A Democratic bill with 10 Democratic cosponsors · See all 10 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "Plug Offshore Wells Act" requires the Secretary of the Interior to provide regular updates on the decommissioning of offshore oil and gas infrastructure. This includes wells, platforms, and pipelines. The Secretary must submit an annual report to Congress and publish it on a Department of the Interior website. Starting no later than two years after the Act is passed, these reports will describe activities from the preceding calendar year. The report will cover application numbers, instances where decommissioning did not occur on time, and details regarding pipelines. Additionally, it will include the status of enforcement actions taken by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.
Yes
- Scored +5
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?
The bill requires the Department of the Interior to publish detailed annual reports on offshore decommissioning publicly on its website.
- Scored +3
Does this better protect air, water and wildlife?
The bill enhances oversight of the decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructure to ensure environmental safety.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Transparency: The bill requires that reports be made publicly available on the website of the Department of the Interior (Section 2(b)). This allows the public to access information regarding how offshore infrastructure is being handled.
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Accountability for Decommissioning: The report must track the number of offshore oil and gas wells, platforms, and pipelines for which decommissioning did not occur by the date required (Section 2(b)(3)). This provides oversight on whether required work is being completed on time.
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Oversight of Enforcement: The Secretary must report on the status of enforcement actions, including notices of incidents of noncompliance, orders, citations, civil penalties, and disqualifications (Section 2(b)(6)). This tracks how the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement is handling noncompliance related to decommissioning.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts are explicitly mentioned in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The bill requires the Department of the Interior to publish detailed annual reports on offshore decommissioning publicly on its website.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this better protect air, water and wildlife? — The bill enhances oversight of the decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructure to ensure environmental safety.
- 6/3/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 4/28/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 3/26/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
- 8 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Suzanne BonamiciDemocrat · Oregon
Julia BrownleyDemocrat · California
Debbie DingellDemocrat · Michigan
Jared HuffmanDemocrat · California
Pablo HernándezDemocrat · Puerto Rico
Timothy KennedyDemocrat · New York
Mike LevinDemocrat · California
Kevin MullinDemocrat · California
Dave MinDemocrat · California
Eleanor NortonDemocrat · District of Columbia