Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement Announces Reorganization

On September 30, 2011, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement announced that it will complete its post-Deepwater Horizon reorganization, splitting into two new agencies, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). Although the Direct Final Rule is not scheduled to be published in the Federal Register until October 18, 2011, it will take effect October 1, 2011, standing up the new agencies and terminating BOEMRE. In addition, the Rule reorganizes the regulations formerly overseen by BOEMRE into Chapters assigned to the new agencies. The regulations will remain in Title 30 of the Code of Federal Regulations, but the Safety and Environmental Enforcement regulations will remain in Chapter II, while the Ocean Energy Management regulations will be moved to new Chapter V. BOEMRE is publishing the change as a Direct Final Rule based on its assessment that the changes are administrative, not substantive. The Rule itself is lengthy, re-stating all of the former BOEMRE's regulations in their new organization.