What is the continental shelf Act?
What is the continental shelf Act?
The Continental Shelf Act 1964 (c. 29) is a UK Act of Parliament that governs the drilling for oil on the continental shelf around the British Isles. It extended the land regime to areas outside UK territorial waters, where international law recognised the UK right to the seabed, subsoil and natural resources.
What did the Submerged Lands Act of 1953 do?
Submerged Lands Act (SLA) of 1953, 43 U.S.C. § 1301 et seq., is a U.S. federal law that recognized the title of the states to submerged navigable lands within their boundaries at the time they entered the Union.
Which government organization is responsible for the oversight of exploration development and production of mineral resources?
BOEM manages the Nation’s energy and mineral resources on 1.7 billion acres of Federal submerged lands known as the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
What is US Outer Continental Shelf?
The term “outer Continental Shelf” refers to all submerged land, its subsoil and seabed that belong to the United States and are lying seaward and outside the states’ jurisdiction, the latter defined as the “lands beneath navigable waters” in Title 43, Chapter 29, Subchapter I, Section 1301.
Is continental shelf a territory?
According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which came into force in 1994, the continental shelf that borders a country’s shoreline is considered to be a continuation of the country’s land territory.
Why is continental shelf important?
The relatively accessible continental shelf is the best understood part of the ocean floor. Most commercial exploitation from the sea, such as metallic ore, non-metallic ore, and hydrocarbon extraction, takes place on the continental shelf.
Who owns submerged?
The state of Florida acquired title to sovereignty submerged lands on March 3, 1845, by virtue of statehood. Sovereignty submerged lands include all submerged lands, title to which is held by the Board of Trustees (Governor and Cabinet) of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund.
What did the Land Act of 1800 do?
On April 15, 1800, the government approved the Harrison Land Act. Under this law, people had the opportunity to buy land in the Northwest Territory directly from the federal government. The purchasers also could use credit to make part of their purchase.
Who regulates fracking in the US?
EPA does have authority to limit emissions of some pollutants released during the fracking process and issued new rules in 2012 to limit emissions of some air pollutants from fracking. Leasing of federal lands for oil and gas production is controlled by these statutes, which govern all uses of federal lands.
Who regulates oil and gas?
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is the primary body that regulates oil and gas companies, although a number of other federal offices oversee specific components of the oil and gas industry.
What is the extended continental shelf?
The portion of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles is typically called the “extended continental shelf” or simply ECS. ECS is a term of convenience; under the Law of the Sea Convention, the term “continental shelf” includes both continental shelf within 200 nautical miles and also ECS.
Which US federal agency is responsible for the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act?
The Secretary of the Interior
The Secretary of the Interior designated the MMS as the administrative agency responsible for the mineral leasing of submerged OCS lands and for the supervision of offshore operations after lease issuance. On May 19, 2010, MMS was renamed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE).
What is the OCSLA and why was it created?
The OCSLA was also passed which provided for federal jurisdiction over submerged lands of the OCS and authorized the Secretary of the Interior to lease those lands for mineral development. After the Santa Barbara Oil Spill in 1969, Congress passed several acts which spurred the development of oil spill regulation and research.
What is an ococsla approval?
OCSLA regulations administered by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) require that operators obtain approval of the platform removal methodology prior to removal of the platform through an application process.
What is Section 8 of OCSLA Section 8?
of 2005 amended OCSLA Section 8 to give jurisdiction of alternate energy-related uses (including renewable energy projects) on the outer continental shelf to the Department of the
What does the Secretary of the Interior do under the OCSLA?
Under the OCSLA, the Secretary of the Interior is responsible for the administration of mineral exploration and development of the OCS. The Act empowers the Secretary to grant leases to the highest qualified responsible bidder on the basis of sealed competitive bids and to formulate regulations as necessary to carry out the provisions of the Act.