Latest news with #BOEM
E&E News
04-08-2025
- Business
- E&E News
Trump admin eliminates offshore wind project areas
The Trump administration took another swing at offshore wind Wednesday, rescinding areas of federal waters deemed most suitable for wind development. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), which oversees leasing in federal waters, said it rescinded all designated 'Wind Energy Areas' on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. The move follows an order from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Tuesday directing his department to go after any 'preferential treatment' for wind and solar projects on federal territory. BOEM is part of Interior. Advertisement Wind energy areas are defined by BOEM as sections of federal waters 'that appear most suitable for commercial wind energy activities, while presenting the fewest apparent environmental and user conflicts,' according to the bureau's website. BOEM has previously used designated wind areas to guide lease sales for offshore wind.
Business Wire
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Wire
The Army Corps of Engineers is Reviewing the Petition Filed By Green Oceans and A Coalition of Tribal Nations, Fishing Organizations, and Conservation Groups to Revoke Revolution Wind's Permit
LITTLE COMPTON, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Army Corps has confirmed it is reviewing the Green Oceans' petition to revoke Ørsted's Revolution Wind permit. The petition cites a deeply flawed Public Interest Review that fatally tainted the Revolution Wind approval process and failed to comply with federal law. The petitioners include Green Oceans, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head/Aquinnah, Narragansett Indian Tribe, Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, Fishermen Against Offshore Wind, and the Rhode Island Commercial Fishing Association, as well as Save the East Coast, Protect Our Coast Long Island NY, Save Our Bay, Brayton Point, ACK For Whales, Save Greater Dowses Beach, and Protect Our Westport Waters. The petition raised three red flags: The Corps ignored the project's repeated discharges of arsenic, which exceeded 1000% of allowable levels, and other toxic chemicals, into Narragansett Bay and surrounding wetlands. The Corps disregarded interference with the only East Coast early warning radar system for ballistic missiles, as well as airport surveillance radar critical for aviation safety. It misrepresented the economic impacts—never accounting for lost jobs in the fishing industry or the economic harm from increased electricity rates this project will impose on New Englanders. 'This petition demands environmental justice and accountability from a government that fast-tracked these destructive projects without following the law,' said Dr. Lisa Quattrocki Knight, President of Green Oceans. The petition, filed in June, says the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) relied heavily on the Corps' Public Interest Review for its Record of Decision and final permit authorizations. The flawed review violated the Corps' statutory responsibilities and tainted BOEM's decisions. 'Revolution Wind threatens our environment, burdens ratepayers, -- particularly working families and those on fixed incomes -- and undermines national security,' said Dr. Knight. 'It devastates the marine ecosystem without any proven benefit to the climate. This project isn't sound policy; it's political theater at the public's expense.' Green Oceans is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, community organization dedicated to combating climate change without jeopardizing the health of the ocean or the life it sustains.
E&E News
16-07-2025
- Business
- E&E News
Interior delays offshore mineral lease amid brewing concerns
The Trump administration is taking more time to mull the first mineral lease sale in decades in U.S. waters off American Samoa at the request of the U.S. territory's governor, who opposes the effort. The Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Tuesday said it's extending a public comment period on its proposal to advance deep-sea mining off the territory's shores by a month. The comment period will now go through Aug. 15. Last month, BOEM began collecting feedback on a plan to conduct leases in waters off the U.S. territory and said the comment period would end Wednesday. The move is notable given a California company, Impossible Metals, is seeking permission to explore the seas there for minerals like cobalt, lithium and nickel. Advertisement 'As we extend the comment period, we emphasize our commitment to an open process that ensures the voices of the people of American Samoa are heard and respected,' BOEM Pacific Regional Director Doug Boren said in a statement. 'We look forward to our continued engagement with the Government of American Samoa.'
Reuters
25-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
US proposes Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease sale in December
June 25 (Reuters) - The Trump administration is proposing to hold a sale of oil and gas drilling rights on 80 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico on December 10, according to the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. President Donald Trump has renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. The sale would be the first of three outlined in a Biden-era five-year offshore drilling program that included the smallest ever number of oil and gas auctions. The administration plans to offer about 15,000 unleased blocks located 3 to 231 miles offshore, according to BOEM, a division of the Department of the Interior. It is proposing a royalty rate of 16.67%, the lowest rate since 2007, BOEM said. "Offshore oil and gas play a vital role in our nation's energy portfolio, with the Gulf of America supplying 14% of domestically produced oil," BOEM Principal Deputy Director Matt Giacona said in a statement. "This proposed lease sale demonstrates BOEM's commitment to advancing American Energy Dominance and fostering the production of affordable, reliable energy resources for the nation.'
Reuters
25-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
US announces policy changes for offshore mineral development
June 25 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday announced policy changes it said would speed up the search and development of offshore critical minerals. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement are updating policies across all stages of development to "reduce delays, improve coordination and provide greater certainty for industry", the U.S. Interior Department said in a statement. The move is a part of the Trump administration's goal of reshaping a critical mineral industry dominated by China, the top U.S. economic rival. The policy update announced by the Interior Department follows an executive order by Trump in April aimed at boosting the deep-sea mining industry in an attempt to improve U.S. access to nickel, copper and other critical minerals used widely across the economy. For early-stage exploration, BOEM will apply existing streamlined environmental reviews whenever appropriate, and it plans to extend the duration of early-stage exploration permits to five years from three, the Interior Department said. The administration will minimize "unnecessary paperwork and compliance steps" to fast-track approvals for mapping, testing, and site development. BOEM will also start identifying potential areas for development without first issuing a formal request for information or forming a joint task force with state and federal agencies to speed up the leasing process, the department said. The U.S. Geological Survey will provide the bureaus with scientific data on critical mineral resources, as well as potential environmental impacts and hazards associated with seafloor development.
