Legislative Background
Recent Action on Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling
Oil and gas drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) has been a major energy issue in the 109th Congress. Both the House and Senate have passed legislation opening up protected areas to drilling for the first time in a quarter-century. Though the bills are significantly different, any final version, if passed, will liberalize offshore drilling in the future. House Action On February 15, 2006, Representative Bobby Jindal (LA-R) introduced H.R. 4761, the Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act, to allow exploration, development, and production activities for mineral resources on the OCS. The Committee on Resources reported the bill to the…
