On Wednesday, the Department of the Interior announced approval of Shell’s oil spill response plan for its Arctic drilling plans, another milestone in the oil giant’s years-long efforts to drill in the Arctic. For now, Shell has its eyes on two sites for Arctic drilling. Off the north coast of Alaska lie the shallow waters [...]
Archive for the ‘Gas and Oil Leases’ Category
21 Jul
Oil & Gas Valuation Regulations Slated for an Upgrade
You have just less than a week (until July 26th, to be precise) to hand off your comments to the DOI’s Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) about their proposed changes to regulations governing “the valuation of oil and gas produced from Federal onshore and offshore oil and gas leases, for royalty purposes.” The regulations [...]
9 Mar
The Oil and Gas Lease Rule That May Put Tim DeChristopher Behind Bars
In 1987, Congress passed the Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act, which established a competitive bidding process for oil and gas leases on public lands. The Act dictated procedures for both conducting auctions, as well as requirements for those engaged in the bidding process. But I can almost guarantee that those who penned [...]
30 Nov
GAO Aims for Richer Government and Cleaner Air by Capturing Lost Gas
Written in October, but released just yesterday, the GAO has published a report on the opportunities and benefits of capturing wily gas on federal leases that is currently either released into the atmosphere (vented) or burned (flared). The Department of the Interior (DOI) leases public lands for oil and natural gas development as a source [...]
