Oregon Continental Shelf Management
The State of Oregon maintains an interest and is an active participant in the activities that occur on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) beyond the State's Territorial Sea boundaries. This section of our site describes aspects of the State's interest and applicable authorities related to OCS management. It also provides information regarding ongoing continental shelf activities at the State and Federal level. The most active area of work related to OCS waters is a focus on offshore wind energy planning, through the BOEM Oregon OCS Renewable Energy Task Force.
Ocean Stewardship Area
Oregon's interests in ocean resource policy and management are not limited to state waters. Because the ocean is part of a much larger regional marine ecosystem, ocean uses and activities that occur in federal waters may affect Oregon's coastal environment and communities. For this reason, in 1991, the State of Oregon defined an Ocean Stewardship Area in the Ocean Resources Management Plan as the area extending through the state’s territorial sea out to the toe of the continental shelf.
Regional Ocean Planning
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Geographic Location Description
In September 2015, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) approved a Geographic Location Description (GLD) within the Oregon Ocean Stewardship Area for federal activities related to marine renewable energy development.
Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program
On April 28, 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order 13795. This order outlines the America-First Offshore Energy Strategy that proposes to open nearly 90% of the country’s outer continental shelf to oil and gas leasing. As part of this strategy, Secretarial Order 3350 was issued by Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke which direct the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to develop a replacement Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program (National OCS Program). This program is responsible for outlining oil and gas development in accordance with the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCS Lands Act) and would replace the current 2017-2022 program. The National OCS Program specifies the size, timing, and location of potential leasing activity that the Secretary of the Interior determines will best meet national energy needs for the five-year period under consideration.
On January 8, 2018 BOEM officially released the draft Proposed Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2019-2024. The draft proposal program proposes lease sales throughout the outer continental shelf waters off the continental U.S. as well as Alaska.
Read more: Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program
Pacific Regional Ocean Uses Atlas
In June 2012, the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf (POCS) Region of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued an interagency agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to conduct the Pacific Regional Ocean Uses Atlas project (PROUA). The Energy Policy Act of 2005, an amendment to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), granted BOEM lead management authority for marine renewable energy projects on federal offshore lands, and other projects that make alternative use of existing oil and natural gas platforms. The specific objectives of the PROUA are to enhance ocean planning for offshore renewable energy development in U.S. waters. This is to be achieved by documenting at specific geographies, scales and resolutions, patterns of existing and emerging uses of the ocean off Oregon; and, identifying potential use interaction, and/or potential for conflict between anticipated renewable energy activities and other potentially concurring ocean uses.
BOEM Task Force
This collection of content will be focused on providing information related to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Intergovernmental Task Force for Marine Renewable Energy with the State of Oregon, focused on planning for the topic of offshore energy development on the Oregon outer continental shelf.