NOIA SUPPORTED EVENTS

  

 

 

For Immediate Release:                                                      Contact:  Nicolette Nye

Monday, February 28, 2011                                                        (202) 347-6900          

 

Issuance of First New Deepwater Drilling Permit since Gulf Spill is a Testament to Industry and Government Cooperation

 

 

WASHINGTON, DC – NOIA President Randall Luthi today issued the following statement on the issuance of the first permit for new deepwater drilling in nearly a year.

 

“The actual issuance of a permit for new deepwater drilling is long awaited and an important step forward in the wise development of energy off our shores.  With all the world-complicating factors, including rising oil prices, political turmoil in the Middle East and the loss of jobs in the Gulf of Mexico, this decision offers hope that the United States is getting back in the energy and jobs market.  

 

“Taking the Department of Interior at its word that this is not a token permit and that many are lined up to be approved in the near future, today’s action sends a calming signal to operators, producers and service companies that the long drought is just about over.  It is also a compliment to Director Bromwich and a testament to the efforts of many within industry, that the containment and safety issues can be resolved when industry and BOEMRE work together.

 

“I have  been critical of late of the Department of the Interior concerning the pace of permitting and their decision not to open any new areas for exploration in the future, but today I commend the efforts of all those who have worked long and hard to  make this permit possible.   Our member companies and the thousands of their employees look forward to getting back to work providing energy for American families.”

 

 

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NOIA is the only national trade association representing all segments of the offshore industry with an interest in the exploration and production of both traditional and renewable energy resources on the nation’s outer continental shelf.  The NOIA membership comprises more than 275 companies engaged in business activities ranging from producing to drilling, engineering to marine, land and air transport, warehousing and logistics to offshore construction to equipment manufacture and supply, telecommunications to finance and insurance.

 

For Immediate Release:                                                Contact:  Nicolette Nye

Thursday, February 17, 2011                                             (202) 347-6900          

 

NOIA Statement on Completion of Spill Containment System

and Court Order on Drilling Permits, Urges BOEMRE to Move on Permitting

 

WASHINGTON, DC – NOIA President Randall Luthi today issued the following statement on the Marine Well Containment Company’s (MWCC) completion of an initial spill containment system and a U.S. District Court order on drilling permits.

 

“I applaud the Marine Well Containment Company on the successful completion of this unprecedented rapid response spill containment system. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has indicated that the lack of such a system was holding up deepwater drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico.  Now that the system exists and has been successfully tested, I am hopeful the agency will soon issue long-awaited permits to drill. The offshore industry is safer than ever. Companies have been sidelined long enough, and they are more than ready and able to get back to work in the Gulf of Mexico, safely drilling and producing home-grown oil that accounts for 30 percent of the country’s domestic supply.

 

“There was also a ruling by Judge Feldman today ordering the Administration to make a decision within 30 days on five deepwater drilling permits sought by Ensco PLC.  Feldman's ruling is further evidence that the time to begin issuing permits is now. The court has spoken; the containment technology is there. BOEMRE needs to let us get back to the work of supplying American energy and jobs."

  

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NOIA is the only national trade association representing all segments of the offshore industry with an interest in the exploration and production of both traditional and renewable energy resources on the nation’s outer continental shelf.  The NOIA membership comprises more than 275 companies engaged in business activities ranging from producing to drilling, engineering to marine, land and air transport, warehousing and logistics to offshore construction to equipment manufacture and supply, telecommunications to finance and insurance.

 

For Immediate Release:                                            Contact:  Nicolette Nye

Monday, February 14, 2011                                             (202) 347-6900          

 

 

Increased Offshore Activity Would Provide More Money to Government than Increased Fees, Says NOIA President Randall Luthi

WASHINGTON, DC – NOIA President Randall Luthi today issued the following statement on the Interior Department’s newly proposed fee increases on offshore oil and gas activities:

 

“New fees that would drive investment and jobs elsewhere at this time of tremendous uncertainty is simply bad public policy and would not produce the needed revenues for the federal treasury that simply getting folks back to work would.  The best way for the federal government to raise more revenue for the treasury would simply be to restart economic activity in the gulf and get folks back to work. 

 

“To imply that the offshore industry does not pay their fair share is simply untrue.  It is worth repeating that oil and gas produced from the OCS provides significant revenue to the federal treasury in the form of bonus bids, royalties, rentals, and corporate taxes on overall earnings. The offshore industry turns over almost 20 percent of their sales directly to the federal treasury as royalty payments. They then pay corporate taxes on their overall earnings. In 2008, the offshore industry paid $8.3 billion in royalties, $237 million in rent and $9.4 billion in lease bids. In 2010, the industry paid $4.0 billion in royalties, $245 million in rent and $979 million in lease bids.  The $500 million to restructure BOEMRE and to increase personnel could be more than covered by that existing revenue.

 

“We find it interesting that the administration requests that industry pay even more for the cost of permitting and inspections.  It would be far cleaner and avoid any appearance of conflict to use the revenue from lease bids, rents or royalties as appropriated by Congress.

 

“It is also ironic that the administration proposes a new fee to charge companies for not producing, while the agency itself is not producing the necessary permits for the companies to actually drill. The administration could generate much, if not all the requested revenue just by conducting offshore sales. We have gone from having at least two sales a year to possibly zero in 2011.”

 

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NOIA is the only national trade association representing all segments of the offshore industry with an interest in the exploration and production of both traditional and renewable energy resources on the nation’s outer continental shelf.  The NOIA membership comprises more than 275 companies engaged in business activities ranging from producing to drilling, engineering to marine, land and air transport, warehousing and logistics to offshore construction to equipment manufacture and supply, telecommunications to finance and insurance.

 

For Immediate Release:                                            Contact:  Nicolette Nye

Tuesday, February 1, 2011                                           (202) 347-6900          

 

 

Luke Johnson Joins National Ocean Industries Association Staff

WASHINGTON, DC – Luke Johnson has joined the staff of the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA), where he will direct legislative and regulatory affairs. Johnson brings a strong background in regulatory analysis and strategic legislative planning and execution. 

“Luke Johnson’s knowledge of oil and gas issues coupled with his Capitol Hill experience make him a great fit for NOIA,” said NOIA president Randall Luthi.

Johnson most recently served as Senior Policy Advisor in the office of former Senator Robert F. Bennett (R-UT), where he handled comprehensive energy and environmental issues.  He has also held senior executive positions in the Department of the Interior, including  Deputy Director, Programs and Policy at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM),  Chief of Staff to the Director of BLM, and Chief of Congressional and Legislative Affairs at the Bureau of Reclamation.  Earlier in his career, Johnson served as professional staff for the House Committee on Natural Resources and was a legislative assistant to former Congressman James V. Hansen (R-UT).

Johnson graduated Magna Cum Laude from Utah State University with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science.

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NOIA is the only national trade association representing all segments of the offshore industry with an interest in the exploration and production of both traditional and renewable energy resources on the nation’s outer continental shelf.  The NOIA membership comprises more than 275 companies engaged in business activities ranging from producing to drilling, engineering to marine, land and air transport, warehousing and logistics to offshore construction to equipment manufacture and supply, telecommunications to finance and insurance.