Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of l980

Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1980 - Title I: Amendments to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to authorize (formerly required) the Secretary of Energy (Secretary) to prescribe rules and regulations with respect to the leasing of the Outer Continental Shelf. Removes the mandate that the Secretary include in such regulations specified provisions. Requires the Secretary to prescribe rules and regulations with respect to specified temporary suspensions, the Clean Air Act, and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. Alters provisions which may be included in such regulations regarding unitization, pooling, and drilling agreements and development of lease areas to require that they follow certain national guidelines. Requires notification of the Secretary of the Interior of Federal actions affecting the Outer Continental Shelf or its development 30 days before such action is to be taken. Revises procedures for the issuance or amendment of regulations under such Act to require the issuance of statements and reports to the President and Congress assessing the costs and benefits of regulations and delay caused thereby. Directs the Secretary to submit to the Congress for its consideration all regulations and amendments issued after the date of enactment of this Act and all current regulations. Sets forth the procedure for such consideration. Lists circumstances under which the Secretary must issue an oil and gas lease. Requires the fair market value of oil and gas to be included in considerations of lease bids. Removes the limitations on the use of specified bidding systems. Extends the time period required for notice by the Secretary identifying bidding systems and designating lease tracts. Permits the area of a tract to exceed a specified acreage to encourage development under unusually adverse conditions. Requires good faith efforts to meet requirements of other leases before bidding for a lease. Extends the time period required for notice by the Secretary of lease sales and bidding terms. Extends the time period required for approval by the Secretary of the Interior of any geological or geophysical exploration plan pursuant to an oil or gas lease. Makes it the duty of the Secretary of Energy, in preparing or revising an oil and gas leasing program, to give priority to areas with the highest oil and gas potential and which contain known reserves. Requires the Secretary of Energy to establish production goals to be used by the Secretary of the Interior in the development of leasing programs. Limits the time period during which a civil action may be brought to enjoin a lease. Prohibits the application of remedies provisions to leases located in a specified area of the Gulf of Mexico. Removes the provision specifically giving the Secretary of the Interior access to analyzed information obtained from a lessee's exploration or development activities. Title II: Amendments to the Offshore Oil Spill Pollution Fund - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments of 1978 to revise the definition of "vessel" to exclude watercraft transporting from an offshore facility less than a specified quantity of oil at one time. Excludes from the definition of "oil" petroleum transported from the Outer Continental Shelf. Makes a distinction between offshore facilities located on areas leased by oil and gas leases and those that are not for determining the operators of such facilities. Limits the liability of an owner not otherwise entitled to a defense to liability. Removes, as an exception to the limitation of liability for oil pollution damage, violations of Federal regulations or standards which primarily cause an incident. Excludes from incidents triggering liability, other than for removal costs, specified unanticipated disasters. Eliminates the requirement that removal costs incurred by the Federal Government or a State or local government be borne by the owner and operator of the discharging facility or vessel. Revises the financial responsibility requirements of an owner or operator of more than one offshore facility and of an owner or operator of a facility located on a leased area who maintains evidence of financial responsibility sufficient to satisfy the maximum amount of liability. Relieves guarantors of liability for amounts in excess of those of which they have provided evidence. Title III: Amendments to the Fishermen's Contingency Fund - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments of 1978 to eliminate the prohibition against the payment of damages by the Secretary when damage was caused by materials or other items of a financially responsible party. Extends the time period during which a damage report must be made for a claim to be presumed valid. Revises the procedure under which commercial fishermen may file claims for compensation to require the Secretary to determine claims below a specified amount. Title IV: Amendments to Other Acts - Amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to: (1) require a State to expedite notification of the appropriate Federal agency of its concurrence with or objection to the certification of an applicant to conduct specified coastal zone activities in cases of overriding national interest; (2) reduce the time period after which a State must issue its concurrence with or objection to certification of an applicant to conduct specified activities in an area leased under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act; and (3) provide the only coastal state in a region, not otherwise eligible, with a coastal energy impact program grant. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to transfer to the Secretary of the Interior from the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency specified administrative responsibilities with respect to oil and hazardous substance discharge control.

Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on September 30, 1980. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.

Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.