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S 3603 111th Congress Senate

Oil Spill Technology and Research Act of 2010

Official title: A bill to amend the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to establish the Federal Oil Spill Research Committee and to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to inc… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: A bill to amend the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to establish the Federal Oil Spill Research Committee and to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to include in a response plan certain planned and demonstrated investments in research relating to discharges of oil and to modify the dates by which a response plan is required to be updated.

Introduced: July 15, 2010 Introduced by: Cantwell, Maria Democratic · Washington See on congress.gov
Environmental Protection AccidentsCoast guardCongressional oversightEnvironmental assessment, monitoring, research
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Environmental technologyExecutive agency funding and structureMarine and coastal resources, fisheriesMarine pollutionOil and gasResearch and developmentTechnology assessmentWater quality
This bill died when the 111th Congress ended
It never became law before the 111th Congress (2009–2010) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jul 15, 2010
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5971-5972)
Jul 15, 2010
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5970-5971)
Jul 15, 2010
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action July 15, 2010

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5971-5972)

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Oil Spill Technology and Research Act of 2010 - Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to replace provisions establishing the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research with provisions establishing a Federal Oil Spill Research Committee for the same purpose.

Requires the Committee to: (1) submit to Congress within 180 days and update every five years a report on the state of oil discharge prevention and response capabilities; (2) establish an oil pollution research and development program that provides for research, development, and demonstration of technologies and methods that are effective in preventing, detecting, responding to, mitigating, and restoring damage from oil discharges and that protect the environment; and (3) submit a plan for the implementation of such program to Congress within 180 days after submitting such report.

Requires the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to: (1) designate a Chairperson from among committee members; and (2) manage a program of competitive grants to universities or research institutions for conducting such program.

Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to require vessel and facility response plans for responding to a worst case discharge of oil or a hazardous substance to: (1) be updated at least every five years and resubmitted for approval upon each update; (2) require the use of the best available technology and methods to contain and remove a worst-case discharge and to mitigate or prevent a substantial threat of such a discharge; and (3) include investments in research relating to oil discharges, risk assessment, and development of technologies for oil discharge response and prevention.

Requires: (1) the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating to establish a program for the formal evaluation and validation of oil pollution containment and removal methods and technologies; and (2) each technology and method validated to be included in the comprehensive list of discharge removal resources maintained through the Coast Guard's National Response Unit.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 3603: Oil Spill Technology and Research Act of 2010. 111th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/111-S-3603/
MLA
"S. 3603: Oil Spill Technology and Research Act of 2010." 111th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/111-S-3603/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 3603, 111th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/111-S-3603/.
Markdown link
[S. 3603: Oil Spill Technology and Research Act of 2010](https://openamerica.io/bill/111-S-3603/)
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