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S. 3497: Oil Spill Prevention and Mitigation Improvement Act of 2010

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S. 3497: Oil Spill Prevention and Mitigation Improvement Act of 2010

111th Congress · introduced 2010-06-16 · Energy · Latest: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 111-653, pt. 5.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2010-06-16 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Brown, Scott P. [R-MA] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 111-653, pt. 5. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Oil Spill Prevention and Mitigation Improvement Act of 2010

Plain summary

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.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Oil Spill Prevention and Mitigation Improvement Act of 2010

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Brown, Scott P. [R-MA] · 2 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)
Authorization
A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong111-s3497 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong111 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong111