Plug Offshore Wells Act
Offshore Oil Well Cleanup Reporting
This bill was recently introduced and is currently being reviewed by the House Committee on Natural Resources. It is in the early stages of the legislative process and is considered active. There are no upcoming votes scheduled at this time.
Part of: story →Companion bill: Offshore Oil: Tracking Abandoned Wells and Pipelines →Legislative Progress
This bill was introduced by a group of Democrats and faces a tough path in a divided Congress where new reporting requirements on the energy industry are often debated.
Key Points
- This bill requires the Interior Department to create a yearly public report about cleaning up old oil and gas equipment in the ocean. It focuses on wells, platforms, and pipelines that are no longer being used and need to be safely closed or removed.
- The report must show how many companies are following the rules for plugging old wells and removing platforms. It will also list which companies missed their deadlines for cleaning up their equipment and what fines or penalties they faced.
- The public will be able to see how many miles of pipeline were left on the ocean floor versus how many were actually removed. This information will be posted on a public website so anyone can track the progress of these environmental cleanups.
- This policy aims to hold oil and gas companies accountable for their equipment. By making this data public, it helps ensure that abandoned rigs do not sit in the ocean indefinitely where they could cause leaks or other environmental problems.
Impact Analysis
Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.
Milestones
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
News
No related news coverage found for this legislation yet.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Plug Offshore Wells Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
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