Thursday, August 6, 2026

MMA proposing changes to Arctic Exploratory Drilling regulations.

Happy Thursday!

We have an announcement from U.S. Department of Interior’s newly restored Marine Minerals Administration (MMA) and looks like they will be making at least some of the rules for offshore oil and gas leases.  Last August the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) made some changes on how they use the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Outer Continental Shelf for the Gulf of America (Mexico), (See our Blog at the end of the month for details) and streamlined approvals for new oil and gas leases.  Well, looks like drilling in the Arctic has changes coming.  Let’s dig in. 

Did anyone happen to receive the U.S. Department of Interior’s News Release on August 6, 20265, their News Release titled, “Department of the Interior Proposes Targets Updates to Arctic Exploratory Drilling Rule to Advance American Energy Dominance”?  In the release, it speaks on how Department of Interior’s Marine Minerals Administration has posted in the Federal Registrar for possible changes for exploratory drilling on the Arctic Outer Continental Shelf which the Obama Administration enacted a decade ago.  The goal is to streamline federal regulations to get America drilling in the Arctic again, and to incorporate the innovations for exploratory drilling.  Some of the requests from the DOI is in regard to updating conditions for Arctic OCS blowout preventer (BOP) real-time monitoring, adding new conditions to the BSEE’s regulations, as well as amend segments of the BOEM’s Exploration Plan (EP) and others.  If you would like to see the suggested changes in the Federal Registrar and make comments; please click the link: Federal Register:: Oil and Gas and Sulfur Operations on the Outer Continental Shelf-Revisions to the Requirements for Exploratory Drilling on the Arctic Outer Continental Shelf.  We let you know, if we hear anything else from the MMA.  If you would like to read more of the U.S. Department of Interior’s News Release, please click the link: Department of the Interior Proposes Targeted Updates to Arctic Exploratory Drilling Rule to Advance American Energy Dominance | U.S. Department of the Interior.

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We hope you have a wonderful evening!

**Disclaimer: Please see the News Release from the U.S. DOI for exact information. **