Bureau of Ocean Energy Management February 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On February 14, 2014, BOEM published in the Federal Register the Final Notice of Sale (FNOS) for CPA Sale 231. The FNOS refers to a document entitled ``List of Blocks Available for Leasing.'' The referenced list was included in the FNOS Package, and the FNOS Package was made available at the BOEM address and Web site set forth in the FNOS. The list identifies blocks to be offered in CPA Sale 231; however, due to a clerical error, four blocks, Eugene Island Area, Block Number 107, Eugene Island Area, Block Number 222, Eugene Island Area, Block Number 223 and South Marsh Island Area, South Addition, Block Number 144, were inadvertently omitted from the list.

BOEM has prepared a ROD for oil and gas EPA Lease Sale 225 scheduled for March 19, 2014. The proposed lease sale is in the Gulf of Mexico's EPA off the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. EPA Lease Sale 225 is the first EPA lease sale scheduled in the OCS Oil & Gas Leasing Program for 2012-2017 (Five Year Program). In making its decision, BOEM considered an alternative to the proposed action, the potential impacts as presented in the EPA 225/226 EIS, and all comments received throughout the NEPA process. The EPA 225/226 EIS evaluated the environmental and socioeconomic impacts for EPA Lease Sale 225.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is proposing to add a new subpart to its regulations on Oil Spill Financial Responsibility (OSFR) for Offshore Facilities designed to increase the limit of liability for damages applicable to offshore facilities under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), to reflect significant increases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) since 1990, and to establish a methodology BOEM would use to periodically adjust for inflation the OPA offshore facility limit of liability. BOEM proposes to increase the limit of liability for damages from $75 million to $133.65 million. OPA requires inflation adjustments to the offshore facility limit of liability not less than every three years to preserve the deterrent effect and ``polluter pays'' principle embodied in the OPA Title I liability and compensation provisions. In addition, the Department of the Interior has determined that this change would further protect the environment by ensuring that any party that causes an oil spill would pay an increased amount of any potential damages. BOEM is publishing this update to its regulations and is soliciting public comments on the method of updates, the clarity of the rule and any other pertinent matters. The Department is limiting the rulemaking comment period to 30 days since it does not anticipate receiving adverse comments on this rulemaking.

This notice provides BOEM's determination that there is no competitive interest in the area requested by Principle Power, Incorporated (PPI) to acquire an Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) commercial wind lease as described in the Potential Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore Oregon, Request for Interest (RFI) that BOEM published on September 30, 2013 (78 FR 59968). The RFI described the WindFloat Pacific Project proposal submitted to BOEM by PPI to acquire a commercial wind lease on the OCS offshore Oregon, and provided an opportunity for the public to submit comments about the proposal.