The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has released a 1.4 billion pixel map of the deepwater Gulf of Mexico that is up to 50 times more detailed than any map that has been pubicly released of the area. The new Northern Gulf of Mexico deepwater bathymetry grid was created using 3D seismic surveys covering an area of 90,000 square miles and defines the precise water depth of … [Read more...]
U.S. to Offer Over 1 Million Acres Offshore Alaska in Upcoming Oil and Gas Lease Sale
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Friday announced it will offer approximately 1.09 million acres off Alaska’s southcentral coast for oil and gas development in a lease sale scheduled for June. Cook Inlet Oil & Gas Lease Sale 244 will offer 224 blocks toward the northern part of the federal Cook Inlet Planning Area for leasing. The blocks stretch … [Read more...]
U.S. Moves to Develop Wind Energy Projects Off California and New York
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has made two major steps recently in the development of offshore wind energy projects in federal waters off the coasts of New York and California. On Wednesday, BOEM announced its first step toward potential leasing for commercial wind energy development off California, completing an initial review of an … [Read more...]
U.S. Proposes Stricter Air Standards On Offshore Oil and Gas Operations
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is proposing to update 36-year-old regulations to make sure that offshore oil and gas activities do not significantly harm the air quality of any state in the U.S. The proposed rules, targeting operations in the Western and Central Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic, are aimed at reducing emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), … [Read more...]
U.S. Issues Proposed Rules for Safety of Arctic Drilling Offshore Alaska
The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) have released proposed regulations that they say will ensure the safety of future exploratory drilling activities in the U.S. Arctic by holding operators accountable over the full spectrum of operations from mobilization to drilling and emergency response. The … [Read more...]
Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale Yields $102.4 Million in High Bids
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Wednesday held Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 233, which offered up 20.7 million acres and attracted $102,351,712 in high bids for 53 tracts covering 301,006 acres on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore Texas. A total of 12 offshore energy companies submitted 61 bids. Sale … [Read more...]
An Update On Gulf Of Mexico Deepwater Drilling Permits
(Bloomberg) The Obama administration has issued this year the most deep-water oil-drilling permits for the Gulf of Mexico since 2007 as high crude prices revive exploration slowed by the 2010 BP Oil spill. The pace of issuing permits under President Barack Obama drew criticism from his Republican rival Mitt Romney last night and from energy lobbyists during the campaign who … [Read more...]