Question: What is the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement?

Answer: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), a bureau in the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), is the federal agency that manages the nation's natural gas, oil and other mineral resources on the outer continental shelf (OCS). The program is national in scope and is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Question: What is the outer continental shelf (OCS)?

Answer: The OCS is all submerged lands lying seaward of state coastal waters which are under U.S. jurisdiction.

Question: What is the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act?

Answer: The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act assigns the Secretary of the Interior the responsibility for the administration of mineral exploration and development of the OCS. The Act empowers the Secretary to grant leases to the highest qualified responsible bidder on the basis of sealed competitive bids and to formulate regulations as necessary to carry out the provisions of the Act. The Act, as amended, provides guidelines for implementing an OCS oil and gas exploration and development program. Further information is on the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

Question: What is the process for approving an exploration or development plan?

Answer: BOEMRE has created a simplified flowchart outlining the approval process for an exploration plan and a development plan. The process involves reviews by BOEMRE and various federal and state agencies.

Question: What is the process for leasing OCS oil and gas?

Answer: BOEMRE has oversight responsibility on oil and gas leasing activities within the OCS. Section 18 of the OCS Lands Act requires the Secretary of the Interior to prepare a 5-year oil and gas leasing program (5-Year Program) that consists of a 5-year schedule of proposed lease sales that shows the size, timing, and location of leasing activity as precisely as possible. The process to develop a 5-Year Program includes: three separate comment periods, two separate draft proposals, a final proposal, and development of an environmental impact statement (EIS). This statutorily mandated process usually takes about two and a half years. After the Secretary of the Interior approves the Proposed Final Program, the BOEMRE sends it to Congress. If Congress does not pass legislation to modify the proposal within 60 days, the 5-Year Program becomes final. View the Leasing 101 Guide. The current OCS oil and gas leasing statistics are updated and posted monthly in a Combined Leasing Status Report.

Question: Can I view a copy of an approved drilling permit?

Answer: Copies of approved drilling permits can be viewed by accessing the public eWell query Application for Permit to Drill (APD, AST, ABP). Instructions for using the query tool are available to assist you.

Question: Does Minerals Management Service (MMS) still exist?

Answer: No, BOEMRE has taken over all of the responsibilities of the Minerals Management Service until the full implementation of BOEMRE’s reorganization.

Question: Why is BOEMRE re-organizing?

Answer: The purpose of this reorganization is to separate and reassign the responsibilities that had been conducted by MMS into new management structures that will improve the management, oversight, and accountability of activities on the OCS; ensure a fair return to the taxpayer from royalty and revenue collection and disbursement activities; and provide independent safety and environmental oversight and enforcement of offshore activities.

Question: What will BOEMRE look like following the re-organization?

Answer: The reorganization will be responsible for transforming BOEMRE into three separate bureaus: the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR). BOEM will exercise the conventional (e.g., oil and gas) and renewable energy-related management functions of MMS not otherwise transferred pursuant to Secretary Salazar’s Order 3299 including, but not limited to, activities involving resource evaluation, planning and leasing. BSEE will oversee the safety and environmental enforcement functions of MMS including, but not limited to, the authority to inspect, investigate, summon witnesses and produce evidence, levy penalties, cancel or suspend activities, and oversee safety, response, and removal preparedness. The royalty and revenue management functions of MMS including, but not limited to, royalty and revenue collection, distribution, auditing and compliance, investigation and enforcement, and asset management for both onshore and offshore activities will be transferred to ONRR.

Question: What is the Investigations and Review Unit?

Answer: Director Bromwich announced the creation of a new Investigations and Review Unit on 6/23/2010. This permanent organization is a team of professionals with law enforcement backgrounds or technical expertise whose mission is to: promptly and credibly respond to allegations or evidence of misconduct and unethical behavior by Bureau employees; pursue allegations of misconduct by oil and gas companies involved in offshore energy projects; and assure the Bureau's ability to respond swiftly to emerging issues and crises, including significant incidents such as spills and accidents. The IRU will evaluate all information submitted and will, where appropriate, conduct further investigation. The IRU will be sharing allegations of misconduct with the Department of the Interior’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), and they will jointly determine which office conducts any investigation of those allegations. Contact information at the link above will assist individuals with knowledge of misconduct or unethical behavior involving the Bureau.