Proposed Rule2026-09208
Risk Management and Financial Assurance for OCS Lease and Grant Obligations; Extension of Public Comment Period
Primary source
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Published
May 8, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentOcean Energy Management Bureau
Abstract
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is extending the public comment period on our notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) titled "Risk Management and Financial Assurance for OCS Lease and Grant Obligations" by seven days. Comments previously submitted need not be resubmitted and will be fully considered.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 89 (Friday, May 8, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 89 (Friday, May 8, 2026)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 25255-25256]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-09208]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
30 CFR parts 550, 556, and 590
[Docket No. BOEM-2025-0042]
RIN 1010-AE26
Risk Management and Financial Assurance for OCS Lease and Grant
Obligations; Extension of Public Comment Period
AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking; extension of public comment
period.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is extending the
public comment period on our notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM)
titled ``Risk Management and Financial Assurance for OCS Lease and
Grant Obligations'' by seven days. Comments previously submitted need
not be resubmitted and will be fully considered.
DATES: The comment period for the proposed rule ``Risk Management and
Financial Assurance for OCS Lease and Grant Obligations,'' which was
published on March 9, 2026, at 91 FR 11212, is extended by 7 days.
Online comments submitted at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> must be
uploaded by 11:59 p.m. eastern daylight time on May 15, 2026. Hardcopy
comments submitted by a parcel delivery service must be received by
BOEM or postmarked on or before May 15, 2026.
ADDRESSES: The publicly available documents relevant to this action are
available for public inspection electronically at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> in Docket No. BOEM-2025-0042.
Submitting Comments. You may send comments regarding the substance
of this proposed rule, identified by Docket No. BOEM-2025-0042 or
regulation identifier number (RIN) 1010-AE26, using any of the
following methods:
[[Page 25256]]
<bullet> Federal e-rulemaking portal: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
Search for and submit comments on Docket No. BOEM-2025-0042.
<bullet> U.S. Postal Service or other parcel delivery service: Send
comments on the proposed rule to the Department of the Interior, Bureau
of Ocean Energy Management, Office of Regulatory Affairs, Attention:
Karen Thundiyil, Office Director, Office of Regulatory Affairs, BOEM,
1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240.
Instructions: All comments submitted regarding this proposed rule
should reference Docket No. BOEM-2025-0042 or RIN 1010-AE26. All
comments received by BOEM will be reviewed and may be posted to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, including any personal information provided with
the submission. For further instructions on protecting personally
identifiable information, see ``Public Availability of Comments'' under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Thundiyil, Office Director,
Office of Regulatory Affairs, BOEM, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC
20240, at email address <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#44362123312825302b363d6a252222252d363704262b21296a232b32"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b5c7d0d2c0d9d4c1dac7cc9bd4d3d3d4dcc7c6f5d7dad0d89bd2dac3">[email protected]</span></a>, or at telephone
number (202) 742-0970.
Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of
hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or
TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services for contacting
the contacts listed in this section. These services are available 24
hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question with the
above individual. You will receive a reply during normal business
hours. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay
services offered within their country to make international calls to
the point-of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 9, 2026, BOEM published the
proposed rule ``Risk Management and Financial Assurance for OCS Lease
and Grant Obligations.'' 91 FR 11212. The major proposed amendments
include returning to the previous BOEM practice of considering the
financial strength of jointly liable predecessor lessees, revising the
credit rating threshold for determining whether oil, gas, and sulfur
lessees, right-of-use and easement grant holders, and pipeline right-
of-way grant holders on the OCS are required to provide supplemental
financial assurance above the required general financial assurance
amount to ensure compliance with their Outer Continental Shelf Lands
Act obligations, revising the decommissioning estimate used to
determine the amount of supplemental financial assurance required, and
revising the appeals bond provision related to the Interior Board of
Land Appeals appeal procedures. With this notice, we are extending the
public comment period on the NPRM by seven days.
Public Availability of Comments
You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods
listed in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. Before including your
name, return address, phone number, email address, or other personally
identifiable information in your comment, you should be aware that your
entire comment--including your personally identifiable information--may
be made publicly available. In order for BOEM to withhold from
disclosure your personally identifiable information, you must identify,
in a cover letter, any information contained in the submittal of your
comments that, if released, would constitute a clearly unwarranted
invasion of your personal privacy. You must also briefly describe in
such cover letter any possible harmful consequences of the disclosure
of information, such as embarrassment, injury, or other harm. While you
can ask us in your comment to withhold your personally identifiable
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so. Even if BOEM withholds your information in the context
of this rulemaking, your submission is subject to the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) and any relevant court orders. If your
submission is requested under the FOIA or such court order, your
information will only be withheld if a determination is made that one
of the FOIA's exemptions to disclosure applies or if such court order
is challenged. Such a determination will be made in accordance with the
Department's FOIA regulations and applicable law.
Jennafer L. Foreman,
Chief of Staff, BOEM, Exercising the Delegated Authority of the BOEM
Director.
[FR Doc. 2026-09208 Filed 5-7-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4340-98-P
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