U.S. president Donald Trump has allocated a budget $171 million for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for the Fiscal Year 2018.
The agency better known under the BOEM abbreviation is responsible for the offshore energy and mineral resources management in the U.S.
“President Trump promised the American people he would cut wasteful spending and make the government work for the taxpayer again, and that’s exactly what this budget does,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke .
“Working carefully with the President, we identified areas where we could reduce spending and also areas for investment, such as addressing the maintenance backlog in our National Parks and increasing domestic energy production on federal lands. The budget also allows the Department to return to the traditional principles of multiple-use management to include both responsible natural resource development and conservation of special places. Being from the West, I’ve seen how years of bloated bureaucracy and D.C.-centric policies hurt our rural communities. The President’s budget saves taxpayers by focusing program spending, shrinking bureaucracy, and empowering the front lines.”
According to BOEM, Trump’s FY 2018 budget request for the bureau focuses on the National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, offshore renewable energy leasing efforts, marine mineral resource management, and environmental analyses and studies in support of these programs.
“BOEM’s FY 2018 Request is responsive to the implementation of the Administration’s America-First Offshore Energy Strategy. The Bureau supports the Administration’s efforts to expand OCS oil and gas exploration and production, foster energy security and job creation, and ensure responsible stewardship of the environment,” BOEM said.
“The President’s budget recognizes BOEM’s important role in advancing responsible development of American energy resources as part of a broad effort to secure the Nation’s energy future, benefit the economy, and create jobs,” said BOEM Acting Director Walter Cruickshank.
“The President’s budget request for BOEM reflects the resources and personnel needed to develop our capacity and to carry out our mission carefully, responsibly, and efficiently.”