The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management added 30 days to the public comment period for its proposed higher liability limit for offshore oil and gas operators (OGJ Online, Feb. 24, 2014).
Comments now will be accepted until Apr. 25, the US Department of the Interior agency said in a notice published in the Mar. 19 Federal Register.
BOEM originally limited the comment to 30 days because it did not expect the proposed rulemaking to be controversial. The proposal to raise the limit to $133.65 million from $75 million would be the first increase since the 1990 Oil Pollution Act became law, BOEM Director Tommy P. Beaudreau said when he announced it on Feb. 24.
It would establish adjustments every 3 years to cover changes in inflation under the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index. It also would be the biggest increase BOEM could implement without legislation, Beaudreau added.
BOEM said in its latest notice that it has received numerous comments since the proposal was announced. Many groups have asked for more time to review and analyze the proposed rule’s implications, it indicated.
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