Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

The secretaries of the Interior, Energy, Commerce, and Transportation departments met at the White House to discuss advancing wind energy in the United States while the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management identified prime areas for offshore wind energy off the US East Coast.

The research will focus on potential policy changes that could help increase oil and gas production from deepwater infrastructure already in place in the Gulf of Mexico to reduce stranded assets.

Lease Sale 256 was originally set for August but was moved due to COVID-19’s impact on the oil and gas markets. Bids will be accepted by mail only due to the ongoing pandemic.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has released its Studies Development Plan, its roadmap for acquiring the scientific information it uses to make its decisions, for the upcoming fiscal year.

GAO believes BOEM often undervalues its tracts offered to operators in offshore lease sales.

Australia’s BHP Billiton and the recently acquired Anadarko Petroleum submitted the largest dollar totals of high bids in US Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 253.

The web-based interactive tool provides users specialized “ocean neighborhood analyses,” including maps and graphics by analyzing more than 100 ocean datasets instantaneously.

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has issued a final environmental impact statement (PEIS) for proposed geological and geophysical surveys of the Gulf of Mexico regarding possible oil and gas development.

After the 2010 Gulf oil spill, the Obama administration broke the scandal-plagued federal agency that policed offshore drilling into separate bureaus. Now, the Trump administration is considering putting it back together again.