Washington, DC –The House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday sponsored by Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) that will improve the nation’s ability to prevent and respond to oil spills.  The legislation will prioritize research into oil spill prevention and cleanup and provide the research for safer, cleaner oil and gas drilling technologies. Together, with another science and technology bill also passed Thursday by the House, the legislation represents a comprehensive research agenda to enhance U.S. preparedness for future oil spills.

“As long as we extract, use, or transport oil in the United States, there will be some risk of oil spills along our shores that will damage our coastlines, marine ecosystems, and fishing and tourism industries,” said Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA). “My bill helps protect the public and the environment through targeted and coordinated research, development, and demonstration that will help us better prevent, combat, and mitigate future oil spills, no matter the size.”

Woolsey’s bill, H.R. 2693, the Federal Oil Pollution Research Program Act, which passed on a voice vote, ensures the ongoing development of new technologies to prevent, recover, and respond to oil spills.  The bill would improve coordination of federal oil spill response R&D by streamlining the lead federal agencies form 14 to four, chaired by the Coast Guard.

The bill also provides for robust oversight and accountability of the interagency research and development program.

Woolsey said her bill grew out frustration over the federal response to the 2007 oil spill in San Francisco Bay.

“Although this spill was minor compared to the current Gulf Coast catastrophe, the impact to the Bay Area was widespread,” said Woolsey.  “What occurred to me throughout the ordeal was the confusion over who was in charge and the inadequacy of the technology.”

The second bill passed by the House, H.R. 5716, The Safer Oil and Natural Gas Drilling Technology Research and Development Act, will make oil and gas drilling safer by encouraging research and development of technologies for worker safety and environmental safety as well as accident prevention and mitigation.

More specifically, the bill amends Section 999 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 which authorized the Secretary of Energy to establish an Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Onshore Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources research and development program.

Some of the areas that will be researched include enhanced well control and integrity, blowout prevention devices, secondary control systems for well shut-off, technologies for accident mitigation, and equipment testing for extreme conditions.

“These two bills help to ensure the federal government, industry, and academia are all better equipped to prevent and respond in the future. I am proud that the Science and Technology Committee has taken the lead by bringing forth legislation to address this critical situation,” said Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN).