extends the required amortization period for geological and geophysical expenditures. Expresses the sense of Congress that increases in revenue resulting from this Act should be used to make additional expenditures for clean energy programs, including for alternative fuel technology, research and development, clean energy loan guarantees, and low-income home energy assistance.

Date: 2011-05-24
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the suspension of the taxable income limitation on percentage depletion for oil and natural gas produced from marginal properties.

Date: 2011-05-24
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
Propane Green Autogas Solutions Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2016: (1) the excise tax credits for alternative fuels and fuel mixtures for any sale or use involving liquefied petroleum gas (propane), (2) the new qualified alternative fuel motor vehicle tax credit for vehicles powered by liquefied petroleum gas, and (3) the alternative fuel vehicle refueling property tax credit for property relating to liquefied petroleum gas.

Date: 2011-05-26
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
American Alternative Fuels Act of 2011 - Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to repeal the requirement that any federal agency procurement contract for an alternative or synthetic fuel, including those from nonconventional petroleum sources, for any mobility-related use (except research or testing) specify that lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions associated with the fuel must, on an ongoing basis, be less than or equal to such emissions from equivalent conventional fuel produced from conventional petroleum sources. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to: (1) require the Secretary of Energy to report to certain congressional committees the reasons for any delayed approval of an application for a loan guarantee for a substitute natural gas, chemical feedstock, or liquid transportation fuel project; and (2) make certain substitute natural gas production facilities eligible for loan guarantees. Amends the Clean Air Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as an algae-based fuel incentive when calculating the applicable volume of renewable fuel for each calendar year, to consider each gallon of renewable biomass produced from algae to be equal to three gallons of renewable fuel if the algae-based fuel was produced using carbon dioxide captured in a manner that prevented its uncontrolled release into the atmosphere during a separate energy production process. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense (DOD), the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Navy, the Secretary of the Air Force, the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to enter into multiyear procurement contracts for alternative fuels, subject to certain requirements. Amends the Clean Air Act to direct the permitting authority, when establishing the best available control technology for a major emitting facility that is an electric generating facility located in a region in which demand for electricity has increased significantly due to the volume of electric vehicles, to take into account the extent to which emissions of a pollutant have been reduced as a result of the increased use of such vehicles.

Date: 2011-05-26
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Country-of-Origin Labeling for Fuels Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy to study and report to Congress with recommendations for appropriate methods and standards for requiring: (1) motor vehicle fuel suppliers to disclose to the next person in the motor vehicle fuel supply chain information regarding each country in which the fuel or any of its components were extracted, refined, or otherwise processed; and (2) motor vehicle retailers to disclose this information to consumers. Requires the Secretary to prescribe regulations requiring disclosure of country-of-origin information by motor vehicle fuel suppliers and retailers in accordance with such recommendations. Prohibits such regulations, however, from requiring the listing of more than one country-of-origin for a fuel blend containing fuel 70% or more of which originated in a single country. Authorizes the Secretary to impose a civil penalty of up to $10,000 on any person that knowingly violates such regulations.

Date: 2011-06-01
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
National Petroleum Reserve Alaska Access Act - (Sec. 2) Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the National Petroleum Reserve (NPR) in Alaska remains explicitly designated to provide oil and natural gas resources to the United States, and (2) it is national policy to actively advance oil and gas development within the NPR. (Sec. 3) Amends the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 to require the mandatory program of competitive leasing of oil and gas in the NPR to include at least one lease sale annually in those areas of the NPR most likely to produce commercial quantities of oil and natural gas each year in the period 2011-2021. (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary of the Interior to ensure permits, according to a specified timeline, for all surface development activities, including pipelines and roads construction to: (1) develop and bring into production any areas within the NPR that are subject to oil and gas leases; and (2) transport oil and gas from and through the NPR to existing transportation or processing infrastructure on the North Slope of Alaska. (Sec. 5) Instructs the Secretary to issue regulations establishing clear requirements to ensure that the Department of the Interior is supporting development of oil and gas leases in the NPR. (Sec. 6) Requires the Secretary to assess all technically recoverable fossil fuel resources within the NPR, including all conventional and unconventional oil and natural gas. Requires the resource assessment to be implemented by the U.S. Geological Survey, which is authorized to use resources and funds provided by the state of Alaska.

Date: 2011-06-13
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Study of Ways to Improve the Accuracy of the Collection of Federal Oil, Condensate, and Natural Gas Royalties Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to arrange with the National Academy of Engineering to study whether the accuracy of collection of royalties on production of oil, condensate, and natural gas under leases of federal lands (including submerged, deep water, and Indian lands) would be improved by implementing certain prescribed measures. Requires the Secretary to award a contract under which the contractor shall: (1) compare royalty payments made under federal oil and gas lease provisions for covered lands against data supplied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC); (2) make such comparison retroactive to June 1, 1974; (3) determine whether the correct production standard volume and heating content analysis was used to calculate such payments; and (4) determine whether such payments were adequate under the terms of the oil and gas leases.

Date: 2011-06-21
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Providing for Our Workforce and Energy Resources Act or POWER Act - Amends the the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to extend the Constitution, laws, and civil and political jurisdiction of the United States to installations attached to the seabed of the outer Continental Shelf (OCS) (as under existing law) which may be erected to produce or support production of energy from sources other than oil and gas, as well as to any installation or device (other than a ship or vessel) for transmitting such energy. Declares that energy leases on the OCS shall be maintained and issued only under the OCSLA.

Date: 2011-06-24
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Facilitating American Security Through Energy Resources Act or FASTER Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) identify annually 200 non-producing oil and gas leases held for onshore federal land that have the highest potential for oil and gas production and for which the Department has already received an Application for Permit to Drill, and (2) issue permits to drill on leases identified in such assessment within 180 days after reporting the assessment to Congress.

Date: 2011-06-24
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Oil Spill Victims Redress Act - Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to: (1) require all claims against each responsible party for removal costs or damages under such Act to be presented first to the responsible party or guarantor of the source of the discharge or threat; (2) authorize a state court to award damages or other relief to any person for claims under state law against any responsible party or other person; (3) provide that a civil action brought in state court with respect to a discharge of oil into or on the navigable waters, adjoining shorelines, or the state's exclusive economic zone is not within the original jurisdiction of the U.S. district courts, and is therefore not removable, unless a federal claim is pleaded in addition to claims arising under state law or the action is otherwise removable based on diversity of citizenship; and (4) provide that nothing in such Act shall affect or preempt the authority of any state from imposing on any responsible party or other person any additional liability or requirement with respect to the discharge of oil occurring within the state, pollution by oil having effects within the state, or any removal activities in connection with such discharge.

Date: 2011-06-24
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Environmental protection
Mobile Mammography Promotion Act of 2011- Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the motor fuel excise tax fuel used in any highway vehicle designed exclusively to provide mobile mammography services.

Date: 2011-07-11
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
No Free Inspections for Oil Companies Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish and collect inspection fees from operators of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) facilities. Establishes in the Treasury the Ocean Energy Enforcement Fund as depository for such fees. Requires amounts collected by the Secretary to be credited as offsetting collections and to be made available for expenditure only for implementing inspections of OCS facilities (including mobile offshore drilling units) and for administration of the inspection program.

Date: 2011-07-15
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
New York City Natural Gas Supply Enhancement Act - (Sec. 3) Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to issue permits for rights-of way or other necessary authorizations to allow the Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Company, LLC (Transco) to construct, operate, and maintain a natural gas pipeline and related facilities within the Gateway National Recreation Area (GNRA), New York. Requires such permit to be: (1) consistent with the laws and regulations generally applicable to utility rights-of-way within units of the National Park System (NPS), and (2) subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary deems appropriate. Requires the Secretary to: (1) charge a fee for any such permit based upon fair market value; (2) provide for recovery of costs incurred by the NPS for permit processing, issuance, and monitoring; and (3) retain any fees associated with the recovery of costs. Limits such permit to a term of 10 years, subject to renewal at the Secretary's discretion. (Sec. 4) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into a noncompetitive lease with Transco to allow the occupancy and use of buildings and associated property at Floyd Bennett Field within the GNRA to house meter and regulating equipment and other equipment necessary to the operation of the natural gas pipeline facilities. Requires such lease to: (1) comply with NPS leasing regulations, but permits the proceeds from rental payments to be used for infrastructure needs, resource protection and restoration, and visitor services at GNRA; and (2) provide for building and property restoration and maintenance, including regulations and programmatic agreements, in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act. (Sec. 5) Authorizes the Secretary to impose citations or fines, or to suspend or revoke any authority under a permit or lease, for either noncompliance or for a violation of any term or condition.

Date: 2011-07-21
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Gulf Coast Oil and Gas Royalty Giveaway Repeal and Deficit Reduction Act - Amends the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit: (1) 87.5% of qualified outer Continental Shelf (OCS) revenues into the general fund of the Treasury, and (2) 12.5 % of qualified OCS revenues in a special account in the Treasury to be disbursed 100% to provide financial assistance to states. Considers such funds income to the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Requires rentals or royalties received by the United States from leases under such Act to be deposited into the Treasury and used for federal budget deficit reduction or, if there is no federal budget deficit, for reducing the federal debt.

Date: 2011-07-27
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
BLM Live Internet Auctions Act - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct onshore oil and gas lease sales through Internet-based bidding methods. Requires each individual Internet-based lease sale to be concluded within seven days. Directs the Secretary to analyze and report on the first 10 such lease sales, including estimates of: (1) increases or decreases in such lease sales compared to sales conducted by oral bidding; and (2) the total cost or savings to the Department of the Interior as a result of such sales, compared to sales conducted by oral bidding. Requires the report to evaluate the demonstrated or expected effectiveness of different structures for lease sales which may provide an opportunity to better maximize bidder participation, ensure the highest return to the federal taxpayers, minimize opportunities for fraud or collusion, and ensure the security and integrity of the leasing process.

Date: 2011-08-01
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), to conduct: (1) an inventory of existing data on offshore mineral resources, other than oil and natural gas, and an analysis of existing samples of such offshore minerals, to identify and quantify known resources; (2) an assessment of all available domestic technological capabilities required for the location and the efficient and environmentally sound recovery of such minerals from the shallow and deep seabed of the United States; (3) an economic feasibility study on the recovery of such minerals; and (4) an assessment of the environmental and safety risks associated with shallow and deep sea mineral production, other than oil and natural gas. Defines "shallow and deep seabed of the United States" as areas of the seabed contiguous to and within 200 miles of the territorial sea of the United States and the resources of which are subject to its jurisdiction or control. Includes in that definition such areas that are contiguous to and within 200 miles of the territorial sea around any inhabited and uninhabited territory or possession of the United States, including American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Midway Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Marshall Islands, Midway Islands, Wake Island, Johnston Atoll, Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands, Kingman Reef, Navassa Island, Serranilla Bank, Bajo Nuevo Bank, and Palmyra Atoll. Authorizes FY2012-FY2013 appropriations.

Date: 2011-08-05
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Pipeline Modernization for Safety Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish integrity verification requirements for gas or hazardous liquid pipeline facilities. Directs the Secretary to require an operator of a pipeline facility that contains a pipeline segment without a documented pressure test to: (1) hydro-test or replace the pipeline segment; and (2) report to the Secretary any increase in pressure in the pipeline segment that exceeds the maximum allowable operating pressure, including the cause for the increase and any remedial action taken to address it.

Date: 2011-09-08
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Transportation and public works
American Coastal Waters and Shorelines Protection Act - Requires all vessels engaged in drilling for oil or gas in ocean waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, or in the support of such drilling, to be documented with a registry endorsement (current law refers only to mobile offshore drilling units).

Date: 2011-09-15
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Rebuilding American Roads Act - Deems the Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2010-2015 issued by the Secretary of the Interior to be approved as a final oil and gas leasing program under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Deems the Secretary to have issued a final environmental impact statement for the Program under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Directs the Secretary to conduct a lease sale in each outer Continental Shelf (OCS) planning area for which there is a commercial interest in purchasing federal oil and gas production leases. Extends from three geographical miles to nine nautical miles a coastal state's allowable seaward boundary. Repeals the moratorium on oil and gas leasing in: (1) any area east of the Military Mission Line in the Gulf of Mexico, (2) any area in the Eastern Planning Area that is within 125 miles of the Florida coastline, and (3) specified areas within the Central Planning Area and within 100 miles of the Florida coastline. Requires the Secretary to issue a final leasing plan for the Eastern Gulf of Mexico for all areas where there exists commercial interest in purchasing federal oil and gas leases for production. Directs specified sums received from leasing offshore pursuant to this Act to the Inland Waterways Trust Fund and the Highway Trust Fund. Prohibits revenues collected from leases prior to this Act's enactment from being affected by this Act. Directs the Secretary to: (1) prepare an inventory of U.S. offshore energy resources; and (2) promulgate regulations concerning the production of oil or gas resources of the OCS, including regulating the installation of surface facilities, mitigating the impact of such facilities on coastal vistas, and allowing onshore facilities to draw upon such resources that are within 10 miles of shore. Requires persons seeking judicial review of any federal action approving specified oil and natural gas activity to file petitions only: (1) in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and (2) after exhausting all available administrative remedies. Sets forth an expedited review period and limits the scope of such review. Gives the President authority to waive requirements relating to the approval of oil and natural gas activity deemed to be important to national interests. Declares the intent of Congress with respect to buying and building American.

Date: 2011-09-21
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from issuing a lease, permit, or license for oil exploration or extraction from specified submerged Outer Continental Shelf lands located within 125 miles of the coast of New Jersey, including areas with respect to which a moratorium on oil and gas leasing activities existed before enactment of this Act.

Date: 2011-10-14
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Fuel Loss Abatement and Royalty Enhancement Act or the FLARE Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and the the Mineral Leasing Act to require the Secretary of the Interior to issue regulations to prevent or minimize the venting and flaring of gas in oil and gas production operations in the United States and to promote the capture and beneficial use or reinjection of gas in such operations. Requires such regulations to treat gas that is flared or vented in operations under a lease under such Act as production for which a royalty is required to be paid to the United States. Prohibits such regulations from applying with respect to the production under a lease in effect on this Act's enactment to the extent such application would constitute a breach of the terms of the lease by the United States. Directs the Secretary to assess and report on such venting and flaring, including estimating the volume of gas that is vented or flared in such operations each year. Makes any finding or permit issued by an agency that will authorize such flaring or venting a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment for purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA).

Date: 2011-10-14
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Rigs to Reefs Habitat Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to assess each offshore oil and gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico that is no longer useful for operations, and has become critical for a marine fisheries habitat, to: (1) determine whether there are coral populations or other protected species in the platform's vicinity, and (2) identify any species in the vicinity that have recreational or commercial value. Prohibits the removal of any such platforms until the Secretary has completed each assessment. Requires suspension of the decommissioning of a platform if a substantial reef ecosystem is in the vicinity until the Secretary determines that decommissioning would not harm the ecosystem. Exempts from certain platform removal deadlines any lessees who: (1) commit to entering a particular platform in the artificial reef program under the National Fishing Enhancement Act of 1984, and (2) initiate discussions with applicable states regarding potential artificial reef sites. Allows a lessee to provide for reefing in place under the artificial reef program. Permits states with a state rig-to-reef program to enter agreements with any appropriate entities to assume liability in federal water for a structure covered by the state program. Establishes a Reef Maintenance Fund. Requires the owner of a rig enrolled in the artificial reef program to: (1) maintain a rig anode system, and (2) pay into the Fund 50% of the estimated platform removal costs for which the owner would have been responsible if it had not participated in the program.

Date: 2011-11-15
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
North American Energy Security Act - Directs the President, acting through the Secretary of State, to grant a permit under Executive Order 13337 (relating to issuance of permits for certain energy-related facilities and land transportation crossings on the international boundaries of the United States) for the Keystone XL pipeline project application filed on September 19, 2008. Declares that the President shall not be required to grant such permit upon a determination that the Keystone XL pipeline would not serve the national interest. Requires the President, within 15 days after making such a determination, to report to certain congressional committees as well as to the majority and minority leadership of the Senate and the House a justification for it, including consideration of economic, employment, energy security, foreign policy, trade, and environmental factors. States that if the President does not make a determination that the Keystone XL pipeline would not serve the national interest, and take action within 60 days after enactment of this Act, the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline shall be in effect by operation of law. Sets forth permit requirements, including: (1) the reconsideration of routing of the Keystone XL pipeline within Nebraska, and (2) a review period during which routing within Nebraska may be reconsidered and the route of the pipeline through the state altered. Declares that, if the President does not approve the route within Nebraska submitted by the governor of Nebraska within 10 days after submission, the route submitted by the governor shall be considered approved by operation of law.

Date: 2011-12-01
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy