To require the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to further develop, finalize, and implement updated regulations for offshore oil and gas pipelines to address long-standing limitations regarding its ability to ensure active pipeline integrity and address safety and environmental risks associated with decommissioning, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · March 22, 2023
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
Offshore Pipeline Safety Act
This bill establishes requirements that address the safety and environmental risks associated with certain pipelines on the Outer Continental Shelf.
Specifically, the bill requires the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) to finalize regulations proposed in 2007 related to offshore pipelines. The regulations must require owners of oil and gas pipelines to (1) provide for biannual, third-party inspections of pipelines; and (2) equip pipelines with leak detection systems or devices. Further, the BSEE must issue regulations to charge an annual fee on such owners for the purpose of providing the BSEE with funds to decommission or remove offshore pipelines in the event the owner files for bankruptcy.
In addition, the BSEE must continually monitor the condition and location of all oil and gas pipelines that have been decommissioned (e.g., inactive pipelines that are left buried in the seafloor) and remain in place. If the BSEE identifies an exposed segment of any decommissioned pipeline, then it must either remove the pipeline from the ocean or ensure it is properly decommissioned and does not pose a threat. If a segment of any active pipeline is exposed or shifts, then the BSEE must remove the pipeline, decommission it, or resecure the segment to the sea floor. When determining whether to permit an owner to decommission such pipelines, the BSEE must consider the navigational hazards, any interferences with other uses of the Outer Continental Shelf, and the environmental impacts of the pipelines.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.