Enforcement

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEM) said in a report sent to Congress Friday that it was nearing the orderly close of the scandal-riddled royalty-in-kind (RIK) program. The program officially ends on Sept. 30 when the remaining contracts expire, the Interior Department agency said.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and the director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEM) announced Wednesday that they will require Gulf of Mexico operators to permanently plug nearly 3,500 nonproducing wells that are currently completed with a subsurface safety valve in place. Operators also will be required to dismantle about 650 production platforms if they are no longer being used for exploration or production.

The director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEM) Monday acknowledged the frustration of shallow-water drillers in the Gulf of Mexico as they face a slower permit approval process, but he said safety will not be compromised.

The judge in New Orleans who granted a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of the federal government’s six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico owned shares of Transocean Ltd. and other offshore companies.

FERC’s Office of Enforcement has entered into a stipulation and consent agreement requiring Noble Energy Inc. to pay nearly $4.2 million in civil penalties and disgorged profits to settle violations of the agency’s shipper-must-have-title (SMHT) requirements, buy-sell arrangements and competitive bidding rules for long-term, discounted rate capacity releases.

FERC’s Office of Enforcement has entered into a stipulation and consent agreement requiring Noble Energy Inc. to pay nearly $4.2 million in civil penalties and disgorged profits to settle violations of the agency’s shipper-must-have-title (SMHT) requirements, buy-sell arrangements and competitive bidding rules for long-term, discounted rate capacity releases.

FERC’s Office of Enforcement has entered into a stipulation and consent agreement requiring Noble Energy Inc. to pay nearly $4.2 million in civil penalties and disgorged profits to settle violations of the agency’s shipper-must-have-title (SMHT) requirements, buy-sell arrangements and competitive bidding rules for long-term, discounted rate capacity releases.

Complaints from area residents have prompted the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) to increase its enforcement presence in the five-county area of northeastern Pennsylvania connected to the Marcellus Shale, the agency said Friday.

Complaints from area residents have prompted the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) to increase its enforcement presence in the five-county area of northeastern Pennsylvania connected to the Marcellus Shale, the agency said Friday.