PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9746-9747)
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Sep 23, 2009
Energy Security Through Transparency Act of 2009 - Expresses the sense of Congress with respect to: (1) the establishment by foreign governments of requirements that companies under their jurisdiction publicly disclose any payments made to a government relating to the commercial development of oil, natural gas, and minerals; (2) the U.S. commitment to global leadership of transparency in extractive industries by supporting multilateral pro-transparency efforts, bilateral good governance efforts through U.S. missions and activities abroad, implementation of extractive industries reporting requirements for companies under U.S. jurisdiction, and efforts to persuade members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to adopt uniform legislation to ensure a coordinated regulatory approach; and (3) the need for the President to commit the United States to become a Candidate Country of the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative.
Requires the Secretary of the Interior to disclose to the public any payment relating to the commercial development of oil, natural gas, and minerals on federal land made by any person to the government. Includes as a "payment" taxes, royalties, fees, licenses, production entitlements, bonuses, and other material benefits, as determined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require the SEC to issue rules requiring each resource extraction issuer (an issuer that engages in the commercial development of oil, natural gas, or minerals) to include in its annual report information relating to any payment made by the issuer, a subsidiary or partner, or an entity under its control to a foreign government for the purpose of such commercial development. Requires such rules, to the extent practicable, to support the U.S. commitment to international transparency promotion efforts relating to such commercial development.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Requires the SEC, to the extent practicable, to make publicly available online a compilation of the information required to be submitted under the disclosure rules issued pursuant to this Act.
People & committees
Sen. Lugar, Richard G. [R-IN] · R–IN
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9746-9747)
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9745-9746)
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze S.1700 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine S.1700 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine S.1700 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine S.1700 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.