BOEMRE Provides Clarity To Activities Suspended Under the Deepwater Moratorium

Issues Notice to 13 Companies

WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) today notified 13 companies whose deepwater drilling activities were suspended by last year’s deepwater drilling moratorium that they may be able to resume those previously-approved activities without the need to submit revised exploration or development plans for supplemental National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews. Before resuming those activities without additional NEPA review, however, the companies must comply with BOEMRE’s new policies and regulations.

“Going forward, we are substantially enhancing our environmental reviews and analysis under NEPA,” said BOEMRE Director Michael R. Bromwich. “But as we move forward, we are taking into account the special circumstances of those companies whose operations were interrupted by the moratorium and ensuring that they are able to resume previously-approved activities. For those companies that were in the midst of operations at the time of the deepwater suspensions, today’s notification is a significant step toward resuming their permitted activity.”

Today’s notice lays out the steps these companies must take for previously-approved operations to restart. This includes compliance with new regulations and information requirements in Notices to Lessees (NTL) N06 and N10, and the Interim Final Safety Rule.

These operators will not be required to revise a previously submitted Exploration Plan or Development Operations Coordination Document (DOCD) if the worst-case discharge estimated for the project, as calculated pursuant to NTL-N06, is less than the worst-case discharge estimate included by the company in its Oil Spill Response Plan. However, if the worst-case discharge exceeds the Oil Spill Response Plan, further reviews will be conducted.

As described in guidance issued by BOEMRE on December 13, 2010, new exploration and development drilling operations must be conducted under new or revised plans subject to appropriate NEPA analysis (http://www.boemre.gov/ooc/press/2010/press1213.htm).

The 13 companies that received today’s notice are: ATP Oil & Gas Corp., BHP Billiton Petroleum (GOM) Inc., Chevron USA Inc., Cobalt International Energy, ENI U.S. Operating Company Inc., Hess Corp., Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Corp., Marathon Oil Company, Murphy Exploration & Production Company – USA, Noble Energy Inc., Shell Offshore Inc., Statoil USA E & P Inc., and Walter Oil & Gas Corp.

For more information on the new regulations, go to: http://www.gomr.boemre.gov/homepg/offshore/safety/well_permits.html
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BOEMRE Plans Meetings on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed 2012-2017 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program

New Public Comment Period Extends to March 31, 2011

WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) today announced that it will hold a series of public scoping meetings in February 2011 on the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the proposed 2012-2017 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program. The public notice is available for public inspection today through the Federal Register’s website at: http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/public-inspection/index.html.

On December 1, 2010, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced an updated oil and gas leasing strategy for the OCS and identified the areas that would be considered for environmental scoping for the 2012 – 2017 program (http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Salazar-Announces-Revised-OCS-Leasing-Program.cfm). The final PEIS will cover areas in the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico along with a small portion of the Eastern Gulf that was set aside by the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act for Lease Sale 224. Additional areas to be considered are Alaska’s Chukchi and Beaufort Seas and Cook Inlet.

“As we look to the future and identify areas to offer for oil and gas development under the next five year program, we will make decisions based upon the best scientific information available,” BOEMRE Director Michael R. Bromwich said. “We strongly encourage public participation in this process to ensure we are reviewing all of the relevant and important information about these areas. This PEIS will inform our decisions on when and where to offer leases and will help identify specific requirements that may be needed to ensure potential risks to the environment are appropriately managed and mitigated.”
The PEIS public scoping meetings are scheduled as follows:

Monday, February 14, 2011 at 7:00 pm- Kotzebue Middle-High School, 744 Third Avenue, Kotzebue, Alaska.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 1:00 pm- Houston Airport Marriott at George Bush International, 18700 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Houston, Texas.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 7:00 pm- Point Hope School Library, Point Hope, Alaska.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at 1:00 pm- New Orleans Airport Hilton, 901 Airline Dr., Kenner, Louisiana.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at 7:00 pm- Point Lay Community Center, Point Lay, Alaska.

Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 1:00pm- Five Rivers-Alabama’s Delta Resource Center, 30945 Five Rivers Blvd., Spanish Fort, Alabama.

Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 7:00pm- Alak School Library, Wainwright, Alaska.

Monday, February 21, 2011 at 7:00 pm- Inupiat Heritage Center, Barrow, Alaska.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011 at 7:00 pm- Nuiqsut Community Center, Nuiqsut, Alaska.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 7:00 pm- Kaktovik Community Center, Kaktovik, Alaska.

Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 1:00 pm- Washington Dulles Airport Marriott, 45020 Aviation Dr., Dulles, Virginia.

Friday, February 25, 2011 at 7:00 pm- BOEMRE Alaska Region Office, 3801 Centerpoint Dr., Anchorage, Alaska.

During the meetings in the Gulf of Mexico region, BOEMRE will also accept public comments on a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement being completed for the remaining Central and Western Gulf of Mexico lease sales under the current Five Year Program, which expires in 2012.

In addition to the scoping meetings, the public may submit written comments on the PEIS until March 31, 2011, via mail, to: J. F. Bennett, Chief, Branch of Environmental Assessment, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, 381 Elden Street, Mail Stop 4042, Herndon, Virginia 20170-4817, or online at http://ocs5yeareis.anl.gov.

Information concerning the leasing program and PEIS can be accessed at http://www.boemre.gov/5-year/.