A bill to amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to require leases entered into under that Act to include a plan that describes the means and timeline for containment and termination of an ongoing discharge of oil, and for other purposes.
Oil Spill Prevention and Mitigation Improvement Act of 2010 - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior, in the case of each lease issued or renewed after enactment of this Act, to require the incorporation into the lease of a peer-reviewed response plan describing the means and timeline for containment and termination of an ongoing discharge of oil at the depth at which the exploration, development, or production authorized under the lease is to take place.
Requires the Secretary, before determining whether to issue a new lease, to certify the technological feasibility of methods proposed to be used under a response plan, as demonstrated through simulation, demonstration, or other means.
Requires the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to: (1) conduct a study, in collaboration with the Office of Fossil Energy, on means of improving prevention methodologies and technological responses to oil spills and mitigating their effects on natural habitat; (2) convene a task force to assess the prevention methodologies and technological response to the blowout and explosion of the offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon that occurred on April 20, 2010, and resulting hydrocarbon releases and assess the adequacy of existing technologies for prevention and responses to deep water oil spills; and (3) recommend means of improving prevention methodologies and technological responses to future spills and mitigating their effects on natural habitat.
Requires the Comptroller General to study and report on existing capabilities and legal authorities of the federal government to prevent and respond to oil spills, including an assessment of the extent to which such capabilities and authorities have been fully used in the response to the Deepwater Horizon incident and resulting hydrocarbon releases.
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 111-653, pt. 5.
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