Section 203.1 - What is BSEE's authority to grant royalty relief?The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act, 43 U.S.C. 1337 , as amended by the OCS Deep Water Royalty Relief Act (DWRRA), Public Law 104-58 and the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Public Law 109-058 authorizes us to grant royalty relief in four situations.
(a) Under 43 U.S.C. 1337(a)(3)(A) , we may reduce or eliminate any royalty or a net profit share specified for an OCS lease to promote increased production.(b) Under 43 U.S.C. 1337(a)(3)(B) , we may reduce, modify, or eliminate any royalty or net profit share to promote development, increase production, or encourage production of marginal resources on certain leases or categories of leases. This authority is restricted to leases in the GOM that are west of 87 degrees, 30 minutes West longitude, and in the planning areas offshore Alaska.(c) Under 43 U.S.C. 1337(a)(3)(C) , we may suspend royalties for designated volumes of new production from any lease if: (1) Your lease is in deep water (water at least 200 meters deep);(2) Your lease is in designated areas of the GOM (west of 87 degrees, 30 minutes West longitude);(3) Your lease was acquired in a lease sale held before the DWRRA (before November 28, 1995);(4) We find that your new production would not be economic without royalty relief; and(5) Your lease is on a field that did not produce before enactment of the DWRRA, or if you propose a project to significantly expand production under a Development Operations Coordination Document (DOCD) or a supplementary DOCD, that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) approved after November 28, 1995.(d) Under 42 U.S.C. 15904-15905 , we may suspend royalties for designated volumes of gas production from deep and ultra-deep wells on a lease if:(1) Your lease is in shallow water (water less than 400 meters deep) and you produce from an ultra-deep well (top of the perforated interval is at least 20,000 feet TVD SS) or your lease is in waters entirely more than 200 meters and entirely less than 400 meters deep and you produce from a deep well (top of the perforated interval is at least 15,000 feet TVD SS);(2) Your lease is in the designated area of the GOM (wholly west of 87 degrees, 30 minutes west longitude); and(3) Your lease is not eligible for deep water royalty relief.