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H.R. 2643: Offshore Pipeline Safety Act

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H.R. 2643: Offshore Pipeline Safety Act

117th Congress · introduced 2021-04-19 · Energy · Latest: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 456.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2021-04-19 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 456. 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

Offshore Pipeline Safety Act

Plain summary

Offshore Pipeline Safety Act This bill establishes requirements to address the environmental risks of decommissioned oil and gas pipelines on the seafloor. 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 provide for biannual, third-party inspections of pipelines and to 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. 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. In addition, the BSEE must continually monitor the condition and location of all oil and gas pipelines that have been decommissioned and remain in place. If the BSEE identifies an exposed segment of any active or 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 resecure the segment to the sea floor.

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to House), 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

Offshore Pipeline Safety Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to House)

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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: Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26] · 11 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Mike Levin (D-CA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Deborah K. Ross (D-NC), Doris O. Matsui (D-CA)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26] reported raising $580,025 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

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 (2)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Rulemaking
The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong117-hr2643 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117