BOE contributor John Smith, who worked in the US marine minerals program, shared the pictures pasted below.
An Impossible Metals table (below) understandably favors their methods vs. those employed by deep-sea mining rival The Metals Company. However, both approaches are far preferable, environmentally and socially, to onshore metal mining.
Impossible Metals graphic:
Posted in deep sea mining, energy policy | Tagged deep sea mining, environmental impacts, Impossible Metals, land vs. deep sea, The Metals Company | Leave a Comment »
On Friday (10/3/2025), Judge Cain found that President Biden exceeded his authority under Section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) by attempting to permanently withdraw large areas of the OCS from future oil and gas leasing. The Biden withdrawals, executed in his final days in office (by autopen?), resulted in the largest ever permanent ban on offshore oil and gas leasing in the US, and to the best of my knowledge, anywhere in the world (see link for details on the ban).
Although President Trump rescinded Biden’s action via executive order on January 21, 2025, the court proceeded with the case, acknowledging the high likelihood of similar actions in the future.
Judge Cain concluded that Biden departed from historical executive practice and exceeded statutory limits under OCSLA Section 12(a), which allows the president to “withdraw from disposition any of the unleased lands of the outer Continental Shelf,” but does not explicitly authorize permanent or irrevocable bans.
The judge emphasized that prior withdrawals were typically temporary or modifiable, and attempts to make them permanent encroached on congressional powers.
Judge Cain extended the ruling to Obama’s extensive end-of-term withdrawals in 2016, finding them similarly unlawful for intending permanence.
The ruling reinforces that OCSLA withdrawals must be revocable by future presidents, limiting executive power to bind successors on public lands disposition. The ruling should prevent future reliance on leasing bans.
Judge Cain’s decision is important because leasing bans should be carefully considered and should not be executed casually at the end of a term for purely political purposes.
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Energy - General | Tagged Biden leasing bans, Judge Cain, Obama withdrawals, OCS Lands Act, permanent withdrawals, rescinded, Sec. 12(a) | Leave a Comment »
Every deepwater platform installed since Feb. 2018, when Chevron installed its Big Foot tension leg platform (TLP), has been a Floating Production Unit (aka FPU or production semisubmersible). During that period, no new SPARs, FPSOs, or TLPs were installed.
The list (below) of these simpler, safer, greener FPUs has grown by two with the initiation of production at Shenandoah and Salamanca. Note the water depth range from 3725 to 8600 ft.
| platform | operator | water depth (ft) | first production |
| Appomattox | Shell | 7400 | May 2019 |
| King’s Quay | Murphy | 3725 | April 2022 |
| Vito | Shell | 4050 | Feb 2023 |
| Argos | bp | 4440 | April 2023 |
| Anchor | Chevron | 4600 | Aug 2024 |
| Whale | Shell | 8600 | Jan 2025 |
| Shenandoah | Beacon | 5840 | July 2025 |
| Salamanca | LLOG | 6405 | Sept 2025 |
The efficiencies achieved with the simpler platform designs combined with the high pressure (>15,000 psi) technology developed over the past 2 decades is facilitatihg 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.)
With bp’s commitment to Tiber, 3 new high-pressure projects, ala Chevron’s Anchor, are in the pipeline:
| platform | operator | water depth (ft) | discovery date | first production |
| Kaskida | bp | 6000 | 2006 | 2029 |
| Sparta | Shell | 4700 | 2012 | 2028 |
| Tiber | bp | 4130 | 2009 | 2030 |
Posted in Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General | Tagged Beacon, bp, Chevron, floating production units, LLOG, Murphy, Salamanca, Shell, Shenandoah, simpler safer greener, Tiber | Leave a Comment »
Phil also believes SYU production would reduce natural seepage: “UCSB and State Lands Commission studies (Quigley, Luyendyk, Hornafius, Peltonen, and others) have shown that when oil production is active, reservoir pressure is reduced and natural seepage declines by up to 50%. That means: •Cleaner beaches (less tar and oil) •Cleaner ocean surface (fewer sheens) •Healthier marine life with reduced chronic stress“
Note that those studies are specific to Platform Holly and the Coal Oil Point area. To the best of my knowledge, no studies have associated SYU production with a reduction in natural seepage.
From a related 2010 BOE post entitled “Slick Talk About Seeps” (note that production at Platform Holly has since been terminated):
While Platform Holly may be a negative spillage facility (i.e. Holly’s seep reduction may significantly exceed the platform’s production spillage), this type of seepage reduction has not been demonstrated at other platforms. Decisions on offshore exploration and development should be driven by the economic, energy security, and environmental benefits. To the extent that production reduces natural seepage, all the better. However, seepage reduction is not a primary reason for producing offshore oil and gas.
Thoughts on Sable’s production options:
Option 1 (use of existing onshore infrastructure) is preferable from cost, air emissions, spill risk, State and local revenue, and regional energy supply standpoints. This is the only option that makes sense despite the enormous permitting challenges.
Option 2 (floating processing facility and tankers) would literally be an “in your face” act of defiance given the coastal visibility of the offshore facilities. Supporters of this option should be aware that there was no Coastal Zone Management Act when Exxon produced from Platform Hondo (the only SYU platform at the time) to the Offshore Storage and Treatment (OS&T) vessel in the 1980s. An EIS would not favor this option, and the California Coastal Commission would surely rule that this option was inconsistent with their CZM plan. The Secretary of Commerce could overrule the Commission’s decision, but legal objections to the override would seem to have a good chance of success.
The only reasonable path forward is to do the right thing and continue to pursue the State pipeline/onshore approvals. Although these approvals are substantively warranted, more litigation is probably inevitable. It will be far better to defend a good project (option 1) than a contrived workaround (option 2).
Posted in California, energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation | Tagged California, California Coastal Commission, Coal Oil Point, OS&T, Phil Mickelson, Platform Holly, production options, Santa Ynez Unit, seep reduction | Leave a Comment »
In mid-July, zinc, presumably from a zinc bromide fluid used in completing a Chevron well, contaminated oil production destined for an Exxon refinery via Shell’s Mars Pipeline System. Total Gulf of America production was stable in July, so it appears that the contamination issue was quickly resolved.
Meanwhile, two new floating production units, Beacon’s Shenandoah and LLOG’s Salamanca are now on line. More on this and bp’s Tiber announcement in an upcoming post.
Posted in Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, pipelines | Tagged contamination, Gulf of America production, July oil production, Mars Pipeline System, Salamanca, Shenandoah, stable production, zinc bromide | Leave a Comment »
Those of us who were involved with OCS oil and gas operations in the 1970s remember the heated battles between Exxon and Santa Barbara County that led to the installation of the infamous Offshore Storage & Treatment (OS&T) facility in Federal waters. This was the first floating production, storage, and offloading facility (FPSO) in US waters by 3 decades!
In light of Sable’s difficult (bordering on impossible) onshore permitting challenges, the company resurrected the OS&T option in a recent presentation to investors (pertinent slide pasted above). The extent to which this is purely a tactical maneuver remains to be seen, but this option would be very difficult to execute, even with a supportive Federal regulatory environment.
Stay tuned!
Posted in California, energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, pipelines, Regulation | Tagged California, OS&T, Sable Offshore, Santa Barbara County, Santa Ynez Unit | Leave a Comment »
NOAA is touting marine aquaculture and has published Programmatic Environmental Impact Statements for Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs) in the Gulf of America and offshore Southern California. This is a positive step.
While the focus of these EIS documents is on distinct AOAs separated from oil and gas facilities, NOAA might also have discussed the potential for synergy with existing platforms. The reef effect of platforms can be sustained and new fishery ventures supported by converting older platforms to aquaculture facilities (Rigs-to-Roe/Redfish/Rockfish) rather than decommissioning them.
The ecological importance of offshore platforms has been well documented in both the Gulf and Santa Barbara Channel Channel area.
According to a paper published in 2014 by marine ecologist Dr. Jeremy Claisse of Cal Poly Pomona, the oil and gas platforms off the coast of California are the most productive marine habitats per unit area in the world. “Even the least productive platform was more productive than Chesapeake Bay or a coral reef in Moorea,” said Dr. Love. (Milt Love, UCSB biologist)
Posted in decommissioning, energy policy, Gulf of Mexico, rigs-to-reefs | Tagged aquaculture, Gulf of America, Jeremy Claisse, Milt Love, NOAA, Pacific, reef effect, Rigs to Roe, Santa Barbara Channel | Leave a Comment »
Posted in accidents, Offshore Energy - General, Offshore Wind, pipelines, Regulation | Tagged aban pearl, California decommissioning, Empire Wind, IRF performance data, Nord Stream sabotage, OCS incident data, offshore wind incidents, pipeline regulation, Platforms Hogan and Houchin, Russell Peterson, turbine blade failure, Vineyard Wind | Leave a Comment »
Interesting Univ. of Portsmouth crabs study:
This study provides the first evidence that EMFs typical of SPCs elicit sex-specific behavioral responses in C. maenas. Females exhibited significantly greater attraction to EMF zones and avoidance of low-field zones, suggesting higher exposure risk. These differences could affect migration, mating, and larval release, with consequences for population dynamics.
Posted in Offshore Wind | Tagged effects on crabs, EMF, Offshore Wind, submerged power cables, Univ. of Portsmouth | Leave a Comment »
Earlier this week a tree service company was removing some large branches in our backyard. The 2 young workers stopped the job before they finished. They knocked on our door and told me that their foreman was off and they were uncomfortable tackling a large, high branch without him and a crane operator. They would come back with a full crew.
I congratulated them and told them they did exactly the right thing. I told them I was involved with offshore safety and many serious incidents would have been prevented if workers, with their employers encouragement, had been more assertive in stopping work. Developing that type of culture takes time and requires strong leadership and consistent, unambiguous messaging. Leadership matters, both at the site and in the office!
The Macondo well is a worst case example on many fronts, including the reluctance or inability of management and workers to stop taking actions that increased well control risks. Given the narrow pore pressure/fracture gradient, the prudent decision would have been to set a cement plug in the open hole and carefully assess next steps. However, delays and cost overruns were the overriding concerns, and well construction continued despite the long list of issues described here. Sadly, we know how that worked out.
Even after the well started to flow, the crew had time to actuate the emergency disconnect sequence and avert disaster. However, some combination of deficient training, uncertain authority, and fear of repercussions prevented that from happening.
Be it a small tree service company or a major oil company, safety culture development is a journey that has no end point and requires continuous leadership from everyone in the organization.
Posted in accidents, Offshore Energy - General, well control incidents | Tagged macondo, offshore drilling, safety culture, safety leadership, stop work authority, tree service | Leave a Comment »
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 