Federal Agency Renews Reporting Rules for Oil and Gas Wells
Published Date: 10/16/2026
Notice
Summary
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement wants to update how companies report info about well operations and equipment. This affects oil and gas businesses, who’ll need to follow the new rules and submit info by November 16, 2026. The goal is to keep things safe and clear without adding extra hassle or costs.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 3 costs, 0 mixed.
Expanded Rig Movement Report Data
If you are a Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil, gas, or sulfur lessee/operator or holder of a pipeline right-of-way, the BSEE is revising Form BSEE-0144 (Rig Movement Notification Report) to add and update fields. New or updated items include expanded Rig Type checkboxes (Barge, Coiled Tubing Unit, Drill Ship, Jackup, Platform, Snubbing Unit, Semisubmersible, Submersible, Wire-Line Unit), added Rig Arrival fields (Worked scheduled; location where rig came from; Well API number; Well Name; Expected Duration of Well Operations) and updated Rig Departure, Stacking, and contact/certification information.
Large Mandatory Reporting Burden
Responding to this information collection is mandatory to obtain or retain a benefit for Federal OCS operations. BSEE estimates about 150,335 annual responses, 353,355 total annual burden hours, completion times from 15 minutes up to 2,160 hours per response, and $11,891,400 in total annual non-hour costs, with approximately 550 potential respondents.
Subpart G Safety Documentation Requirements
BSEE will use Subpart G information to verify safety-related items such as that certain well designs/operations have third-party reviews approved by BSEE after one year, rig tracking data is available for locating rigs during major storms, casing/equipment repairs are tested, engineering documents are up to date, and Blowout Preventer (BOP) components are maintained, inspected, and reviewed for designs, repairs, and modifications.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
Related Federal Register Documents
2026-15953, Oil and Gas and Sulfur Operations on the Outer Continental Shelf-Revisions to the Requirements for Exploratory Drilling on the Arctic Outer Continental Shelf
The Department of the Interior (DOI or Department), acting through BSEE and BOEM (collectively, "the Bureaus"), is proposing to revise its existing regulations for exploratory drilling and related operations on the Arctic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), to reduce unnecessary burdens on stakeholders while ensuring that energy exploration on the Arctic OCS is safe and environmentally responsible.\1\ This proposed rule would revise certain requirements promulgated through the rule entitled, Oil and Gas and Sulfur Operations on the Outer Continental Shelf--Requirements for Exploratory Drilling on the Arctic Outer Continental Shelf ("2016 Arctic Exploratory Drilling Rule") (see 81 FR 46478). This proposed rule would modify existing Arctic OCS blowout preventer (BOP) real-time monitoring requirements and add new provisions to BSEE's regulations pertaining to requirements for crane operations on artificial islands, suspensions of operations (SOO), and suspensions of production (SOP). This proposed rule would also revise certain parts of the Exploration Plan (EP) and Development and Production Plan (DPP) regulations implemented by BOEM. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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