On Friday, May 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) announced its intent to revise the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) 2024 Risk Management and Financial Assurance of OCS Lease and Grant Obligations Rule (2024 Rule).
Continue Reading DOI to Overhaul BOEM’s 2024 Risk Management and Financial Assurance Regulations for Offshore Leases and Grants
In 2024, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) issued new financial assurance (“FA”) regulations requiring an estimated $6.9 billion in new supplemental FA from federal offshore oil and gas lessees and grantees, all in excess of base-level bonding amounts (the “Rule”).
Continue Reading BOEM Now Considering Repeal of Its $6.9B Rule and Will Only Seek Supplemental Financial Assurance from Select Properties During Regulatory Review
On June 17, 2024, the States of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, and four oil and gas trade associations sued the Department of Interior (“DOI”) and its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, State of Louisiana, et al. v. Haaland, et al., No. 2:2024-cv-00820, challenging BOEM’s new final rule entitled Risk Management and Financial Assurance for OCS Lease and Grant Obligations, 89 Fed. Reg. 31544 (Apr. 24, 2024) (the “Final Rule”).
Continue Reading Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi Band Together to Stop BOEM’s New $6.9B Financial Assurance Rule
On April 15, 2024, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) released a prepublication of its highly anticipated final rule revising financial assurance requirements for oil, gas, and sulfur operations on the federal outer continental shelf (“OCS”).
Continue Reading BOEM’s New Financial Assurance Requirements for Federal Oil & Gas Leases, ROWs, and RUEs
BOEM’s GOM wind lease sale earlier this week resulted in just 1 high bid of $5.6 million. A drop in the bucket compared to last year’s California wind lease sale which received five winning bids ranging from $130-$173.8 million and totaling $757.1 million. Now what? Find out here on Liskow’s Energy Law Blog.
Continue Reading First-Ever Gulf of Mexico Wind Auction Results in Only 1 Wind Lease Offshore Louisiana. What Happens Next?
In response to multiple requests from stakeholders and interested parties during the third Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force meeting, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management agreed to extend the public comment periods for the two potential wind energy areas (WEAs) and the draft Environmental Assessment (EA). Both 30-day comment periods
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) held its third Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force meeting on July 27, 2022 (3rd Meeting). The first two meetings were held on June 15, 2021, and February 2, 2022, respectively. The primary purpose of this meeting was to present the preliminary
On July 20, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) announced it is seeking public comments on two draft wind energy areas (WEAs) in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
As illustrated on the map, below, the first WEA, covering 188,023 acres, is located 56 nautical miles off the coast of Lake Charles
Last week, the Louisiana Governor’s Office hosted Louisiana Wind Week 2021 to assess Louisiana’s future in offshore wind energy development. Louisiana Wind Week followed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)’s first Gulf of Mexico Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force meeting, which was held on June 15.
Continue Reading Louisiana’s Future in Offshore Wind: Takeaways from Louisiana Wind Week
Following through with President Biden’s campaign promise to halt oil and gas drilling on federal lands, on January 20, 2021, the Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior (“Interior”) issued an order, effective immediately, mandating a 60-day moratorium on new oil and gas leases and drilling permits on public lands and waters (“Order”).
Continue Reading U.S. DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR ISSUES 60-DAY MORATORIUM ON FEDERAL LEASING AND DRILLING PERMITS