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Natural Resources Committee Investigation of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig Explosion
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As the Committee with primary jurisdiction over offshore oil and gas policy, the House Natural Resources Committee, led by Chairman Nick J. Rahall (D-WV), is vigorously investigating the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in the broader context of what it means for future offshore oil and gas drilling.


Press Releases  |  Hearings on Oil Spill  |  Hearings on Offshore Drilling  |  Letters  |  Legislation  |  GAO Reports 


Press Releases:

Hearings on Deepwater Horizon:


Hearings on Offshore Drilling:

Letters Sent by Chairman Rahall:

Chairman Rahall Legislation on Offshore Drilling: 

  • H.AMDT.106 to H.R. 2217: (Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2002) Offered June 21, 2001. Amendment prohibits new energy leasing or related activities within boundaries of designated onshore or offshore National Monuments.  Agreed to by recorded vote 242 – 173 June 21, 2001.

  • H.R. 6 – “CLEAN Energy Act of 2007” Introduced January 12, 2007. Would have imposed a Conservation of Resources fee on leases in the Gulf of Mexico that were either non-producing or not currently paying royalties due to missing lease price thresholds, and would have ended royalty relief for several categories of offshore leases and imposed thresholds on deepwater leases issued from 1995-2000.  Passed the House 264 – 163 on January 18, 2007.  December 19, 2007; none of these provisions were adopted in the omnibus energy legislation enacted into Public Law No: 110-140, “Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.”

  • H.R. 2337 – “Energy Policy Reform and Revitalization Act of 2007” Introduced May 16, 2007. Contained a large number of provisions to reform the federal oil and gas royalty system, adjust imbalances arising from the Energy Policy Act of 2005, advance carbon sequestration projects, and increase the production of renewable energy on federal lands.  Ordered to be reported out of the Natural Resources Committee on June 13, 2007; became Title VII of H.R. 3221, “New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act,” which passed the House 241 – 172 on August 4, 2007. Again, in the final legislation, none of these of the oil and gas leasing reform provisions became part of Public Law No: 110-289, the “Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008.”

  • H.R. 6251 – “Responsible Federal Oil and Gas Lease Act” Introduced June 12, 2008. Included a “Use It or Lose It” provision that would require oil and gas leaseholders to certify that they were diligently developing their leases before being able to obtain any new leases, and also required the establishment of diligent development benchmarks for all new leases. Motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill failed 223 – 195 on June 26, 2008. No further action.

  • H.R. 6515 – “Drill Responsibly in Leased Lands (DRILL) Act of 2008” Introduced July 16, 2008. Included “Use It or Lose It” and provisions designed to accelerate oil and gas production in Alaska. Motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill failed 244 – 173 on July 17, 2008.  No further action.

  • H.R. 6899 – “The Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act” Introduced September 15, 2008. Would have opened up the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to oil and gas leasing further than 100 miles from the coastline, allowed states to permit drilling between 50 and 100 miles, ended the “Royalty-In-Kind” program, and imposed significant royalty reforms.  Passed the House 236 – 189 on September 16, 2008. No further action by Senate.

  • H.R. 3534 – “Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources Act of 2009 (CLEAR Act)” Introduced September 8, 2009.  The CLEAR Act would require the Department of the Interior to hold its employees to the highest ethical standards, and would create greater efficiencies, transparency, and accountability in the development of federal energy resources through fundamental reform of MMS.  Status: Committee Hearings Held September 16 and 17, 2009.
    (Fact Sheet) (Section-by-Section Summary)

  • H.R. 3534 – “Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources Act (CLEAR Act)” – Discussion Draft, Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute, dated June 22, 2010, 5:25 p.m.
    (Fact Sheet) (Section-by-Section Summary) (Full Text)

  • H.R. 3534 – “Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources Act (CLEAR Act)” – Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute, dated July 12, 2010 

    (Section-by-Section Summary) (Full Text)

  • H.R. 3534 - “Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources Act (CLEAR Act)” – Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute, dated July 26, 2010
    (Fact Sheet) (Section-by-Section Summary)  


Completed Government Accountability Office (GAO) Investigations Requested by Chairman Rahall:

  • Mineral Revenues: A More Systematic Evaluation of the Royalty-in-Kind Pilots Is Needed, GAO-03-296, January 9, 2003

  • Mineral Revenues: Cost and Revenue Information Needed to Compare Different Approaches for Collecting Federal Oil and Gas Royalties, GAO-04-448, April 16, 2004

  • Oil and Gas Royalties: Royalty Relief Will Cost the Government Billions of Dollars but Uncertainty Over Future Energy Prices and Production Levels Make Precise Estimates Impossible at this Time, GAO-07-590R, April 12, 2007

  • Oil and Gas Royalties: A Comparison of the Share of Revenue Received from Oil and Gas Production by the Federal Government and Other Resource Owners, GAO-07-676R, May 1, 2007

  • Oil and Gas Royalties: Litigation over Royalty Relief Could Cost the Federal Government Billions of Dollars, GAO-08-792R, June 5, 2008

  • Oil and Gas Royalties: The Federal System for Collecting Oil and Gas Revenues Needs Comprehensive Reassessment, GAO-08-691, September 3, 2008

  • Mineral Revenues: Data Management Problems and Reliance on Self-Reported Data for Compliance Efforts Put MMS Royalty Collections at Risk, GAO-08-893R, September 12, 2008

  • Oil and Gas Royalties: MMS's Oversight of Its Royalty-in-Kind Program Can Be Improved through Additional Use of Production Verification Data and Enhanced Reporting of Financial Benefits and Costs, GAO-08-942R, September 26, 2008

  • Oil and Gas Leasing: Interior Could Do More to Encourage Diligent Development, GAO-09-74, October 3, 2008

  • Mineral Revenues: MMS Could Do More to Improve the Accuracy of Key Data Used to Collect and Verify Oil and Gas Royalties, GAO-09-549, July 15, 2009

  • Royalty-In-Kind Program: MMS Does Not Provide Reasonable Assurance It Receives Its Share of Gas, Resulting in Millions on Forgone Revenue, GAO-09-744, August 14, 2009

  • Offshore Oil and Gas Development: Additional Guidance Would Help Strengthen the Minerals Management Service's Assessment of Environmental Impacts in the North Aleutian Basin, GAO-10-276, March 8, 2010

  • Oil and Gas Management: Interior’s Oil and gas Production Verification Efforts Do Not Provide Reasonable Assurance of Accurate Measurement of Production Volumes, GAO-10-313, March 15, 2010