President Barack Obama has included a request of $170.9 million for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in its fiscal year 2016 (FY 2016) budget.
These funds would provide BOEM with resources needed to effectively manage oil and gas development, renewable energy, and mineral resources on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
“BOEM’s priorities fully support the Administration’s all-of-the-above energy strategy for safely and responsibly expanding domestic energy production and advancing renewable energy for our clean energy future by using the best available science to inform our decision making,” said BOEM Director Abigail Ross Hopper . “The President’s budget would provide us with the needed resources and personnel to expand our technical expertise to make science-informed policy decisions and effectively oversee the development of OCS resources.”
The President’s budget request focuses on program responsibilities, such as the Five Year Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Program, oil and gas exploration and development plans, offshore renewable energy and environmental analysis and studies. The request includes an increase of $1.1 million over the FY 2015 enacted level, allowing the bureau to fund important initiatives to further develop the risk management program, add personnel needed to support an increase in OCS activity and build on the bureau’s collaborative efforts in ecosystem science.