Outer Continental Shelf Safety Act
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs.
Outer Continental Shelf Safety Act - Declares that it is the purpose of this Act to enact procedures to lease only the least environmentally dangerous areas in the Outer Continental Shelf, to enact new and comprehensive safety regulations for operations in the Outer Continental Shelf, and to provide for strict enforcement of such regulations. Sets forth the definitions of terms used in this Act. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to prepare a leasing schedule, including an assessment of environmental hazards, of all areas in the Outer Continental Shelf planned to be leased in the ensuing five years. Prescribes safety regulations for oil and gas operations, including requirements that: (1) new permits for drilling or other operations should be based on use of the best available equipment and technology, and previously existing operations should be upgraded; (2) safety equipment, designed to prevent or ameliorate blowouts, loss of well control, or spillages, should be made as reliable as possible; (3) mandatory minimum training standards should be developed and enforced for all personnel in supervisory and control duties involving hazardous drilling and production operations; and (4) development of subsea production technology should be accelerated for safety and environmental reasons. Requires the Secretary to develop safety regulations for operations in the Outer Continental Shelf. States that any aggrieved party may seek judicial review of safety regulations promulgated pursuant to this Act in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Provides that the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall have responsibility for rigorous inspection of all operations and enforcement of safety regulations promulgated pursuant to this Act. Requires the Administrator to make an investigation and public report on all fires and major oil spillages occurring as a result of operations pursuant to this Act. Directs the Administrator to establish an Office of Marine Technology, and through such Office: (1) maintain a continuing assessment of the adequacy of equipment, technology, and techniques of operations in the Outer Continental Shelf; and (2) conduct experiments or studies for the development of advanced desirable equipment, techniques, or technology for Outer Continental Shelf operations. Imposes criminal and civil penalties for violation of this Act. Requires any person in charge of any operations in the Outer Continental Shelf, as soon as he has knowledge of a discharge or spillage of oil from an operation which is not allowed by a permit issued pursuant to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, to immediately notify the appropriate agency of the United States Government of such discharge. States that any person who fails to notify such agency of discharge or spillage shall, upon conviction, be fined not more than $10,000, or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on December 21, 1973. 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 December 21, 1973: Referred to Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs.
- 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 93rd Congress (1973-74), 651 of the 23,396 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.8 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?
JOHN TUNNEY (D-CA) introduced it on December 21, 1973. No cosponsors are recorded.
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 21, 1973, 19256 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 19256 days ago, on December 21, 1973.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 93rd Congress has not finished by January 3, 1975 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