Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE)

• DC Federal Court decision on Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Lease Sale 257: Will the Court uphold the 11/17/2022 sale? If the Court upholds the sale, will BOEM accept the carbon sequestration bids without having announced that tracts would be offered for those purposes, and without advising about lease terms and bid analysis procedures?
• Investigation reports for the 6 fatal US offshore incidents in 2020: When will these overdue reports be issued? Also, we know that there were at least two 2021 fatalities? When will those reports be issued?
• Platforms Hogan and Houchin, Santa Barbara Channel: When will we learn more about the Inspector General’s findings regarding the improper use of decommissioning funds? Why was the lessee, Signal Hill, allowed to withdraw funds from those accounts for purposes unrelated to decommissioning? How does this affect the liability of predecessor lessees?
• Investigation of the Huntington Beach pipeline spill: When will the the joint investigation team report be issued? To what extent can the pipeline operator be held liable for a leak caused by anchor dragging, particularly given the leak detection limitations for low pressure pipelines?
• Globetrotter 2 incident during Hurricane Ida: When will the Coast Guard issue their report on the delayed relocation of the Noble Globetrotter 2 drillship during Hurricane Ida? In light of this incident, the fatality on the Pacific Khamsin prior to Tropical Storm Laura (2020), and similar incidents, further attention to the timely relocation of dynamically positioned drillships would seem to be in order.
• US offshore drilling and production trends: With several deepwater fields scheduled to begin producing in 2022, will GoM oil production meet or exceed the August 2019 peak of 2.044 million BOPD, at least temporarily? Will exploratory drilling activity increase to levels needed for reserve replacement? Will the prolonged decline in US offshore gas production be reversed?
• Russell Peterson liftboat tragedy (2008): Will the Coast Guard ever explain why their investigation report in unavailable?

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