Outer

States should have the authority to decide the level of activity on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), a group of Republican governors said this week at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) have signed an interagency memorandum of understanding (MOU) to begin researching the effects of human exposure to airborne emissions from shale gas drilling sites.

Energy XXI Ltd. has a deal with Apache Corp. to explore some salt dome structures on the Outer Continental Shelf in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM).

This year will be a busy one for oil and gas operators in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in terms of new regulations, said an official for a group representing the offshore industries.

This year will be a busy one for oil and gas operators in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in terms of new regulations, said an official for a group representing the offshore industries.

House and Senate Republicans last week stepped up efforts to pass legislation proposing more lease sales on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) during 2012-2017, but the action may turn out to be more show, given that the odds of legislation being voted out by both houses of Congress this session are slim.

The House Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a Republican-sponsored bill that would expand oil and natural leasing in the Outer Continental Shelf during 2012-2017. But the victory may be short-lived because it’s unlikely that the GOP plan, which was proposed as a replacement to the Obama administration’s slimmed-down OCS leasing plan, will be voted out of Congress.

House Republicans are offering an alternative to the Obama administration’s plan for drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), which would nearly double the number of lease sales now proposed over the 2012-2017 period and open up new areas — the Mid-Atlantic and Southern California — to exploration.

House Republicans are offering an alternative to the Obama administration’s plan for drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), which would nearly double the number of lease sales now proposed over the 2012-2017 period and open up new areas — the Mid-Atlantic and Southern California — to exploration.