FederalRegister.gov regulatory documents
Filter the reviewed cache from January 1, 2025 forward by document type, structured agency, publication date, and source-supplied open comment deadline.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is extending the public comment period on our notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) titled "Risk Management and Financial Assurance for OCS Lease and Grant Obligations" by seven days. Comments previously submitted need not be resubmitted and will be fully considered.
The Department of the Interior (the Department or DOI), acting through the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), in response to Executive Order (E.O.) 14154 of January 20, 2025, Unleashing American Energy, as well as Secretarial Order No. 3418 of February 3, 2025, has reviewed market conditions of supply and demand in the crude oil and gas markets, and, as a result, is proposing to amend its existing risk management and financial assurance regulations. BOEM is tasked with managing the development of U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) energy, mineral, and geological resources in an environmentally and economically responsible way. As such, BOEM is proposing to maintain certain provisions of the existing regulations and modify only those elements that, under new market conditions, merit updating. The major proposed amendments in this rule include returning to the previous BOEM practice of considering the financial strength of jointly liable predecessor lessees, revising the credit rating threshold for determining whether oil, gas, and sulfur lessees, right-of-use and easement (RUE) grant holders, and pipeline right-of-way (ROW) grant holders on the OCS are required to provide supplemental financial assurance above the required general financial assurance amount to ensure compliance with their Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) obligations, revising the decommissioning estimate used to determine the amount of supplemental financial assurance required, and revising the appeals bond provision related to the Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA) appeal procedures. Each of these proposed amendments will be discussed in its corresponding section of this preamble. This proposed rule, if finalized, would significantly reduce the amount of supplemental financial assurance required from oil, gas, and sulfur lessees operating on the OCS, thereby supporting the goals of E.O. 14154 Unleashing American Energy. BOEM estimates that a total of approximately $6.2 billion of financial burden to the regulated community will be reduced. This reduction of the financial burden increases the amount of capital available for oil and gas exploration and production on the OCS.
Consistent with Executive Order (E.O.) 14285, "Unleashing America's Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources" (April 24, 2025), E.O. 14154 "Unleashing American Energy" (January 20, 2025), E.O. 14192 "Unleashing Prosperity through Deregulation" (January 31, 2025), and consistent with agency policy, the Department of the Interior (the Department or DOI), acting through the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), proposes administrative revisions to regulations that govern prospecting, leasing, and operations related to minerals other than oil, gas, and sulphur ("hard minerals") on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
The Department of the Interior (the Department or DOI), acting through the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), is amending the Department's regulations to rescind a section that provides for publishing a renewable energy leasing schedule every 2 years. This section is not necessary because it is not mandated by the statute for renewable energy regulations.
Abstract not supplied.
On August 12, 2025, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published a final rule that removed reference to an expired grace period for data extensions. Some of the language from this section was inadvertently erased. This document corrects the final regulations.
The Department of the Interior (the Department or DOI), acting through the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), is amending the Department's regulations to rescind the portion of a section, describing a grace period for release of geophysical data, that expired in 2010. This portion of the section is not necessary because it has expired. DOI is also making minor modifications effecting this rescission to another portion of the section.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is amending its regulations to rescind a section containing cross references. This section is not necessary because it is non-regulatory and only cites references to other regulations.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is amending its regulations that implement the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to revise language reading "Gulf of Mexico" or the associated acronym "GOM" to read "Gulf of America" or the associated acronym "GOA." Executive Order 14172 directs agencies to make this change. This final rule ensures that these regulations comply with this order.
Under the Congressional Review Act, Congress passed, and the President signed, a joint resolution disapproving the final "Protection of Marine Archaeology Resources" rule published by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on September 3, 2024. That rule required lessees and operators to submit an archaeological report with any oil and gas exploration or development plan they submit to BOEM for approval of proposed activities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Under the joint resolution and by operation of the Congressional Review Act, the "Protection of Marine Archaeological Resources" rule has no force or effect.
This final rule implements the 2025 inflation adjustments to the maximum daily civil monetary penalties in the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's (BOEM) regulations for violations of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA). These inflation adjustments are made pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (Improvements Act) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memorandum M-25-02. The 2025 adjustment multiplier of 1.02598 accounts for 1 year of inflation from October 2023 through October 2024.
