American Oil and Gas Reporter - September 2017 - 19

IndustryDigest
National Association of Regulatory
Utility Commissioners.
Chatterjee will serve out the
remainder of a term that ends in June
2021, while Powelson is serving out a
term that ends in June 2020. Both were
sworn in in early August.
In addition to those selections, the
White House also has nominated Richard
Glick to fill a FERC term that expires in
June 2022, and Kevin McIntyre, to serve
until June 30, 2018. The White House
simultaneously nominated McIntyre to be
reappointed, with a term that expires in
June 2023, FERC says.
According to FERC's acting
chairwoman, Commissioner Cheryl A.
LaFleur, with the agency's quorum
restored, its first order of business is the
backlog of orders and issues awaiting
consideration.
The American Petroleum Institute
hailed the confirmations, pointing out
the lack of a quorum at FERC has held
up nearly $4 billion in energy
infrastructure investments.
"There are billions of dollars of
privately funded infrastructure projects
currently tied up at FERC because the
agency lacked a quorum. With the
confirmation of both Powelson and
Chatterjee, the agency now can move
forward in approving the critical natural
gas infrastructure that will create jobs
across the country," says API
Midstream Group Director Robin
Rorick.
In other federal appointments, the
Senate confirmed Dan Brouillette
deputy secretary of energy. Brouillette
served in the department during the
George W. Bush administration.
Following the 79-17 confirmation vote,
he becomes the second Department of
Energy nominee to take office, serving
under Energy Secretary Rick Perry. r

The sale offered 76 million acres
offshore Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Alabama and Florida for oil and gas
exploration and development.
According to the Bureau of Ocean
Energy Management, Lease Sale 249
included 14,220 unleased blocks in the
Gulf's Western, Central and Eastern
planning areas. Lease terms include a
12.5 percent royalty rate for leases in
less than 200 meters of water and 18.75

percent for all other leases. BOEM
estimates resources developed in the
leased area may be as much as 1.12
billion barrels of oil and 4.42 trillion
cubic feet of natural gas.
Lease Sale 249 is the first offshore
sale under the National Outer Continental
Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for
2017-22. BOEM says nine regionwide
lease sales that combine all three GOM
planning areas are scheduled.

Gulf Lease Acreage
Nets 27 Companies

WASHINGTON-Five independent
producers were among the most active
bidders in the Gulf of Mexico Lease
Sale 249, held Aug. 16 in New Orleans.
According to the Department of the
Interior, 27 companies participated in
the largest acreage sale in the federal
offshore program, submitting 99 bids
for 508,096 acres, with accepted bids
totaling $121 million out of a total bid
amount of $137 million.
SEPTEMBER 2017 19
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American Oil and Gas Reporter - September 2017

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