Mineral Leasing and Development on the Outer Continental Shelf
On a superficial level, an Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas mineral lease is an ordinary two-party contract between the federal government and a willing third party, write Anthony C. Marino and C. Jacob Gower of Slattery, Marino & Roberts of New Orleans.
“However, an OCS lease implicates far more than the usual ‘four corners’ of the contract because lessees and their agents must navigate a labyrinth of rules and regulations to remain in compliance with their lease obligations. Given the large volumes of oil and gas production from the OCS, understanding this maze is a daunting, yet important, task,” they write.
Their 37-page article — published in LSU Journal Of Energy Law and Resources — provides an introduction and high-level overview of the leasing of mineral resources on the OCS and the accompanying regulatory regime.