Posted in energy policy, Uncategorized, tagged Acting Secretary of the Interior, BOEM, MMS, Walter Cruickshank on January 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Career Minerals Management Service and BOEM stalwart Dr. Walter Cruickshank has been named Acting Secretary of the Interior pending the confirmation of Doug Burgum. Walter is a very bright guy with a balanced perspective on energy development. He has served capably on the senior management teams of both Democrat and Republican administrations. Bonus points for the Mineral Economics doctorate from Penn State and his keen interest in the Cape Cod Baseball League! 😉
Posted in Alaska, energy policy, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, Offshore Wind, Regulation, tagged Alaska, climate change, Climate Corps, energy policy, Executive Orders, Gulf of America, LNG, permitting, Regulation, Unleashing American Energy on January 21, 2025| 1 Comment »
Withdrawal from the Paris Climate Change Agreement:The US Ambassador to the UN shall immediately submit formal written notification of the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Regulatory Freeze: Agencies may not propose or issue a rule until approved by a Presidential appointee. OMB may exempt emergency or urgent rules (déjà vu for regulators 😉).
Alaska: Withdraws a Secretarial Order intended to halt ANWR oil and gas leasing. Rescinds cancellation of ANWR leases.
Gulf of America: Renaming the Gulf of Mexico.
Unleashing American Energy (long, main items highlighted below):
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Wind, Wind Energy, tagged energy, Executive Order, Offshore Wind, renewable energy, wind, wind leasing, wind permitting, wind-power on January 20, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Title: Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects
Main points:
Posted in climate, energy policy, Offshore Wind, pipelines, tagged Day One, energy, Executive Order, LNG, President Trump on January 20, 2025| Leave a Comment »
A senior administration official who is familiar with the executive actions and authorized to brief Fox News Digital said Trump on day one will end “Catch and Release;” pause all offshore wind leases; terminate the electric vehicle mandate; abolish the Green New Deal; withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord; and take several major steps to assert presidential control over the federal bureaucracy.
The senior official told Fox News Digital that the energy executive order deals with “every single energy policy,” and addresses liquid natural gas, ports, fracking, pipelines, permitting and more, while also terminating President Biden polices he said “have constrained U.S. energy supply.”
Posted in Offshore Energy - General, Gulf of Mexico, energy policy, tagged Gulf of Mexico, Shell, deepwater production, Vito, Shenandoah, simpler safer greener, Chevron Anchor, Sparta, Kaskida, BP Argos, Murphy King's Quay on January 20, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Shell’s Whale floating production unit began producing this month:
All 5 of the new simpler, safer, greener floating production units are now online:
| platform | operator | first production |
| King’s Quay | Murphy | April 2022 |
| Vito | Shell | Feb 2023 |
| Argos | bp | April 2023 |
| Anchor | Chevron | Aug 2024 |
| Whale | Shell | Jan 2025 |
This is all good, but what is next? Will technological advances once again sustain GoM production? The short answer appears to be yes!
The efficiencies achieved with the simpler platform designs combined with the high pressure (>15,000 psi) technology developed over the past 2 decades will facilitate production from the highly prospective Paleogene (Wilcox) deepwater fans. (For those interested in learning more about the geology, see the excellent presentation by Dr. Mike Sweet, Univ. of Texas, that is embedded in this post.)
Three major high-pressure projects, ala Chevron’s Anchor, are anticipated:
| platform | operator | discovery date | first production |
| Kaskida | bp | 2006 | 2029 |
| Sparta | Shell | 2012 | 2028 |
| Shenandoah | Beacon | 2009 | 2025 Q2 |
The Gulf still has high production potential if properly managed with consistent lease sales.
Will Florida budge by supporting the lifting of the EGOM leasing moratorium? Here is why they should.
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, Offshore Wind, tagged confirmation hearing, Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Interior on January 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Burgum on offshore oil and gas lease sales: “The fact that during the current administration the lease sales have been so unpredictable and disruptive, and the fact that they’re projecting forward to have among the fewest we’ve ever had, almost would guarantee that we would see a decline in energy production in offshore in the years ahead because of the lead times.”
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, tagged Atlantic leasing, Cruz Arrington bill, EGOM, Florida, offshore drilling, offshore oil and gas on January 17, 2025| 3 Comments »
The Cruz-Arrington bill (pasted below), which would reverse the Biden oil and gas leasing bans, raises some interesting political questions:
I suspect that the answer to each question is no, which means the bill will be difficult to pass.
If the bill should pass, President Trump would presumably nullify his own Atlantic and Eastern Gulf withdrawals, which would otherwise remain in effect through 2032.
50 wells were drilled in the Atlantic between 1975 and 1985. The drilling followed the oil embargoes, gas lines, and price surges in the 1970s. Waiting for similar turmoil to overturn the leasing bans would not be prudent given the time that is needed to issue, explore, and develop leases. The optimal approach would be limited, staged leasing to better assess the resource potential in these areas.
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Wind, tagged Atlantic wind, Jeff Van Drew, Offshore Wind, pause, wind program review on January 14, 2025| Leave a Comment »
This confirms the second-hand information previously posted. The discussions and debate during the wind program review should be lively!
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Wind, tagged Ack for Whales, Hail Mary, Jayden Daniels, Nantucket, SCOTUS, Vineyard Wind on January 14, 2025| Leave a Comment »
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear the challenge of the Vineyard Wind project brought by the Nantucket-based nonprofit ACK For Whales. This is not surprising given that the odds of the SCOTUS hearing the case were extremely low, tantamount to the completion of a “Hail Mary” pass.
Perhaps Nantucket should have added Jayden Daniels to their team! 😉
Although the SCOTUS declined to hear their challenge, the Nantucket group may still achieve their objective, at least in part, given the looming changes in Federal policy and the financial and operational challenges facing the offshore wind industry.
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, tagged Deputy Secretary, Energy Dept., James Danly, Katharine MacGregor, offshore energy, US Dept. of the Interior on January 13, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Katherine (Kate) MacGregor has been appointed Deputy Secretary of the Interior, the position she held under the previous Trump administration. She was highly regarded by DOI staff and advocates for responsible offshore energy development.
DOI is the most important Federal department from the standpoint of energy production on Federal offshore and onshore lands.
Also important from a policy perspective is the appointment of James Danly as Deputy Secretary of Energy. Danly is a former Army officer and Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 