Bureau of Ocean Energy Management January 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents
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Reorganization of Title 30-Renewable Energy and Alternate Uses of Existing Facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf
This rule of agency organization reassigns responsibilities for the administration of certain regulations governing renewable energy development and alternate uses of existing facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), consistent with the Secretary of the Interior's orders and the Departmental Manual. This final rule transfers the applicable renewable energy Departmental regulations from BOEM to BSEE. Furthermore, this final rule reassigns renewable energy regulations pertaining to safety, environmental oversight, and enforcement from BOEM to BSEE. This rule does not make substantive changes to current regulatory requirements and does not impose additional regulatory burdens on the public or the regulated community.
Renewable Energy Modernization Rule
The first Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) renewable energy regulations were promulgated in 2009 by BOEM's predecessor, the Minerals Management Service (MMS). BOEM's renewable energy program has matured over the past 13 years, during which time BOEM conducted eleven auctions and issued and managed 27 active commercial leases. Based on this experience, the Department has identified opportunities to modernize its regulations to facilitate the development of offshore wind energy resources to meet U.S. climate and renewable energy objectives. This proposed rule contains reforms identified by the Department and recommended by industry since 2010, including proposals for incremental funding of decommissioning accounts; more flexible geophysical and geotechnical survey submission requirements; streamlined approval of meteorological (met) buoys; revised project verification procedures; reform of BOEM's renewable energy auction process; and greater clarity regarding safety requirements. This proposed rule would advance the Department of the Interior's (DOI) energy policies in a safe and environmentally sound manner that would provide a fair return to the U.S. taxpayer.
Modifications to the Bid Adequacy Procedures for Offshore Oil and Gas Lease Sales
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announces and invites comments on its intention to change its bid adequacy procedures (BAPs), which ensure the United States receives fair market value (FMV) from Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas lease sales. BOEM proposes to discontinue the use of both tract classification and delayed valuation methodology. Instead, BOEM proposes to use a statistical lower bound confidence interval (LBCI), at the 90 percent confidence level, as a measure of bid adequacy. BOEM is also proposing other, minor adjustments to its BAPs to clarify and streamline its processes.
Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales 259 and 261: Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
BOEM announces the availability of a final supplemental environmental impact statement, Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales 259 and 261: Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (GOM Lease Sales 259 and 261 SEIS). The GOM Lease Sales 259 and 261 SEIS provides an analysis of potential environmental impacts of the proposed action and four alternatives and identifies BOEM's preferred alternative.
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