HOUSTON -- Secretary of the Department of the Interior Ryan Zinke recently signed two secretarial orders aimed at unleashing America's offshore energy potential and growing the U.S. economy. The first order implements President Trump's Executive Order and directs the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to develop a new five-year plan for oil and gas exploration in offshore waters and reconsider a number of regulations governing those activities. The second order establishes a new position -- counselor to the secretary for energy policy -- to coordinate the Interior Department's energy portfolio that spans nine of the department's 10 bureaus.
"We will conduct a thorough review of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) for oil and gas exploration and listen to state and local stakeholders," said Secretary Zinke. "We also will conduct a thorough review of regulations that were created with good intentions but have had harmful impacts on America's energy security."
Secretarial Order 3350 directs BOEM to immediately develop a new "Five Year Outer Continental Shelf Leasing Program" with full consideration given to leasing the OCS offshore Alaska, mid- and south Atlantic, and the Gulf of Mexico. It also directs BOEM to work with the National Marine Fisheries Service to expedite authorization requests for seismic surveys. The order also directs prompt completion of the Notice to Lessees No. 2016- N01 dated Sept. 12, 2016, and ceases all activities to promulgate the proposed Offshore Air Quality Control, Reporting, and Compliance Rule.
"We're going to look at everything and make sure the policies are appropriate for each local community, rather than force a Washington-driven, one-size-fits-all plan," said Secretary Zinke. "There's no predetermined map of development, but if there are areas that are acceptable, that have resources, and states and local communities support offshore development, we could include those areas in the next fiveyear program."
For more information, visit www. doi.gov or call (202) 208-3100.
