🐻New Regs for Polar Bear Protection Affecting Oil and Gas Operations
We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are revising a portion of our regulations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act pertaining to incidental take of marine mammals. These regulations, codified at 50 CFR part 18, subpart J, authorize the nonlethal, incidental, unintentional take by harassment of small numbers of polar bears from the Southern Beaufort Sea stock and Pacific walruses during year-round oil and gas industry activities in the Beaufort Sea (Alaska and the Outer Continental Shelf) and adjacent northern coast of Alaska. Such take may result from oil and gas exploration, development, production, and transportation activities occurring through August 5, 2026. The revisions made by this final rule authorize incidental Level A harassment of polar bears in addition to the incidental Level B harassment of polar bears and Pacific walruses already authorized. No lethal take is authorized under this rule.
Learn More🌊Amendments to Rename Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America
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.
Learn More💼Annual Civil Penalty Adjustments Impacting Tribal Businesses
This rule provides for annual adjustments to the level of civil monetary penalties contained in Bureau of Indian Affairs (Bureau) regulations to account for inflation under the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance.
Learn More🐚Removal of Marine Archaeology Protection Rule
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.
Learn More⚖️Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustments for Oil and Gas Operations
This final rule adjusts the amounts of civil monetary penalties contained in the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) regulations governing onshore oil and gas operations and coal trespass. This final rule is required by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 and is consistent with applicable Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance. The adjustments made by this final rule constitute the 2025 annual inflation adjustments and account for one year of inflation spanning the period from October 2023 through October 2024.
Learn More⚖️2025 Civil Penalties Adjustments for Offshore Energy Operations
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.
Learn More💵2025 CMP Inflation Adjustments
Pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (referred to herein as the "Inflation Adjustment Acts"), and Office of Management and Budget ("OMB") guidance, ONRR is adjusting for inflation the civil monetary penalty ("CMP") amounts it assesses under the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982 ("FOGRMA").
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