Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Type: Executive Departments Parent organization: United States Department of the Interior Top organization: Employees: 600 Executive: Director Budget: $200 million (Fiscal Year 2024) Address: 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240 Website: https://www.boem.gov Creation Legislation: Secretarial Order No. 3299 by the Department of the Interior in 2010 Wikipedia: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

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Mission BOEM manages the development of U.S. Outer Continental Shelf energy, mineral, and geological resources in an environmentally and economically responsible way. It oversees the safe and sustainable development of offshore energy while balancing environmental protection and economic growth.

Services Offshore energy leasing; Environmental reviews; Resource management; Research and data gathering

Regulations Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA); Energy Policy Act of 2005; National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
File:BOEM Logo.png
Agency Overview
Formed	October 1, 2011 (2011-10-01)
Preceding agency	Minerals Management Service
Headquarters	Main Interior Building Washington, D.C.
Employees	N/A
Annual budget	N/A
Agency Executive	Elizabeth Klein, Director
Parent agency	Department of the Interior
Website
www.boem.gov

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior, established in 2010 by Secretarial Order.

On May 19, 2010, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar signed a Secretarial Order dividing the Minerals Management Service (MMS) into three independent entities:

• Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)
• Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement
• Office of Natural Resources Revenue

The most important legislation for BOEM is the Outer continental shelf (OCS) Lands Act to facilitate the federal government’s leasing of its offshore mineral resources and energy resources.

In addition to the OCS Lands Act, the Submerged Lands Act (SLA) of 1953 grants individual states rights to the natural resources of submerged lands from the coastline to no more than 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) into the Atlantic, Pacific, the Arctic Oceans, and the Gulf of Mexico. The only exceptions are Texas and the west coast of Florida, where state jurisdiction extends from the coastline to no more than 3 marine leagues (16.2 km) into the Gulf of Mexico.

BOEM’s Mission

BOEM’s stated mission is to “manage development of U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) energy, mineral, and geological resources in an environmentally and economically responsible way.”

Offshore Energy

The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) is a significant source of oil and gas for the Nation’s energy supply. As of May 1, 2021, BOEM manages about 2,287 active oil and gas leases on approximately 12.1 million OCS acres.

In 2009, the Department of the Interior announced the final regulations for the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Renewable Energy Program, which was authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct). These regulations provide a framework for issuing leases, easements and rights-of-way for OCS activities that support production and transmission of energy from sources other than oil and natural gas.

Marine Minerals

BOEM is the only federal agency with the authority to lease marine minerals from the OCS, including responding to commercial requests for OCS minerals such as gold, manganese, or other hard minerals.

Carbon Sequestration

Carbon sequestration (CS) refers to a process of storing captured carbon dioxide (CO2) that leads to a reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere. Carbon sequestration activities can take many forms. One form of long-term storage is injection of captured CO2 into suitable underground geologic formations.

On November 15, 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was signed into law and gave the Department of the Interior the authority to grant a lease, easement, or right-of-way on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) for long-term sequestration of carbon dioxide that would otherwise go into the atmosphere and contribute to further climate change. BOEM is working with the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) on a draft rule to implement this authority over the OCS CS projects.

Environmental Studies

BOEM’s environmental program ensures that environmental protection is a foremost and indispensable consideration in BOEM's decision-making.

BOEM uses science and law to inform our environmental analyses, conduct consultations, and design and conduct research. The environmental program informs three major areas that BOEM regulates on the outer continental shelf: oil and gas, renewable energy, and non-energy minerals such as sand and gravel or hard minerals.

Shipwrecks

BOEM keeps records of shipwrecks, to ensure the Nation's important historical sites are protected when offshore activities take place on the OCS. These shipwrecks, particularly when over fifty years old, may be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and any new wells or pipelines have to be studied for their potential effect on archaeological sites on the outer continental shelf.

List of shipwrecks

The BOEM maintains a list of shipwrecks and the location.

• Northern Eagle (Built 1857) was a fishing schooner lost 1908-03-01
• Carrie Strong (Lost 1916)
• W.H. Marston (Lost 1927)
• Western Empire was abandoned during a hurricane on September 18, 1875. Further research has ruled out the wreck as the Western Empire, and it is now believed to be a naval ship (now referred to as the BOEMRE Vessel ID No. 359) that may have been used as a merchant vessel.
• Nokomis (Lost 1905)

World War II shipwrecks

There were over 100 attacks on ships in the Gulf of Mexico by German U-boats. Several were listed by the MMS and maintained by the BOEM.

• SS Gulfoil (Built 1912, lost 1942-05-17), sunk by German submarine U-506
• SS Gulfpenn (Built 1921, lost 1942-05-13), sunk by German submarine U-506
• SS Robert E. Lee (Built 1924, lost 1942-07-30), sunk by German submarine U-166
• SS Alcoa Puritan (Built 1941, lost 1942-06-05), sunk by German submarine U-507
• SS Carrabulle (Built 1920, lost 1942-05-26), sunk by German submarine U-106.
• SS Amapala (Built 1924, lost 1942-05-16), sunk by German submarine U-507

See also

• Title 30 of the Code of Federal Regulations
• Worst Case Discharge
• Wind power in the United States
• Second Happy Time

External links

• Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Official website
• Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in the Federal Register