Biden to Review Future of Federal Oil Leasing Program
The U.S. Interior Department announced Tuesday it will launch its review of the federal oil and gas leasing program on March 25, a key step that will determine whether the Biden administration will permanently halt new leases on federal land and water.The review will kick off with a public forum on oil and gas leasing on federal land and water, with participants representing industry, environmental conservation and justice groups, labor and others, and commence an online comment…
Biden Expected to Roll Back Trump's Offshore Energy Rollbacks
Joe Biden could erase much of President Donald Trump’s four-year legacy of energy and climate deregulation with the stroke of his pen, according to regulatory experts, but replacing it with something new and durable may prove trickier.Trump’s rollbacks are on shaky ground because most were done not through Congressional lawmaking but via presidential executive orders that can be easily torn up by a new administration. That means signature measures ranging from the withdrawal of…
Op/Ed: ASTRO Act Shoots For the Stars
National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) president Randall Luthi weighs in after the House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on offshore development and introduced the Accessing Strategy Resources Offshore (ASTRO) Act. Today’s hearing was a slam dunk by the House Natural Resources Committee. Not only did the Committee bring in experts and stakeholders with their own unique offshore perspectives to the hearing, the Committee took a bold step in introducing the forward thinking ASTRO Act.
Charters Joins NOAI Staff
Tim Charters has joined the staff of the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) as Senior Director of Governmental and Political Affairs. Charters comes to NOIA from the National Stripper Well Association (NSWA) where he represented more than 18,000 small business men and women in America’s upstream energy industry as Vice President of Governmental and Regulatory Affairs. Charters brings nearly 20 years of Congressional experience to NOIA. From 2008-2015, he served as Staff Director of the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee under Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.). During his tenure…
What Will WRDA Legislation Bring?
On November 8, speaking at the Port of New Orleans, President Obama said “… corn and wheat is coming down from my home state of Illinois down the river, ending up here and then going all around the world. This was a victory for the inland waterways industry because while the President has recognized ports, dams, levees, trains, trucks and other transportation infrastructure, he has not, heretofore, underscored the value of the inland waterways. The President’s recognition of the…
Is it Safer to Work Offshore in 2013?
It has been over three years since the tragic accident occurred aboard the Deepwater Horizon on April 20, 2010. The industry and the relevant federal agencies have done much to put in place improved safeguards to prevent such an accident – which left 11 dead and 17 injured – from happening again. Congress, on the other hand, has done little to intervene to force new requirements on either the federal government or industry. Meanwhile, energy-related work in the Gulf of Mexico is rapidly increasing and forecasts are that it will remain busy for the next few years.
NOIA Miffed Secretary Jewell Not Familiar with Ocean Policy
National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) say they were surprised by Secretary Jewell’s unfamiliarity with National Ocean Policy, but encouraged by her statement on Including new areas in future offshore leasing plan. During a House Natural Resources Committee hearing, Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA) questioned Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell on his observation of an inherent conflict between management of offshore resources under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and the Administration’s 2010 executive order establishing a National Ocean Policy. The Secretary indicated she was not familiar with this policy and would have to respond in writing.
Megan Bel Joins National Ocean Industries Association Staff
Megan Bel joined the staff of the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) as Senior Director, Government and Political Affairs. She comes to NOIA from the Office of Congressman Steve Scalise (R-LA) where she served as Legislative Director since 2008. She also recently served as Deputy Director of the Republican Study Committee. Bel staffed Congressman Scalise’s House Energy and Commerce Committee work from 2009-2013 and his House Natural Resources Committee work in 2008. She also advised the Congressman in his roles on the Gulf Coast Caucus, Western Caucus, House Energy Action Team and the Natural Gas Caucus. During and after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill…
NOIA Supports House Alternative 5 Year Offshore Lease Plan
“I write to express the support of the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) for your efforts to expand access to the outer continental shelf (OCS) for oil and gas exploration and development beyond what is offered under the Administration’s 2012-2017 Proposed Final Program (PFP) released on June 28. These efforts are critically important to the industry’s ability to add new jobs, new domestic supplies of oil and natural gas, and new revenues to federal and state treasuries. “As we have stated before, NOIA believes a Five Year Leasing Plan is the most definitive policy action an Administration can take regarding our country’s offshore energy development.