The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today announced that it is seeking comments by Monday, Apr. 17 on its proposal to require lessees and operators to submit an archaeological report with any oil and gas exploration or development plan submitted to BOEM for approval of activities proposed in federal waters. Under current practice, such reports are only required where a plan covers an area that a BOEM Regional Director has reason to believe may contain an archaeological resource.
BOEM said the proposed rule would assure compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act and define the minimum level of survey information required to support conclusions in the archaeological report, the procedure for reporting possible archaeological resources and continuing operations when a possible resource is present, and what to do if an unanticipated archaeological resource is discovered during operation.
BOEM Gulf of Mexico Regional Director James Kendall called the changes “necessary to ensure that lessees, operators, and BOEM have the information necessary to proactively identify marine archaeological resources,” adding that enhanced reporting requirements “can increase the likelihood of identifying these important resources before they are inadvertently damaged by an OCS operator and help ensure compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act.”
