Plug Offshore Wells Act
Offshore Oil: Tracking Abandoned Wells and Pipelines
This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being sent to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for review. It is actively moving forward, but no future hearings or votes have been scheduled yet. There is no companion bill listed for this legislation at this time.
Legislative Progress
This bill only has support from one party and focuses on increasing oversight of the oil industry, which usually faces strong opposition. Most bills of this type do not move past the committee stage.
Key Points
- This bill requires the Department of the Interior to create a yearly public report about cleaning up old offshore oil and gas equipment. It focuses on wells, platforms, and pipelines that are no longer being used in the ocean.
- The report would show how many companies are following the rules for removing old equipment. It would also list how many wells or pipelines were left in the ocean instead of being taken out completely.
- The public would be able to see which companies missed their deadlines for cleaning up. It also tracks if the government is punishing these companies with fines or bans from future drilling.
- This policy aims to increase transparency about the environmental risks of abandoned oil equipment. By making this information public, people can see if the government is holding oil companies accountable for their messes.
Impact Analysis
Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
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
(3)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.