Shelf

Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) Monday issued the final notice of sale for the Beaufort Sea Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lease Sale 202 to be held on April 18 in Anchorage, AK.

Chevron Corp. CEO Dave O’Reilly on Tuesday called on the federal government to conduct an updated inventory of key areas in the Outer Continental Shelf, as authorized in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. If the results indicate the potential is there, he said, leasing programs to evaluate the resources should begin.

Louisiana Gov. Kathleen B. Blanco rapped Congress for leaving town without first passing Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) legislation that would give Gulf coastal states, including Louisiana, a bigger share of the royalties from leasing off their shores.

The Senate and House were at a standstill at the end of the week in their efforts to reach a compromise on legislation to open up more of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) to oil and natural gas leasing, according to Capitol Hill aides.

The Senate leadership hopes to reach a compromise with the House by the end of the week on legislation to open up more of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) to oil and natural gas leasing, but the goal could prove to be elusive.

Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, considers legislation opening new areas of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) to oil and natural gas leasing to be a “top priority,” and he “got off the ground running by reaching out to the House” last Tuesday as lawmakers returned from their month-long recess, a spokeswoman for Domenici said.

Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, considers legislation opening new areas of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) to oil and natural gas leasing to be a “top priority,” and he “got off the ground running by reaching out to the House” Tuesday as lawmakers returned from their month-long recess, a spokeswoman for Domenici said.

The U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) on Thursday released for comment a proposed second draft for its 2007-2012 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) leasing program and associated Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The five-year proposal includes 21 OCS lease sales in seven of the 26 planning areas: four areas off the coast of Alaska, two areas in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and one in the Atlantic off the coast of Virginia.

The U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) on Thursday released for comment a proposed second draft for its 2007-2012 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) leasing program and associated Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The five-year proposal includes 21 OCS lease sales in seven of the 26 planning areas: four areas off the coast of Alaska, two areas in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and one in the Atlantic off the coast of Virginia.