42 U.S.C. § 15912 — Comprehensive inventory of OCS oil and natural gas resources

(a) In general: The Secretary must inventory and analyze the oil and natural gas resources beneath the entire U.S. outer Continental Shelf. This study must (1) use available data on oil and gas resources offshore of Mexico and Canada to help spot trends; (2) use any available technology except actual drilling, including 3-D seismic surveys, to get accurate estimates; (3) analyze how resource estimates for Continental Shelf areas — including deepwater and subsalt areas of the Gulf of Mexico — have changed as data collection, early exploration, and full development have progressed; (4) estimate how understated resource inventories affect domestic energy investment; and (5) identify and explain how laws, regulations, and administrative programs — such as moratoria, lease terms, operating requirements, government approval delays, and local zoning rules for onshore facilities and pipelines — restrict or slow development, and how much they affect the domestic oil and gas supply. (b) Reports: Within 6 months of August 8, 2005, the Secretary had to send Congress a report on this inventory, this analysis of restrictions, and any recommendations. The report must be made public and updated at least once every 5 years.