Georges Bank Protection Act
Latest action. Reported to Senate from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources with amendment, S. Rept. 96-934.
(Reported to Senate from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources with amendment, S. Rept. 96-934) Georges Bank Protection Act - Establishes requirements applicable to any oil and gas activity on the Georges Bank. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, beginning three and one-half years after the date of enactment of this Act, to issue permits in accordance with the Clean Water Act for discharges of drilling effluents into the marine environment only upon a determination, based on specified studies, that the discharges will not adversely affect the fisheries resources. Authorizes the Administrator to issue such permits without such a determination under emergency meteorological conditions. Directs the heads of specified Federal agencies to conduct a monitoring and research program to ascertain the effects of oil and gas activity on the biological populations of Georges Bank and the consequent economics of those marine resources. Lists seven specific studies to be carried out under the program. Requires the program to be carried out with appropriations under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and, generally, to be completed three years from the date of enactment of this Act. Requires a report evaluating and assessing such environmental monitoring and research to be submitted to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Establishes a biological task force composed of specified Federal agency appointees to: (1) monitor the effects of oil and gas activity on biological populations in the area; (2) coordinate and evaluate the studies on the extent and composition of biological populations in Georges Bank; and (3) make recommendations with respect to the need for additional environmentally protective measures. Requires that the recommendations be implemented by the appropriate agency unless the head of the agency makes specific written determinations. Maintains the authority of any agency to require additional protective measures under other applicable laws in connection with oil and gas operations on the Georges Bank. Requires the President to direct the Commandant of the Coast Guard: (1) to prepare a study ascertaining the status and availability of equipment necessary to respond to a major oilspill on the Georges Bank; and (2) in consultation with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to recommend actions to minimize the effects of an oilspill on the fishery resources. Directs Federal agencies and industry engaged in oil and gas operations in the Georges Bank to prepare oilspill contingency plans based on the recommendations of such study, within one year of submittal of the report. Requires that such plans be updated every two years to reflect technological advances, experience, and knowledge gained in oil and gas activity in the Georges Bank area, and projections of future oil and gas activity in such area.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to Senate amended, 2nd committee reporting" stage on September 10, 1980. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on September 10, 1980: Reported to Senate from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources with amendment, S. Rept. 96-934.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
EDWARD KENNEDY (D-MA) introduced it on December 11, 1979, and 7 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 4 Democrats, 3 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on December 11, 1979, 17075 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 16801 days ago, on September 10, 1980.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
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.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers