🚢Amendments to Vessel Tonnage Tax Regulations for Simplified Compliance
This interim final rule amends U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations so that a tonnage year, for purposes of calculating tonnage taxes for a vessel, is aligned with the fiscal year of the Federal Government. Currently, CBP calculates a unique tonnage year for each vessel, starting when the vessel first enters the United States. This rule also permits CBP to issue a single electronic receipt for the payment of tonnage taxes and light money. This rule simplifies the tonnage tax process, decreases the number of errors in assessing tonnage taxes, and simplifies the tracking of tonnage tax payments.
Learn More🌊Gulf of America Renaming
This final rule will, throughout the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement's regulations, rename the area formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) as the Gulf of America (GOA). The Gulf of America is the U.S. Continental Shelf area bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the States of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and extending to the seaward boundary with Mexico and Cuba.
Learn More⛽Maryland Underground Storage Tank Program Revisions Approved by EPA
Pursuant to the Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965, as amended (commonly known as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking direct final action to approve revisions to the State of Maryland's Underground Storage Tank (UST) program submitted by Maryland (Maryland or State). This action also codifies EPA's approval of Maryland's state program and incorporates by reference (IBR) those provisions of Maryland's regulations and statutes that EPA has determined meet the requirements for approval. The provisions will be subject to EPA's inspection and enforcement authorities under sections 9005 and 9006 of RCRA Subtitle I and other applicable statutory and regulatory provisions.
Learn More🏞️EPA's Proposed Deletion of Corozal Well From National Priorities List
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a Notice of Intent to delete one site, Corozal Well, from the National Priorities List (NPL) and requests public comments on this proposed action. The NPL, promulgated pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended, is an appendix of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). The EPA and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, through the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PRDNER), have determined that all appropriate response actions under CERCLA have been completed. However, this deletion does not preclude future actions under Superfund.
Learn More⛽Approval of Minnesota’s Underground Storage Tank Program Revisions
Pursuant to the Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965, as amended (commonly known as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking direct final action to approve revisions to the State of Minnesota's Underground Storage Tank (UST) program submitted by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. This action also codifies EPA's approval of Minnesota's state program and incorporates by reference those provisions of Minnesota's statutes and regulations that EPA has determined meet the requirements for approval. The provisions will be subject to EPA's inspection and enforcement authorities under RCRA Subtitle I and other applicable statutory and regulatory provisions.
Learn More♻️EPA Adds New Sites to National Priorities List for Cleanup
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 ("CERCLA" or "the Act"), as amended, requires that the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan ("NCP") include a list of national priorities among the known releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants throughout the United States. The National Priorities List ("NPL") constitutes this list. The NPL is intended primarily to guide the Environmental Protection Agency ("the EPA" or "the agency") in determining which sites warrant further investigation. These further investigations will allow the EPA to assess the nature and extent of public health and environmental risks associated with the site and to determine what CERCLA-financed remedial action(s), if any, may be appropriate. This rule adds three sites to the General Superfund section of the NPL.
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🐚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🏭EPA Deletes Sites from National Priorities List Impacting Business
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announces the deletion of one site and partial deletion of three sites from the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL, created under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended, is an appendix of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). The EPA and the States, through their designated State agencies, have determined that all appropriate response actions under CERCLA have been completed. However, this deletion does not preclude future actions under Superfund.
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.
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