zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Safer Oil and Gas Production Research and Development Act of 2010 - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to: (1) direct the Secretary of Energy to implement a deepwater (in lieu of ultra-deepwater) technologies research and development program, which includes addressing technology challenges for well control and accident prevention; and (2) implement research supportive of such activities through the Department of Energy (DOE). Revises the petroleum resources research and development program to: (1) replace ultra-deepwater activities with deepwater architecture, well control and accident prevention and deepwater technology, including drilling to deep formations in waters greater than 500 feet (currently, greater than 15,000 feet); and (2) replace complementary research performed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory with safety and environmental technology research and development for drilling activities aimed at well control and accident prevention performed by DOE. Directs the Secretary to ensure the safe and environmentally responsible production of natural gas and other petroleum resources of the United States. Revises requirements for focus areas for awards for research, development, and demonstration to include: (1) individual deepwater resources exploration and production technologies aimed at improving operational safety and reducing environmental impacts of exploration and production activities; (2) nontoxic materials for use in exploration and production activities; (3) accident prevention and environmental mitigation of unconventional natural gas and other petroleum resources exploration and production; and (4) safety and accident prevention technology research and development, with special attention to small producers. Directs the Secretary to arrange with the National Academy of Sciences to study: (1) whether the benefits provided through each award during calendar year 2011 have been maximized; and (2) new areas of research that could be implemented to meet program objectives. Replaces the Ultra-Deepwater Advisory Committee and the Unconventional Resources Technology Advisory Committee with a Program Advisory Committee. Revises the formula for allocation of amounts obligated from the Safe Oil and Gas Production and Accident Prevention Research Fund, with an increased allocation for safety technology research and development.

Date: 2010-06-17
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Guaranteed Oil Spill Compensation Act of 2010 - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to establish the Oil Spill Recovery Fund for payment of covered removal costs and damages described in the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 that are associated with a discharge, or substantial threat of discharge, of oil. Prohibits any person from entering into a federal oil or gas lease or contract after enactment of this Act unless the person pays into the Fund, or posts a bond, in an amount equal to the difference between: (1) the total of the outstanding liability of the person under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and any removal costs incurred by or on behalf of the person, with respect to any incident for which the person has outstanding liability; and (2) the outstanding balance in the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund that is attributable to the person. Requires repayment of unexpended funds (plus interest) upon the earlier of either five years after amounts were paid by the person into the Fund or the date on which the Secretary determines that all federal and state natural resource damage assessments and all outstanding civil claims relating to the incident for which the amounts were paid have been satisfied. Establishes as a separate item, for purposes of the President's budget submission, a statement that includes the estimated amount of Fund deposits, obligations, and outlays.

Date: 2010-06-21
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Deepwater Drilling Royalty Prohibition Act - Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from issuing any oil or gas lease sale under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act with royalty-based incentives in any tract located in water depths of 400 meters or more on the outer Continental Shelf. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal royalty relief (suspension of royalties) for deep water oil and gas production in the Western and Central Planning Area of the Gulf of Mexico (including the portion of the Eastern Planning Area encompassing whole lease blocks lying west of 87 degrees, 30 minutes West longitude). Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Secretary from reducing or eliminating any royalty or net profit share for any lease or unit located in water depths of 400 meters or more on the outer Continental Shelf.

Date: 2010-06-28
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Subsea Hydrocarbon Imagery and Planning Act of 2010 - Directs the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to conduct a comprehensive review of the current state of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its capacity to monitor, map, and track subsea hydrocarbons. Sets forth required elements of the review, including reviews of technological capabilities relevant to identifying releases of oil or natural gas after a spill and recommendations for long-term monitoring and assessment. Requires the Under Secretary, not later than one year after enactment of this Act, to establish a hydrocarbon monitoring and assessment program based on the recommendations developed under the comprehensive review. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer to the Secretary of Commerce, out of any funds in the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund not otherwise appropriated, $15 million to carry out this Act.

Date: 2010-07-12
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Environmental protection
Declares that a specified suspension of (moratorium on) certain offshore permitting and drilling activities on the Outer Continental Shelf shall not apply to a drill permit applicant that has complied with specified National Notices and has completed all required safety inspections. Instructs the Secretary of the Interior to make a determination on whether to issue a permit within 30 days after determining that the applicant is in compliance with such Notices and has completed such inspections.

Date: 2010-07-14
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 regarding the terms and conditions governing loan guarantees for innovative technologies. States that, if the Secretary of Energy submits a loan guarantee for review and comment to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Secretary may issue a conditional commitment to enter into such guarantee at least 30 days after that submittal, without further approval from the Director.

Date: 2010-08-05
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Gulf Security and Iran Sanctions Enforcement Act - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to include in each lease issued after enactment of this Act that authorizes oil and gas drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf a provision that requires: (1) the lessee to certify annually to the Secretary that it does not engage in any activity for which sanctions may be imposed under the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996; and (2) the Secretary to cancel the lease if the lessee fails to make such a certification or makes a false one. Requires such a lease also to require the lessee to disclose to the Secretary any participation in any energy-related joint venture, investment, or partnership located outside Iran that involves: (1) any person whose property and property interests are blocked pursuant to Executive Orders 13224 (for transacting business with persons who commit, threaten to commit, or support terrorism) or 13382 (because they are weapons of mass destruction proliferators or their supporters); or (2) any entity on a specified list relating to Iranian Transactions Regulations. Requires cancellation of any lease whose lessee has failed to make such a disclosure or makes a false disclosure. Allows a national interest waiver of these requirements.

Date: 2010-09-21
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: International affairs
Gulf Coast Oil Recovery Zone Tax Relief and Economic Recovery Act - Allows non-recognition, for income tax purposes, of proceeds or payments from insurance received in connection with the Gulf oil spill or any payment for damages attributable to the oil spill under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 that are invested within six months after receipt in a trade or business located in the recovery zone. Defines: (1) "Gulf oil spill' as the discharge of oil by reason of the explosion on, and sinking of, the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon; and (2) "recovery zone" as certain counties in Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama and specified parishes in Louisiana that were affected by the oil spill. Allows: (1) a carryback for a five-year period of net operating losses incurred by a recovery zone trade or business; (2) penalty-free distributions, up to $100,000, from a tax-exempt retirement plan made on or after April 20, 2010, and before January 1, 2012, to residents in the recovery zone and recognition in income of such distributions ratably over a three-year period; (3) an increased (from $50,000 to $100,000) tax exemption for loans from qualified employer plans to certain individuals residing in the recovery zone; (4) a work opportunity tax credit for hiring an employee who resides in and is hired for a position in the recovery zone; (5) a special depreciation allowance for property used by a business in the recovery zone which is acquired on or after April 20, 2010; (6) accelerated depreciation (15-year recovery period) for qualified leasehold, restaurant, and retail improvement property placed in service in the recovery zone after April 20, 2010, and before January 1, 2013; (7) tax-exempt bond financing of property in the recovery zone and advance refundings of bonds issued by a recovery zone state; and (8) an exemption from rules for the allocation of the interest expense of financial institutions for exempt recovery zone bonds and advance refunding bonds issued by a recovery zone state.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
States as Energy Leaders for the Future Act or SELF Act - Establishes in the Department of Energy (DOE) a program to provide grants to eligible entities, on a competitive basis, to develop and carry out clean energy and carbon reduction measures, such as renewable electricity standards, regional or statewide climate action plans, and participation in a regional greenhouse gas reduction program. Directs the Secretary of DOE, in establishing criteria for grants, to take into account: (1) regional disparities in the ways in which energy is produced and used; and (2) the clean energy resource potential of the measures. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the definition of "domestic production gross receipts" for purposes of the tax deduction for income attributable to domestic production, the gross receipts of a major integrated oil company which are derived from oil related qualified production activities.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Faster Action Safety Team Emergency Response Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of Labor to promulgate regulations relating to response teams. Defines a "response team" as a team of individuals established by an operator on an onshore oil or gas well, who: (1) are familiar with the well operations and equipment; (2) participate in response training at least annually; (3) are trained in basic first aid and CPR; and (4) will be available with respect to the well involved by ground transportation not later than three hours after requested. Sets forth requirements for such regulations. Provides that such regulations shall: (1) not be construed to waive operator training requirements applicable to existing response teams; and (2) require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to establish and update (every five years) criteria to certify the qualifications of response teams. Requires such regulations to: (1) require the operator of a well to have an employee knowledgeable in responding to emergency situations present at the well at all times during the exploration or drilling phase or before the completion phase and to make available a certified response team during such phases and the production phase; and (2) ensure to make available to such an operator to comply with such requirement a well response team, a multi-employer composite response team, a commercial response team provided through contract or by another operator, or a state-sponsored response team. Requires such regulations to require that a well operator: (1) contact local first responders within 30 minutes of the commencement of an emergency situation; (2) contact OSHA, the appropriate state environmental agency, and the National Response Center within one hour of such commencement; and (3) provide communication technology within a reasonable distance of the well that enables the operator to comply with regulations promulgated by the Secretary. Requires such regulations to require an operator to: (1) provide annual training to local first responders on well hazards and proper emergency response techniques; and (2) file a report annually with OSHA that provides detailed information on the response team assigned to each of the operator's wells and affirmatively states that the operator is in compliance with this Act.

Date: 2010-11-18
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Labor and employment
Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2010 - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to reauthorize and extend funding for FY2012-FY2016 a grant program for reducing diesel emissions. Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) provide contracts and rebates to eligible entities to achieve significant reductions in diesel emissions; and (2) support rebate programs administered by states that are designed to achieve such reductions. Includes among entities eligible to receive funding for reducing diesel emissions: (1) an entity that has the capacity to sell diesel vehicles or equipment to, and arrange financing for, individuals or entities that own or operate diesel fleets or to upgrade diesel vehicles or equipment with verified or EPA-certified engines or technologies; and (2) any private individual or entity that is the owner of record of a diesel vehicle or fleet and that acts pursuant to a contract, license, or lease with a federal, regional, state, local, or tribal agency or port authority with jurisdiction over transportation or air quality and in accordance with requirements for notice and approval as the Administrator of the EPA establish for the use of vehicles to be purchased or retrofitted using a grant, rebate, or loan under such Act. Includes Puerto Rico within the meaning of "state" under such Act. Revises provisions concerning the distribution and use of, and applications for, funds. Requires the Administrator to develop a simplified application process for applicants to expedite the provision of funds. Requires the Administrator and each state to publish on its website a description of each application for which a grant or loan is provided.

Date: 2010-11-18
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Environmental protection
Pipeline Safety and Community Empowerment Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to prescribe minimum standards to require: (1) a pipeline facility owner or operator to notify all property owners and residents located within 2,000 feet of a pipeline transmission line of the property's proximity to the line, including its specific location if located on private residential property; and (2) the notice to include a method for electronic access to such information through the Internet and a toll free telephone number, as well as information on how to obtain a map of the pipeline system through the National Pipeline Mapping System. Revises requirements for minimum standards for information a pipeline operator must maintain about a pipeline facility. Directs the Secretary to prescribe such standards requiring an operator to provide that information (including updates and changes), not only to the Secretary (as under current law), but also to state regulatory officials, state and local emergency responders, and other appropriate entities. Revises requirements for additional standards for periodic inspection of pipeline facilities in high-density population areas and environmentally sensitive areas. Directs the Secretary to prescribe standards requiring the mandatory periodic inspection of each pipeline facility with an instrumented internal inspection device ("smart pig") occur at least once every five years. Allows the use of an inspection method, subject to certain requirements, that is not a "smart pig" for any pipeline segment incompatible with a "smart pig." Requires the Secretary to prohibit a pipeline segment from operating under high pressure if that segment cannot be inspected: (1) with a "smart pig"; or (2) using an inspection method at least as effective as one. Directs the Secretary to prescribe minimum standards to require a pipeline facility owner or operator to install automatic or remote shut off valves to reduce risks in the event of a rupture. Requires a pipeline facility owner or operator to ensure that the pipeline facility is equipped with a leak detection system capable of promptly detecting a leak. Directs the Secretary to approve or disapprove modified public education programs submitted by pipeline facility owners or operators. Requires the Comptroller General to assess and report to Congress on the effectiveness of such programs.

Date: 2011-01-05
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Transportation and public works
American Energy Independence and Price Reduction Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to implement a competitive leasing program for the exploration, development, and production of the oil and gas resources on the Coastal Plain of Alaska. Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 to repeal the prohibition against leasing or other development leading to production of oil and gas from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Deems any oil and gas leasing programs and activities authorized by this Act to be in compliance with ANWR purposes. Authorizes the Secretary to designate up to 45,000 acres of the Coastal Plain as a Special Area, after consultation with the state of Alaska, the city of Kaktovik, and the North Slope Borough. Permits directional drilling in the Special Area. Prescribes procedures governing Coastal Plain lease sales, as well as terms and conditions, including: (1) environmental protection; (2) federal and state distribution of revenues; (3) rights-of-way; and (4) local government impact aid and community service assistance. Sets forth: (1) a "no significant adverse effect" standard to govern Coastal Plain activities; and (2) guidelines for expedited judicial review of complaints. Establishes the ANWR Alternative Energy Trust Fund.

Date: 2011-01-05
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Oil Pollution Environmental Review Act or OPERA - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to require the head of any federal agency to treat 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 requiring detailed environmental analysis of proposed actions and reasonably foreseeable subsequent actions. Defines "offshore drilling activity" as drilling for oil or gas under a lease, or conducting a major geophysical seismic survey, under such Act, including for exploration, development, or production of oil or gas. Repeals a provision requiring the Secretary of the Interior to approve a plan for geological and geophysical exploration in the outer Continental Shelf within 30 days of its submission.

Date: 2011-01-05
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny a tax deduction for the removal costs and damages assessed for a discharge of oil under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.

Date: 2011-01-05
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
National Strategic Gasoline Reserve for Purposes of National Security Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a Strategic Gasoline Reserve system with a total capacity of 10 million barrels of regular unleaded gasoline. Directs the Secretary to: (1) transmit to Congress, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the governor of each state in which a Gasoline Reserve will be sited a plan for the transportation of its contents to wholesale or retail markets in the event of an emergency sale; (2) complete the process of filling the Gasoline Reserve to a minimum of 90% within two years after submitting a transportation plan to Congress; (3) review the gasoline supply annually to ensure the reserves in the Gasoline Reserve do not exceed their shelf life; and (4) have in place a plan for ensuring that the inventory is sold and replaced in a manner that ensures the integrity of the product at all times. Directs the Secretary of Energy to sell gasoline from the Gasoline Reserve if the governor of an affected state submits a written request and the President issues an Executive order requiring immediate release from any or all Gasoline Reserves after determining that certain emergency conditions are satisfied.

Date: 2011-01-05
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
No New Drilling Act of 2011 - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the issuance of any lease for the exploration, development, or production of oil, gas, or any other mineral on the outer Continental Shelf.

Date: 2011-01-11
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Northern California Ocean and Coastal Protection Act - Prohibits oil and gas preleasing, leasing, and related activities in areas of the Outer Continental Shelf located off the coast of Mendocino, Humboldt, and Del Norte Counties in the state of California.Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to exclude such areas from a mandatory inventory of reserves in the Outer Continental Shelf.

Date: 2011-01-12
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Big Oil Bailout Prevention Act of 2011 - Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to remove the limit on liability (currently, the total of all removal costs plus $ 75,000,000) of a party responsible for an offshore facility except a deepwater port, from which oil is discharged into or upon navigable waters or adjoining shorelines. Makes this Act effective on April 15, 2010.

Date: 2011-01-26
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Environmental protection
Offshore Oil and Gas Worker Whistleblower Protection Act of 2011 - Prohibits an employer from discharging, discriminating, or engaging in retaliatory actions against specified employees who report to a government official any violation or unsafe condition under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Sets forth procedures for filing a complaint with the Secretary of Labor regarding such retaliation. Requires employers to: (1) post a notice approved by the Secretary of Labor explaining employee rights and remedies under this Act in a conspicuous location in the place of employment where employees frequent; (2) provide training to employees about their rights under this Act within 30 days of employment, and at least once every 12 months thereafter; and (3) provide employees with a card containing a toll free telephone number at the Department of Labor to get information or file a complaint under this Act. Directs the Secretary of Labor, within 30 days after enactment of this Act, to designate agency officials to receive, investigate, and adjudicate complaints concerning violations under this Act.

Date: 2011-01-26
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Labor and employment
Amends the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act to add to the purpose of any grants by the Secretary of Labor to the Alaska Workforce Investment board support of a program to train workers in the construction, operation, maintenance, and performance of all related environmental processes involving existing and future oil and gas infrastructure in Alaska. Modifies grant requirements by replacing the current ones with a mandatory certification by the Governor of Alaska that there is a need for the funds in order to ensure an adequately skilled, safe, and competent workforce to construct, operate, and maintain: (1) an Alaska natural gas pipeline system; or (2) all related environmental processes involving existing and future oil and gas infrastructure in Alaska. Increases from 15% to 50% the amount of federal funds that may be used for such training facility.

Date: 2011-02-08
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Domestic Energy Independence and Maritime Jobs Creation Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to issue a certificate of documentation with a coastwise endorsement for the vessels LNG GEMINI, LNG LEO, and LNG VIRGO. Limits authorized coastwise trade for each vessel to the carriage of natural gas, as defined in the Deepwater Port Act of 1974. Prohibits a vessel transported in Dry Dock #2 (if, during such transportation, such dock remains connected by a utility or other connecting line to pierside moorage in Ketchikan, Alaska) from being considered merchandise for the purposes of certain coastwise trade requirements a vessel must otherwise meet before engaging in merchandise transportation.

Date: 2011-02-08
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Transportation and public works
End Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act of 2011- 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: 2011-02-10
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2011 - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from issuing a lease for the exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas in any area of the outer Continental Shelf off the coast of California, Oregon, or Washington.

Date: 2011-02-10
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Safe Exploration Coming from Underwater Reserves of Energy Act or the SECURE Act - Permits each holder of a permit to drill for oil or natural gas that was approved by the Minerals Management Service before May 3, 2010, to conduct all operations authorized under the terms of the permit: (1) without further review by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement; and (2) without further review or delay under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 or any other similar statutes such as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act or the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972.

Date: 2011-02-28
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Maximize Offshore Resource Exploration Act of 20011 or MORE Act of 20011 - Declares without force or effect all federal prohibitions against the expenditure of appropriated funds to conduct natural gas leasing and preleasing activities for any area of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Revokes all withdrawals of federal submerged lands from leasing for oil and natural gas exploration and production. Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from granting an oil or natural gas lease for any OCS located within 25 miles of a state coastline unless the state has enacted a law approving the issuance of such leases by the Sectretary. Sets forth an allocation schedule for a 75% state share of revenues derived from U.S. royalties under qualified oil and gas leases on submerged lands located within the seaward boundaries of a state. Extends the jurisdiction of state civil and criminal law, as appropriate, to the Alaska, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic OCS Region State Adjacent Zones and OCS Planning Areas. Establishes a separate account in the Treasury to be known as the Renewable Energy Reserve, consisting of 12.5% of revenues derived from U.S. royalties under such oil and gas leases. Makes the Reserve available to offset the cost of subsequently enacted legislation to: (1) accelerate the use of cleaner domestic energy resources and alternative fuels; (2) promote the utilization of energy-efficient products and practices; and (3) increase research, development, and deployment of clean renewable energy and efficiency technologies and job training programs for those purposes.

Date: 2011-03-03
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
National Safe Streets Gang Crime Prevention Act of 2011- Authorizes the Attorney General to expand the Safe Streets Program of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to support criminal street gang enforcement teams. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish a National Gang Activity Database to disseminate information to law enforcement agencies about gang activities and gang members, and (2) provide funding to the Regional Information Sharing Systems to use RISSNET (secure intranet) to connect existing gang information systems with the National Gang Activity Database.

Date: 2011-03-03
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Offshore Lease Fairness Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to increase from 27% to 50% the revenues: (1) shared with states from leases within three miles of the coast line entered into after enactment of this Act; and (2) from energy-related activities for any lease, easement, or right-of-way granted after enactment of this Act. Amends the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 to redefine current qualified Outer Continental Shelf revenues as sums received by the United States from leases entered into between December 20, 2006, and the date of enactment of this Act. Requires for FY2011 and each ensuing fiscal year that new outer Continental Shelf revenues be deposited: (1) 50% into the general fund of the Treasury; and (2) 50% into a special account in the Treasury for disbursement to coastal states by the Secretary of the Treasury. Restricts allocation of new outer Continental Shelf revenues from leases in the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean to states that are in, or border on, such specified geographical areas. Prescribes requirements for the timing and administration of the disposition of revenues.

Date: 2011-03-08
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
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 citing the geographic area, gasoline or other petroleum distillate, and time period (not to exceed 30 consecutive days) covered. Permits such a proclamation to be renewed as the President determines appropriate and to include a period of up to one week preceding a reasonably foreseeable emergency. Sets forth factors to be considered in determining if a violation of this Act has occurred. Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce a violation of this Act 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, but limits the criminal penalty to criminal actions brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Authorizes a state to bring a civil action to enforce this Act. Declares that nothing in this Act preempts any state law.

Date: 2011-03-09
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Lease Extension and Secure Energy Act of 2011- Directs the Secretary of the Interior to extend by one year the term of each oil and gas lease (covered lease) for the Gulf of Mexico outer Continental Shelf region that was: (1) not producing as of April 30, 2010; or (2) suspended from operations, permit processing, or consideration, in accordance with either a certain moratorium dated May 30, 2010, or the decision memorandum of the Secretary dated July 12, 2010. States that this extension of covered leases is in addition to any suspension of operations or suspension of production granted by the Minerals Management Service or the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement after May 1, 2010.

Date: 2011-03-10
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
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 contain at least 30 million barrels of refined petroleum products. Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to: (1) sell at least 30 million barrels of light grade petroleum from the SPR and acquire refined petroleum product; (2) deposit the cash proceeds from such sales into the SPR Petroleum Account; and (3) from such deposited proceeds withdraw the amount necessary to pay for the direct administrative and operational costs of the sale and acquisition, including for acquisition and maintenance of, and improvements to, storage facilities.

Date: 2011-03-10
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Removing Excess Litigation Involving Energy on Federal Lands Act or RELIEF Act - Requires all causes and claims that arise from a covered energy project to be filed within 60 days after a federal action or decision that constitutes the covered energy project concerned. (Defines a covered energy project as a federal action or decision concerning the leasing of federal lands, including submerged lands, for the exploration, development, production, processing, or transmission of any source or form of energy, including actions and decisions regarding the selection or offering of federal lands for such leasing.) Bars any cause or claim that is not filed within such time period. Requires all such proceedings to: (1) be resolved within 180 days after the cause or claim is filed, and (2) take precedence over other pending matters before the district court. Confers exclusive appellate jurisdiction for such actions upon the U.S. Supreme Court. Presumes the correctness of any administrative findings and conclusions relating to a challenged federal action under this Act unless the administrative record shows otherwise by clear and convincing evidence. Requires prospective relief to: (1) be narrowly drawn, (2) extend no further than necessary to correct the violation of a federal law requirement, and (3) be the least intrusive means necessary to correct the violation. Requires a petitioner seeking judicial review of any action, or failure to act, under this Act who is not a prevailing party to pay to the prevailing parties (including intervening parties), other than the United States, fees and other expenses incurred in connection with such review, unless the Court finds that the petitioner was either substantially justified or that special circumstances make an award unjust.

Date: 2011-03-11
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Law
Affordable Gas Price Act - Declares without force or effect all provisions of existing federal law that prohibit spending appropriated funds to conduct oil or natural gas leasing and preleasing activities for any area of the Outer Continental Shelf. Revokes all existing withdrawals by the President under the authority of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act to repeal: (1) the withdrawal of public lands within the Coastal Plain from entry or appropriation under federal mining or mineral leasing laws; and (2) the prohibition against the production, leasing, and development of oil and gas from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Amends the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to shield from judicial review mandatory statements by certain federal officials regarding the environmental impact of federal actions upon the quality of the human environment. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) set forth additional incentives for investment in oil refineries; (2) suspend the tax on highway motor fuels when retail gasoline exceeds a certain benchmark; and (3) increase mileage reimbursement rates. Authorizes the President to extend normal trade relations treatment to the products of the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan.

Date: 2011-03-15
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Expedited Offshore Permitting Act of 2011 - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to approve or disapprove any application for a permit for drilling a well under an approved exploration or development plan for an oil and gas lease, or any application to amend a previously approved permit under such a lease, within 30 days after its submission. Authorizes the Secretary to disapprove an application if any proposed activity under the permit: (1) would result in serious harm or damage to life (including fish and other aquatic life), to property, to any mineral (in areas leased or not leased), to the national security or defense, or to the marine, coastal, or human environment; and (2) cannot be modified to avoid such condition. Requires the Secretary, after disapproving a permit application, if there is no other well on areas subject to the applicable leases capable of production in paying quantities, to pay to the record title holders of any of the applicable leases the amount of any bonus bid paid for the lease plus interest.

Date: 2011-03-16
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Natural Resources Restoration Act of 2011 - Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to enter into an arrangement with the National Academies to convene a panel of scientists to evaluate and report on the natural resource damages from the blowout and explosion of the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon on April 20, 2010, the resulting hydrocarbon releases into the environment, and the various response actions that injured natural resources in the Gulf of Mexico and in state water and land bordering the Gulf of Mexico (Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill). Requires the panel to report on the costs for federal and state trustees designated with respect to natural resource damages from the spill of: (1) restoring such injured natural resources; and (2) compensating such trustees for the loss of natural resource services from April 20, 2010, to the date the natural resources are fully restored. Requires trustees, in assessing such damages, to include a special assessment in an amount equal to 30% of the cost of restoring such resources and services or an amount mutually agreed to by the responsible parties and the trustees. Requires special assessments to be: (1) paid by the responsible parties; (2) used by trustees to conduct projects to restore natural resources injured by such spill; and (3) credited toward any other natural resource damages assessed against the responsible parties for such spill. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations establishing a program under which responsible parties can purchase credits for the cost of such projects carried out by trustees.

Date: 2011-03-29
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Environmental protection
Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act - (Sec. 2) Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct specified proposed offshore oil and gas lease sales as follows: (1) lease sale 216 in the Central Gulf of Mexico within four months after enactment of this Act; (2) lease sale 218 in the Western Gulf of Mexico within eight months after enactment of this Act; (3) lease sale 220 on the Outer Continental Shelf offshore Virginia within one year after enactment of this Act; and (4) lease sale 222 in the Central Gulf of Mexico no later than June 1, 2012. (Sec. 4) Prohibits the Secretary from making any Offshore Virginia tract available for leasing if it would conflict with military operations. Declares that, for purposes of such proposed lease sales, specified Environmental Impact Statements are deemed to satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.

Date: 2011-03-29
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Reversing President Obama's Offshore Moratorium Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to make available for leasing and to conduct lease sales including: (1) at least 50% of the available unleased acreage within each outer Continental Shelf (OCS) planning area considered to have the largest undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources (on a total btu basis) based upon the most recent national geologic assessment of the OCS, with an emphasis on offering the most geologically prospective parts of the planning area; and (2) any state subdivision of an OCS planning area that the Governor of such state requests be made available for leasing. Directs the Secretary, in the 2012-2017 5-year oil and gas leasing program, to make available for leasing OCS planning areas that: (1) are estimated to contain more than 2.5 billion barrels of oil; or (2) are estimated to contain more than 7.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Directs the Secretary, in developing a 5-year oil and gas leasing program, to determine a domestic strategic production goal for the development of oil and natural gas. Makes the production goal for the 2012-2017 5-year oil and gas leasing program an increase by 2027 in daily production of at least: (1) 3 million barrels of oil, and (2) 10 billion cubic feet of natural gas.

Date: 2011-03-29
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Oil Price Reduction Act of 2011- Prohibits U.S. bilateral assistance and arms exports (not including humanitarian assistance) to any country that is a major net oil exporter, including any country that is a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), if such country is engaged in oil price fixing to the detriment of the U.S. economy. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers who drive a highway vehicle fueled by gasoline or diesel fuel a $1,000 tax credit in the taxpayer's last taxable year ending in 2011.

Date: 2011-04-04
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: International affairs
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 a person that does not renegotiate its existing leases in order to require royalty payments if oil and natural gas prices are greater than or equal to specified price thresholds. Authorizes the Secretary, in the case of multiple lessees, to implement a separate agreement modifying payment responsibilities (including such price thresholds) with any lessee that owns a lease share. Prescribes analogous requirements for lease transfers. 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.

Date: 2011-04-04
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Virginia Access to Energy Act or VA Energy Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct offshore oil and gas Lease Sale 220 on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) not later than one year after enactment of this Act. Prohibits the Secretary from making any lease tract available if the President determines that it would create an unreasonable conflict with military operations. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit 50% of qualified revenues from such lease sales into the general fund of the Treasury to reduce the outstanding federal debt and 50% in a special account for specified payments to the state of Virginia.

Date: 2011-04-05
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Oil Spill Prevention Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to issue regulations that require each Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) employee to be subject to random testing for the prohibited use of a controlled substance at least twice a year. Prohibits an individual from being employed by any person conducting any activity under a lease or permit issued by BOEMRE  or subject to BOEMRE  regulation for two years after leaving employment with BOEMR. Directs the Secretary, acting through BOEMRE, to conduct monthly inspections of each vessel and facility used for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil or gas drilling. Prohibits the Secretary from exempting any category of activity of a vessel or facility engaged in OCS oil or gas drilling in waters deeper than 1,000 feet from any federal requirement or restriction that applies to such activity. Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to repeal the liability limits applicable to a responsible party for discharge of oil from an offshore facility.

Date: 2011-04-06
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources