On Feb. 20 the Department of Interior’s (DOI’s) Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) proposed regulations that would revise and add new requirements for exploratory drilling in Alaska’s Arctic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Focusing on the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea Planning Areas, the rule covers all phases of offshore exploration in the Arctic, including mobilization, drilling, maritime transport and emergency response, and conduct of safe drilling operations. According to BOEM estimates, the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea Planning Areas hold approximately 23.6 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil and about 104.4 Tcf of technically recoverable natural gas.
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