Offshore Petroleum Expansion Now Act of 2012

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

S.3438 through Congress

S.3438 keeps its number as it moves between the House and Senate.

SenateJul 25, 2012IntroducedOfficial record

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Separate related House measures (2)

These are different measures identified as related by Congress.gov. Their text and outcomes may differ; they are not the House stage of S.3438.

Related House bill: H.R.6082 Congressional Replacement of President Obama's Energy-Restricting and Job-Limiting Offshore Drilling Plan

Related House bill: H.R.6168 President Obama's Proposed 2012-2017 Offshore Drilling Lease Sale Plan Act

Congressional Research Service

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jul 25, 2012

Offshore Petroleum Expansion Now Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to implement the Proposed Oil & Gas Leasing Program: 2012-2017 in accordance with the schedule for conducting oil and gas lease sales set forth in it and in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

Directs the Secretary to conduct each of specified oil and gas lease sales in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Planning Areas, including certain ones in the Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program (2010-2015), during its specified year.

Requires the Secretary to offer for sale, no later than December 31, 2013, leases of tracts in the Santa Maria and Santa Barbara or Ventura Basins of the Southern California OCS Planning Area.

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Directs the Secretary to revise a specified Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement map, dated January 2010, to ensure that the square footage of the leasable area in the Mid-Atlantic planning area is directly proportional to the length of the tidal shoreline of the Mid-Atlantic States (Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia).

Retains the authority of the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to designate national defense areas on the OCS.

Requires the Secretary to prepare a multisale environmental impact statement pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for lease sales required under this Act that are not included in the Proposed Leasing Program (2012-2017).

Declares that nothing in this Act affects restrictions on oil and gas leasing under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006.

Requires all lease sales conducted pursuant to this Act, with specified exceptions, to be area-wide lease sales.

Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, for each of FY2012-FY2022, to deposit in a special account in the Treasury 37.5 % of all revenues due and payable to the United States from OCS areas not scheduled for lease sale under Proposed Oil and Gas Leasing Program: 2012-2017. Instructs the Secretary of the Interior to disburse such funds to coastal states and coastal political subdivisions.

Prescribes an allocation formula for coastal states and coastal political subdivisions.

Amends the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 to repeal limitations placed upon the amount of distributed qualified OCS revenues.

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People & committees

Who introduced it

Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK] · R–AK

Committees

Energy and Natural Resources Committee

7 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Legislative record

Actions

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Jul 25, 2012
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Jul 25, 2012
Introduced in Senate

Primary sources

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Introduced in Senate · Jul 25, 2012 Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

Source last updated: Sep 8, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

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Objective

Analyze S.3438 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.

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Discuss S.3438, 112th Congress: Offshore Petroleum Expansion Now Act of 2012

Official record: https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-bill/3438

Text version to examine: Introduced in Senate · 2012-07-25.

Official full text: https://www.congress.gov/112/bills/s3438/BILLS-112s3438is.htm

Imported record last updated by the source: 2026-09-08T18:16:56Z. Verify current status and distinguish any later version from the version above.

Read the official text before answering. If you cannot access it, say so and ask me to provide it; do not assume a link means you have read the document. Distinguish proposals from enacted law, cite sources, and separate facts, interpretation, and uncertain predictions. Include counterarguments even when using a particular perspective.

Analyze S.3438 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.

Fairness and public impact

Progressive lens

Examine S.3438 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.

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Discuss S.3438, 112th Congress: Offshore Petroleum Expansion Now Act of 2012

Official record: https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-bill/3438

Text version to examine: Introduced in Senate · 2012-07-25.

Official full text: https://www.congress.gov/112/bills/s3438/BILLS-112s3438is.htm

Imported record last updated by the source: 2026-09-08T18:16:56Z. Verify current status and distinguish any later version from the version above.

Read the official text before answering. If you cannot access it, say so and ask me to provide it; do not assume a link means you have read the document. Distinguish proposals from enacted law, cite sources, and separate facts, interpretation, and uncertain predictions. Include counterarguments even when using a particular perspective.

Examine S.3438 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.

Institutions and government scope

Conservative lens

Examine S.3438 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.

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Discuss S.3438, 112th Congress: Offshore Petroleum Expansion Now Act of 2012

Official record: https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-bill/3438

Text version to examine: Introduced in Senate · 2012-07-25.

Official full text: https://www.congress.gov/112/bills/s3438/BILLS-112s3438is.htm

Imported record last updated by the source: 2026-09-08T18:16:56Z. Verify current status and distinguish any later version from the version above.

Read the official text before answering. If you cannot access it, say so and ask me to provide it; do not assume a link means you have read the document. Distinguish proposals from enacted law, cite sources, and separate facts, interpretation, and uncertain predictions. Include counterarguments even when using a particular perspective.

Examine S.3438 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.

Individual rights and government power

Liberty lens

Examine S.3438 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.

View full prompt & sources

Discuss S.3438, 112th Congress: Offshore Petroleum Expansion Now Act of 2012

Official record: https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-bill/3438

Text version to examine: Introduced in Senate · 2012-07-25.

Official full text: https://www.congress.gov/112/bills/s3438/BILLS-112s3438is.htm

Imported record last updated by the source: 2026-09-08T18:16:56Z. Verify current status and distinguish any later version from the version above.

Read the official text before answering. If you cannot access it, say so and ask me to provide it; do not assume a link means you have read the document. Distinguish proposals from enacted law, cite sources, and separate facts, interpretation, and uncertain predictions. Include counterarguments even when using a particular perspective.

Examine S.3438 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.