Salazar

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Michael R. Bromwich, director of Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEM), announced Monday that the department has issued guidance to offshore oil and natural gas operators clarifying industry requirements with respect to corporate compliance statements and blowout containment resources.

The state of Alaska Thursday brought a lawsuit against Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in a federal court seeking to overturn the federal moratorium on offshore drilling in Alaska’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

The state of Alaska last Thursday brought a lawsuit against Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in a federal court that seeks to overturn the federal moratorium on offshore drilling in Alaska’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

Citing the need to proceed cautiously on oil and natural gas activity in the federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the department plans to postpone until later this year public scoping meetings for the environmental impact statement (EIS) for the upcoming five-year (2012-2017) leasing plan.

In rolling out the Interior Department’s budget request of $12.2 billion for fiscal year (FY) 2011, Secretary Ken Salazar last Monday said the department would initiate a rulemaking next year to raise onshore royalty rates for oil and natural gas production on federal land.

In rolling out the Interior Department’s budget request of $12.2 billion for fiscal year (FY) 2011, Secretary Ken Salazar Monday said the department would initiate a rulemaking next year to increase onshore royalty rates for oil and natural gas production on federal land.

In rolling out the Interior Department’s budget request of $12.2 billion for fiscal year (FY) 2011, Secretary Ken Salazar Monday said the department would initiate a rulemaking next year to increase onshore royalty rates for oil and natural gas production on federal land.

Aided by continuing cold and Thursday morning’s storage report expectations, with an assist from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s announcement of an ambitious reform of onshore drilling (see related story), February natural gas futures on Wednesday shot to a high of $6.034 before closing the regular session at $6.009, up 37.2 cents from Tuesday’s finish.

A group of industrial natural gas consumers fired off a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar last Wednesday expressing their concern that the agency may restrict or possibly prevent the use of “categorical exclusions” to fast-track oil and gas activity on public lands.