The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said yesterday that they will advance new research into whether certain policy changes could help increase oil and gas production from deepwater infrastructure already in place in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM).
“President Trump recognizes smart policy requires us to look for adjustments that need to be made today to facilitate U.S. offshore competitiveness, or we will experience problems...
In support of President Trump’s Executive Order 13795, implementing an America-first offshore energy strategy, the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) announced proposed changes to clarify, streamline and provide greater transparency to financial assurance requirements (e.g. bonding) for the offshore oil and gas industry, while protecting American taxpayers against high-risk decommissioning liabilities.
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The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced today that it proposes to offer approximately 78.8 million acres for a regionwide lease sale scheduled for November 2020.
Lease Sale 256, scheduled to be livestreamed from New Orleans, will be the seventh offshore sale under the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. Lease Sale 256 will include approximately 14,755 unleased blocks — all of the available unleased areas in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
“The Gulf...
https://www.workboat.com/news/offshore/gulf-of-mexico-lease-sale-set-for-november/
Supporters of the Vineyard Wind offshore wind energy project came out online June 26 to call on the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to approve the 800-megawatt plan in southern New England waters, with spacing turbine towers in a 1 nautical mile grid.
“Vineyard Wind 1 is the most significant step we can take” for reducing carbon emissions in Massachusetts, said Tom Soldini of Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., adding that the company will provide 40 to 50 permanent jobs to the...
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) completed its required evaluation to ensure the public receives fair market value for tracts leased in Gulf of Mexico Regionwide Lease Sale 253, held on Aug. 21, 2019.
After extensive geological, geophysical, engineering, and economic analysis, BOEM has awarded 147 leases on tracts covering 812,000 acres to high bidders who participated in the sale. The accepted high bids are valued at $155 million. BOEM accepted the 147 bids after determining that...
https://www.workboat.com/news/offshore/boem-awards-147-leases-in-the-gulf-of-mexico/
The Department of the Interior (DOI) today announced steps to ensure workplace safety on outer continental shelf (OCS) renewable energy facilities. The new policy, which will be published in the Federal Register on Oct. 18, clarifies that DOI will act as the principal federal agency for the regulation and enforcement of safety and health requirements for OCS renewable energy facilities.
“This policy statement is a major milestone in advancing the renewable energy program on the OCS,” said Bureau...
https://www.workboat.com/news/offshore/interior-clarifies-ocs-renewable-energy/
As numerous offshore wind projects begin to take shape off U.S. coasts, the federal government is modifying many of its oversight policies regarding this growing renewable energy industry.
For the first time in more than a decade, the Coast Guard has revised its guidelines for reviewing the effects of offshore wind farms on commercial shipping, in recognition that such projects could significantly impact navigation safety, ship traffic routes, and the Coast Guard’s ability to respond to at-sea...
https://www.workboat.com/news/offshore/u-s-makes-regulatory-changes-affecting-offshore-wind/
Dominion Energy announced today that it plans to develop the largest offshore wind development project in the U.S. to provide more renewable energy to its customers in Virginia and provide a boost to the offshore wind industry on the East Coast.
The Richmond, Va.-based company filed an application with PJM, the regional transmission organization that coordinates the electrical grid in all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia, to interconnect the proposed turbines to the...
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Director Scott Angelle met with staff and offshore energy representatives at key meetings in the Gulf of Mexico region recently to underscore the importance of safe and environmentally sustainable operations. He delivered remarks at both the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) Well Control Conference in Galveston, Texas and the Deepwater Technical Symposium in New Orleans.
“The Bureau has heard what our stakeholders were...
Yesterday’s Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 253 in New Orleans generated over $159 million in high bids for 151 tracts covering 835,000 acres in federal waters. Twenty-seven companies participated in the lease sale, submitting approximately $175 million in bids.
“We are excited about the results from today’s lease sale, which show a continued upward trend for the year. The total from today’s lease sale and the March sale is the highest since 2015 for high bids,” the Interior Department’s Deputy...
https://www.workboat.com/news/offshore/gulf-of-mexico-lease-sale-attracts-159-million-in-high-bids/