The American Petroleum Institute, National Ocean Industries Association, Independent Petroleum Association of America, U.S. Oil and Gas Association, American Exploration & Production Council, International Association of Drilling Contractors, International Association of Geophysical Contractors Petroleum Equipment and Services Association and the Alaska Oil and Gas Association filed comments on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s request for comments on the Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2017-2022 published in the Federal Register on March 18, 2016.
Industry criticized several aspects of BOEM’s proposed 2017-2022 Program. Their comments included the following introductory paragraph:
“The U.S. has undergone an energy renaissance in recent years that has put millions of Americans to work, generated billions of dollars in revenue for Federal and State governments, and put downward pressure on prices for consumers. Growing U.S. production has dramatically increased our resistance to energy shocks, but our long-term energy security can only be ensured with a lasting commitment to expanding offshore oil and natural gas development to new areas. By dropping many areas from the initial proposal and this Proposed Program, BOEM has failed to do this. As our comments will demonstrate, BOEM’s analyses presented in the Proposed Program decision document do not justify removing the Atlantic from future leasing consideration. In addition, the same analyses provide ample support for not removing any additional areas in Alaska or the Gulf of Mexico from the Final Program. It is vital, therefore, that BOEM does not take additional unwarranted steps to further reduce the areas included in the final program.”
