In a significant policy shift, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) policy update designed to expedite the oil and gas leasing process on public lands. Through a newly issued...more
5/15/2025
/ Bureau of Land Management ,
Department of the Interior ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Expedited Actions Process ,
Land-Use Permits ,
Mineral Exploration ,
Mineral Leases ,
NEPA ,
Oil & Gas ,
Permits ,
Public Land ,
Trump Administration
President Donald Trump on April 24, 2025, issued an executive order, "Unleashing America's Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources" (the EO), that aims to promote the development of offshore critical minerals in the oceans...more
4/29/2025
/ Defense Production Act ,
Department of the Interior ,
Energy Policy ,
Executive Orders ,
International Trade ,
Mineral Exploration ,
Mineral Extraction ,
Minerals ,
Mining ,
National Security ,
NOAA ,
Outer Continental Shelf ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Supply Chain ,
Trump Administration
In a significant move to accelerate domestic energy development, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has announced emergency permitting procedures that will dramatically compress environmental review timelines. Under...more
4/25/2025
/ Department of the Interior ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
Expedited Actions Process ,
NEPA ,
Oil & Gas ,
Permits ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration
For a decade, the U.S. Department of the Interior has wrestled with financial assurance (or bonding) requirements for offshore oil and gas companies. Over the last 10 years, the Interior Department has released – and later...more
4/17/2024
/ BOEM ,
Bonds ,
Credit Ratings ,
Decommissioned Facilities ,
Department of the Interior ,
Final Rules ,
Leases ,
Offshore Drilling ,
Offshore Lease ,
Oil & Gas ,
Performance Bonds ,
Public Comment
After months of delay, the U.S. Department of the Interior auctioned off 1.7 million acres for offshore oil and gas leases during Lease Sale 261 on Dec. 20, 2023. (See Holland & Knight's previous alert, "Interior Department...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Nov. 14, 2023, dismissed claims brought by environmental groups challenging offshore oil and gas Lease Sale 261. The court ordered that the sale take place within 37 days of...more
11/16/2023
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Appeals ,
BOEM ,
Department of the Interior ,
Dismissals ,
Endangered Species ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Offshore Drilling ,
Offshore Lease ,
Oil & Gas
The U.S. Department of the Interior on Sept. 29, 2023, announced its long-awaited Five-Year Offshore Leasing Plan as required by the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (the Plan)....more
The Inflation Reduction Act (the Act), which passed the U.S. Senate on Aug. 7, 2022, requires that previously announced offshore lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska be held during the next two years....more
The U.S. Department of the Interior on July 1, 2022, released its long-awaited update on the next Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) five-year proposed offshore drilling program (Program), a day after the previous program expired....more
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has announced the first onshore lease sale for drilling on federal lands since President Joe Biden took office, but the new leases will have different terms than all prior lease...more