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![handle is hein.crs/goveeoj0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service
^Inforrning the legislative debate since 1914
September 24, 2021
Offshore Energy Agency Appropriations, FY2022
Three entities in the Department of the Interior (DOI) share
responsibility for managing the nation's ocean energy
resources on almost 2.5 billion acres of the U.S. outer
continental shelf (OCS). The Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management (BOEM) administers offshore energy leasing
and mineral development; the Bureau of Safety and
Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) oversees offshore
operational safety and environmental protection; and the
Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) manages
public revenues from federally regulated offshore and
onshore energy and natural resource projects. BOEM,
BSEE, and ONRR receive appropriations in the annual
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations
bill. Issues include determining the aggregate and program-
level appropriations for each entity.
On July 6, 2021, the House Committee on Appropriations
reported an FY2022 Interior appropriations bill, H.R. 4372
(H.Rept. 117-83), with funding for BOEM, BSEE, and
ONRR. On July 29, 2021, the House passed H.R. 4502, a
consolidated appropriations bill with the same amounts for
the three entities.
Total budget authority for BOEM and BSEE includes both
discretionary appropriations and offsetting collections
derived from a portion of OCS rental receipts, cost-
recovery fees, and (for BSEE) inspection fees. The
discretionary appropriations for each fiscal year are reduced
by the amount of eligible fees and receipts collected, so that
the final amount appropriated to each agency is the net of
those collections. Discussions of account- and activity-level
funding in the sections below refer to total budget authority,
regardless of offsets. ONRR's funding does not include
offsetting collections.
BOEM Appropriations
The Biden Administration requested $227.8 million in total
budget authority for BOEM for FY2022. This was an 18%
increase over the total FY2021 budget authority of $192.8
million provided in P.L. 116-260, the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2021. House-passed H.R. 4502 would
provide $223.9 million in total FY2022 budget authority for
BOEM, 16% more than FY2021 and 2% less than requested
by the Administration (Table 1). The total budget authority
consists of discretionary appropriations and offsetting
collections (see below).
BOEM's funding is contained in a single budget account,
titled Ocean Energy Management. Within this account, the
Conventional Energy budget activity ($60.5 million
FY2021; $62.3 million FY2022 request; $58.5 million
House-passed H.R. 4502) funds administration of oil and
gas leasing, including the development of forward-looking
five-year leasing programs. BOEM sought a funding
increase primarily to support fixed costs such as health and
retirement benefits.
The Renewable Energy activity ($28.5 million FY2021;
$45.8 million FY2022 requested; $45.8 million House-
passed H.R. 4502) supports BOEM's management of
renewable ocean energy resources. BOEM requested added
funding to boost its workforce capacity and invest in
research and stakeholder engagement, among other
purposes. The House committee report expressed support
for BOEM's commitment and urge[d] BOEM to
continue its engagement with states, local communities, and
other stakeholders in this process.
The Environmental Assessment activity ($75.9 million
FY2021; $86.8 million FY2022 requested; $86.8 million
House-passed H.R. 4502) supports BOEM's responsibilities
for assessing the environmental impacts of ocean energy
activities to inform planning and policy decisions. BOEM's
requested funding increase mainly would support its
Environmental Studies Program.
Table 1. BOEM, BSEE, and ONRR Appropriations, FY2021 and FY2022
($ millions)
FY2021 Enacted House-Passed House Bill % Change
Agency (P.L. 116-260) FY2022 Request H.R. 4502 from FY2021
BOEM Total Budget Authority 192.8 227.8 223.9 +16%
BOEM Net Appropriation 127.8 184.8 180.9 +42%
BSEE Total Budget Authority 198.7 253.4 228.4 +15%
BSEE Net Appropriation 125.1 195.4 170.4 +36%
ONRR Total Appropriation 148.5 169.6 153.5 +3%
Source and Notes: Data from House Committee on Appropriations. Net appropriations reflect estimated reductions to discretionary
appropriations based on offsetting collections. Table does not reflect an additional $1.0 million for the Decommissioning BOEM Account,
provided in relation to a general provision in H.R. 4502.
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