Permit Applications News

A U.S. court has removed an emissions permit for Sempra's Port Arthur LNG export terminal in Texas, potentially halting construction of the facility.In its decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Tuesday found that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) failed to impose the same emissions limits on the Port Arthur plant as on other projects, including the Rio Grande LNG project which is now under construction.The approximately 13.5 million-metric…

On March 29, 2021, President Biden announced his ambitious plan to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power – enough energy to power 10 million U.S. homes – by 2030. The plan would leverage authorities under the Department of Interior, Energy, and Commerce to guide “more than $12 billion per year in capital investment in projects on both U.S. coasts, create tens of thousands of good-paying, union jobs, with more than 44,000 workers employed in offshore wind by 2030 and nearly 33,000 additional jobs in communities supported by offshore wind activity.” The U.S.

The International Seabed Authority will start accepting applications in July from companies that want to mine the ocean's floor, a decision that came after the U.N. body spent the past two weeks debating standards for the new and controversial practice.Deep-sea mining would extract cobalt, copper, nickel, and manganese - key battery materials - from potato-sized rocks called "polymetallic nodules" on the ocean's floor at depths of 4 to 6 km (2.5 to 4 miles). They are abundant…

Naval architects and marine engineers sit on the front lines of the maritime industry’s battle toward decarbonization. Morgan Fanberg, President, Glosten, discusses the challenges and opportunities ahead.Put in context the challenge ahead for ship owners and ship designers to meet emission targets of 2050?I started my career in 1998 and as a young marine engineer, the challenges that I faced were taking old boats and meeting SOLAS requirements, developing ship yard packages for modifications such as oily water separator upgrades (for example).

Helix Energy Solutions Group has entered into a new agreement for offshore oil spill response resources with HWCG, a consortium of deepwater oil and gas companies in the Gulf of Mexico who have come together with the shared goal of quickly responding to offshore oil spills.Under the agreement, HWCG’s members are given the opportunity to identify the Helix Fast Response System as a response resource in permit applications to U.S. federal and state agencies, and to deploy the Helix Fast Response System to respond to a well control incident in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

Kinder Morgan Inc has dropped out of a recently proposed U.S. Gulf Coast deepwater crude export venture, the project's leader Enbridge Inc said on Monday.The $800 million project, known as Texas COLT, is one of eight similar projects proposing facilities that would move U.S. shale to overseas markets by loading supertankers able to carry up to 2 million barrels apiece.Pipeline operators Enbridge and Kinder Morgan disclosed plans to build an crude export terminal off Freeport, Texas, in January, and filed permit applications with the U.S. Maritime Administration. German oil storage firm Oiltanking Partners remains committed to the project, said Enbridge."The project does not align with our strategic priorities," Kinder Morgan spokeswoman Lexey Long said.

A federal court judge on Friday ruled that the federal government cannot process seismic testing permits for offshore oil drilling during the ongoing government shutdown, dealing a blow Trump administration's energy agenda.Judge Richard Gergel of the U.S. District Court in South Carolina issued the decision in response to a motion filed by a range of conservation and business groups and coastal cities opposed to the adminstration's efforts to expand U.S. offshore drilling.The…

A new WWF-Canada guide designed to help mariners in the eastern Arctic identify and avoid marine mammals is being unveiled at a Canadian Marine Advisory Council meeting in Montreal today. With summer sea ice on the decline and industrial pressures increasing, shipping traffic in the Canadian Arctic has steadily risen. This is especially true in the eastern Arctic and around the community of Pond Inlet and the Mary River iron ore mine. Ships servicing the Baffinland mining operation are increasing at a staggering pace…

A company that planned to build a coal export terminal in the Pacific Northwest to ship western U.S. coal to Asian markets sued the state of Washington on Wednesday for blocking construction last year. Lighthouse Resources Inc filed a lawsuit in federal court against Washington Governor Jay Inslee and two state regulators for allegedly violating the U.S. Constitution's commerce clause by denying permits to allow the company to ship coal mined in Wyoming, Montana and other western states through its proposed Millennium Bulk Terminal to clients in Japan and South Korea.

Emsys Maritime Ltd., a UK-based maritime technology company, has announced the acquisition of the intellectual property rights for the Emsys emissions monitoring technology from W R Systems, Ltd. (WR) (Norfolk, VA USA) for an undisclosed amount. Simon Brown, the former Commercial Maritime Program Director at WR, has joined Emsys Maritime as its Managing Director. Brown was an integral part of the original Emsys team, and played a key role in the development of the second generation Emsys-iS system. WR originally developed Emsys in 2009 and gained Type Approval from ABS in September 2010.

A number of environmental groups are asking the Department of the Interior to rescind permission Shell has been granted to begin exploratory drilling in the Arctic this summer because the company's plan would not protect the walrus. Shell's plan would violate federal rules limiting how closely a company can drill multiple wells, Earthjustice argued in a letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, sent on behalf of 10 other groups. The rules, issued in 2013 by the Fish and Wildlife Service under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, state that such drilling operations should be at least 15 miles apart in order to "avoid significant synergistic…

Green groups urged the U.S. Department of Interior on Tuesday to revoke the agency's conditional approval of Royal Dutch Shell's 2015 Arctic oil exploration plan, saying it runs counter to established protections for walruses. A 2013 rule implemented by the Fish and Wildlife Service, a bureau of the Interior Department, prevents energy companies from exploring for oil simultaneously at wells in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska that are within 15 miles (24 km) of each other. The rule is meant to protect walrus populations that are sensitive to the noise and disruption of drilling in their habitat. But Shell's exploration plan for the Chukchi…

The United States is at risk of losing economic opportunity and the ability to solidify its role as a global leader in energy production unless the government moves to approve liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, Rob Franklin, president of ExxonMobil Gas & Power Marketing Company, said today. “If policymakers don’t revisit and redress some significant legal and regulatory problems…then the U.S. could be left behind during one of the great, historic developments in global energy and trade,” Franklin said in a speech at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington D.C. The U.S. has long embraced open and free markets.

"So we are here at OTC, surrounded by extraordinary displays of technology…showcasing capabilities that far exceed what was possible only a few short years ago, and underscoring the fact that the oil gas industry is one of the most innovative and complex on the planet. It is truly awe inspiring, and as a regulator, somewhat daunting to realize that this also poses a challenge for us (regulators). Your industry sets a very aggressive pace, you are the source of new ideas and technology. The challenge for those of us who are regulators is to keep pace with you, and to understand the safety and environmental implications of this technology, so that offshore resources can be developed without incident.

A new year brings resolutions and renewed optimism for better times, and sometimes a wish for things to at least not get any worse. For the offshore energy industry, 2013 brings a combination of all. The economy is showing signs of life and exploration and production are making a comeback in the Gulf of Mexico. After much upheaval and turmoil, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) are filling their ranks and an era of more predictability and consistency appears to be on the horizon. Energy companies have a better idea of what is expected of them in the various permit application processes and the Federal agencies are reducing the time it takes to review and either approve or disapprove of the various permits.

The Oregon LNG Terminal will be located on the East Skipanon Peninsula near the confluence of the Skipanon and the Columbia Rivers in Warrenton, Clatsop County, Oregon. Jeffrey P. CH-IV International had previously prepared a FEED for Oregon LNG for its proposed LNG Import Terminal, which has now been modified to include liquefaction facilities. Mr. Beale stated, “CH-IV is excited to continue working with the Oregon LNG Team on such an important project. CH-IV International is a joint venture corporation between MPR Associates, Inc. and CH-IV Cryogenics, LP.

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Director James A. Watson delivered remarks today at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas. Director Watson discussed recent recruitment incentives, BSEE's offshore safety focus and regulatory priorities. Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to talk about the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s continued efforts to enhance safety offshore. This is my first time at OTC, and I have been extremely impressed by the scientific and technical know-how on display…

James A. Watson IV, Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). Interior Secretary Ken Salazar Named Rear Admiral James A. Watson IV as New Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) in November of 2011. BSEE was one of the two agencies to succeed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) on Oct. 1, 2011. Admiral Watson began as BSEE Director on December 1, 2011, and will succeed Michael R. Bromwich. Previously, Watson was better known to maritime stakeholders as the U.S.

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Director Michael R. Bromwich delivered remarks today during the International Association of Drilling Contractors’ Drilling and Production Keynote Breakfast here. Director Bromwich discussed ongoing regulatory reform efforts and highlighted plans to strengthen the bureau’s enforcement tools and processes. Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to be here with you today to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern. It is great to be back in Austin and to be back at the Barton Creek Resort. History has an odd way of repeating itself, and our lives present us with strange coincidences  The first time I came to Barton Creek was almost exactly ten years ago.

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) Director Michael R. Bromwich today announced that the bureau has developed and implemented several new tools to help offshore oil and gas operators improve their exploration and development plan and permit applications. These tools will allow offshore operators to better track their submissions and improve the quality and completeness of their applications, which will decrease processing delays. “We continue to meet with operators individually and in large groups on a frequent basis. We take very seriously requests for additional information and additional clarity regarding our plan and permit review process.

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) Director Michael R. Bromwich announced that the bureau is putting in place significant improvements in the oil and gas permit application process. These improvements include the publication of a permit application checklist to assist offshore oil and gas operators in submitting complete applications to drill; the implementation of completeness checks by BOEMRE personnel before significant staff time is spent reviewing the application; and the development of clear permit review priorities that will expedite agency reviews. “We are constantly looking for ways to create a smarter, more efficient, and more transparent permit review process,” said Director Bromwich.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) today issued additional guidance summarizing and clarifying previously issued offshore deepwater drilling safety requirements. This guidance document also highlights BOEMRE’s process for reviewing subsea containment plans for deepwater operations. The guidance contains no additional regulatory requirements, but instead provides clarifying information to assist the oil and gas industry in complying with existing regulations and guidance. “Our goal remains the same as it has been from Day 1 – to ensure that offshore operations are conducted as safely as possible,” said BOEMRE Director Michael R. Bromwich.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) approved a sixth deepwater drilling permit on March 25 that complies with rigorous new safety standards implemented in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and resulting oil spill. This includes satisfying the requirement to demonstrate the capacity to contain a subsea blowout. The approved permit is a revised permit to drill a new well for Statoil Gulf of Mexico LLC’s Well #1 in Alaminos Canyon Block 810 in 7,134 ft. water depth, approximately 216 miles off the Texas coastline, south of Texas City. “This permit is the sixth we have approved since February 17, when industry demonstrated that it had the capacity to handle subsea blowouts and spills.