EnerGeo Alliance Testified on the Solutions to Secure America’s Offshore Energy Future
April 18 2024 - 10:00AM
Today, Nikki Martin testified on behalf of EnerGeo Alliance before
the U.S. House of Representatives, highlighting the critical role
that energy geoscience plays in both securing America’s offshore
energy and in the energy evolution. Focusing on the America’s
offshore energy future, Nikki Martin emphasized the necessity of
modernizing the Outer continental shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), Marine
Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) , Endangered Species Act (ESA) and
other relevant statutes to rectify the existing delays for
geoscience survey authorizations, and the need to implement
regulations to provide for efficient carbon capture and storage
projects on the Outer Continental Shelf and the Gulf of
Mexico.
In her testimony, the
EnerGeo President and CEO noted how the geoscience industry is the
starting point of virtually any energy development needed to
support global increasing energy demand, “no matter the preferred
or prioritized energy source.”
“As nations develop and
implement their energy evolution goals to make reliable, affordable
energy available to their citizens and meet any Net Zero Emissions
(NZE) policy ambitions, it is essential to understand that those
goals cannot and will not be realized without the critical data and
technology the geoscience industry provides. (...) Meeting growing
demand for energy that is more accessible, affordable, reliable,
and cleaner will require greater collaboration and
geoscience-driven energy policies.”
Nikki Martin highlighted
the challenges that the geoscience industry is currently facing,
stating “Despite –or precisely because of—its importance, the
permitting of this activity is too often stalled in regulatory
reviews without accountable timelines, and impeded by activists
opposed to the energy development that could follow—whether that’s
petroleum, natural gas, or even wind.”
“In order to stimulate
new geoscience activity, policymakers must prioritize
geoscience-driven energy policies and regulatory frameworks that
remove uncertainty and delay, promote timely permitting decisions,
and support a quick pace of return on investment. Attracting
investment in new data and products, which in turn enhances the
government’s resource evaluation, also requires regular and robust
lease rounds."
Nikki Martin pointed out
certain aspects of BOEM authorization process, particularly those
linked to the MMPA, that are causing delays in the geoscience
surveys: “MMPA authorizations are often the primary cause of
administrative delay in the offshore geoscience survey permitting
process. In the past decade, these problems have manifested in
routinely delayed permitting processes, inconsistent and misguided
analyses of potential impacts, and opportunistic advocacy
litigation intended to block or impede offshore
development”.
EnerGeo members have
identified recommendations to make the BOEM geoscience permitting
process more efficient, including: Establishing a certain timeline
for permit review and approval; creating an electronic permit
application process; creating a catalogue of vessel information and
certificates, and a catalogue of equipment used in offshore
geoscience activities; introducing streamlined permitting processes
for geoscience activities in areas of the OCS that are not included
in the 5-year Oil & Gas Leasing Program.
Regarding the CCS
permitting process, Nikki Martin emphasized the necessity for long
overdue regulations, to achieve “expanded permitting and permitting
capacity with unambiguous, clear, concise regulations and timely
permitting decisions. Further, regulations should prioritize
timely, accessible geoscience data throughout the life of the
asset.”
“We urge Congress to
review OCSLA, the MMPA, the ESA, and other relevant statutes and
pass meaningful modernizing provisions, that will rectify the
existing delays for geoscience survey authorizations and urge the
administration to implement regulations to provide for efficient
carbon capture and storage projects on the OCS. These are necessary
steps to ensure the continued development of U.S. energy resources
and low-carbon solutions for future generations,” Martin
concluded.
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About EnerGeo
Alliance Founded in 1971, EnerGeo Alliance is a global
trade alliance for the energy geoscience industry, the intersection
where earth science and energy meet. The EnerGeo Alliance and its
member companies span more than 50 countries, and together, unify
to open the gateway to the safe discovery, development, and
delivery of mainstay sources of energy, alternative energy and
low-carbon energy solutions that meet our growing world’s
needs.
Michela Fumagalli
EnerGeo Alliance
713-584-3391
mfumagalli@energeoalliance.org