The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is an agency within the

United States Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the ma ...

, established in 2010 by Secretarial Order. The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) states: "...the outer Continental Shelf is a vital national resource reserve held by the Federal Government for the public, which should be made available for expeditious and orderly development, subject to environmental safeguards, in a manner which is consistent with the maintenance of competition and other national needs." BOEM and its sister agency, the

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE "Bessie") is an agency under the United States Department of the Interior. Established in 2011, BSEE is the lead agency in charge of improving safety and ensuring environmental protection r ...

are the agencies to which this responsibility is delegated. They exercise the oil, gas, and renewable energy-related management functions formerly under the purview of the

Minerals Management Service The Minerals Management Service (MMS) was an agency of the United States Department of the Interior that managed the nation's natural gas, oil and other mineral resources on the outer continental shelf (OCS). Due to perceived conflict of inter ...

(MMS). Specifically, BOEM activities involve resource evaluation, planning, and leasing.

Directors

The agency's first director, serving from June 2010 to May 2014, was

Tommy Beaudreau Tommy P. Beaudreau is an American attorney who has served as the deputy secretary of the Interior since 2021. He served as the first director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management from 2011 to 2014 and as chief of staff of the United States D ...

. The second director was Abigail Ross Hopper. Currently, the director is Amanda Lefton. In an announcement with United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm on April 27, 2022, Lefton said that her agency would focus on efforts to promote offshore wind projects, saying that BOEM would work to "inspire confidence and demonstrate commitment" for lease planning and calling it her "number-one priority," ''National Fisherman'' reported.

Ocean floor surveys

A function inherited from the MMS is the review of nearly 1,700 planned wells and pipelines every year. The BOEM keeps records of shipwrecks, to ensure the Nation's important historical sites are protected. These shipwrecks, particularly when over fifty years old, may be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and any new wells or pipelines have to be studied for their potential effect on archaeological sites on the outer continental shelf.

List of shipwrecks

The BOEM maintains a list of shipwrecks and the location. *Northern Eagle (Built 1857) was a fishing schooner lost 1908-03-01 *Carrie Strong (Lost 1916) *W.H. Marston (Lost 1927) *Western Empire was abandoned during a hurricane on September 18, 1875. Further research has ruled out the wreck as the Western Empire, and it is now believed to be a naval ship (now referred to as the BOEMRE Vessel ID No. 359) that may have been used as a merchant vessel. *Nokomis (Lost 1905)

World War II shipwrecks

There were over 100 attacks on ships in the Gulf of Mexico by German U-boats. Several were listed by the MMS and maintained by the BOEM. *SS Gulfoil (Built 1912, lost 1942-05-17), sunk by German submarine U-506 *SS Gulfpenn (Built 1921, lost 1942-05-13), sunk by German submarine U-506 *SS Robert E. Lee (Built 1924, lost 1942-07-30), sunk by German submarine U-166 *SS Alcoa Puritan (Built 1941, lost 1942-06-05), sunk by German submarine U-507 * SS ''Carrabulle'' (Built 1920, lost 1942-05-26), sunk by German submarine U-106. *SS Amapala (Built 1924, lost 1942-05-16), sunk by German submarine U-507 The only known German U-boat to be sunk in the Gulf is U-166. After sinking the SS Robert E. Lee the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

patrol craft PC-566 reported hitting and sinking the submarine. This was questioned and the sinking was attributed to a

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, m ...

Grumman G-44 Widgeon, that reported an attack over 100 miles away, thought to be the U-166. In 2001 the wreckage of U-166 was identified near the wreckage of the Robert E. Lee and in 2014 the record was set straight that PC-566 actually sunk U-166. In 2014 the position, was designated a war grave.''MMS Ensures Nation's Historic Shipwrecks are Protected as Archaeologists Share in U-Boat Discovery''
- Retrieved 2017-02-19

References

External links

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Official website
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
in the

Federal Register The ''Federal Register'' (FR or sometimes Fed. Reg.) is the official journal of the federal government of the United States that contains government agency rules, proposed rules, and public notices. It is published every weekday, except on fede ...