![]() ![]() After BOEM releases its final plan, it must be approved by Congress. Typically, plans have included ten sales-but BOEM has the ability to issue a plan with no required sales.īefore any lease sale, the BOEM must first publish a proposal and an environmental impact statement-taking into consideration the effect of leasing on the environment and communities-and then host a comment period for any member of the public to speak for or against the proposal (often a crucial opportunity for coastal communities to voice their opposition). This includes developing plans for oil and gas leasing every five years and determining which areas of our ocean waters are for sale. Department of the Interior regulates exploration and development on the OCS, which it manages through a subagency, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). Under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), passed in 1953, the U.S. Past that 3-nautical-mile marker is the outer continental shelf (OCS), which falls under federal jurisdiction. This means state governments can largely do as they please with their bit of shoreline: expand ports, protect areas for conservation, and yes, even sell leases to fossil fuel companies just off the beach. In most states, waters that are 3 nautical miles (1 nautical mile = 1.15 regular land miles) out from the shoreline are under state jurisdiction. The political borders of the United States actually extend 200 miles into the ocean in what’s referred to as the Exclusive Economic Zone. Once a viable well is built, the oil or gas is pulled from the wells to production platforms (either part of the same MODU or a separate one) to be stored and processed, and then transported to the coast via pipelines for distribution. The first offshore oil well was built in 1897, and early developments took place in waters less than 300 feet deep, while wells today are built as far as 2 miles down. These platforms can store equipment above the water, and some even provide dorms for the rig workers, who arrive at the site by helicopter. Some are fixed to the seafloor with cables, concrete, and anchors while others float at the surface. There are different types of MODUs, often referred to as oil rigs or oil platforms, depending on the depth of the site, typical weather conditions, and other factors. Once oil or gas is found, fossil fuel companies use mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs) to dig a well. Think of how a bat uses echolocation to find its prey, except imagine the bat is using an air horn. The airguns blast loud booms into the water every 10 seconds, and the returning echoes provide an outline of what lies underneath the seafloor. Seismic testing, one of the most common ways companies hunt for these reserves, involves blasting an array of airguns, which are towed behind ships across large swaths of the ocean. The next step is finding the oil and gas pockets, or reserves, within the leased area. ![]() More on those sales-and their many issues-below. The Biden administration is planning to host major lease sales in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico by September 2023. Some companies will hold onto their lease for years before exploring or developing the area, waiting for the most lucrative time to drill or working on gaining access to the infrastructure they need in the meantime. After making a purchase at a lease sale, the company (or lessee) then has the ability to explore the deposits under the ocean floor. As a result, before any other action occurs, fossil fuel companies must lease parcels of the ocean from the government. In the United States, coastal waters technically belong to the public. ![]()
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