Map offshore decommissioning obligations for an OCS facility
Key facts
- Human involvement
- YellowClose supervision
- How AI is used
- List the wells, platforms and pipelines the lawyer identifies and the approval each one needs under 30 C.F.R. § 250.1703. Do not state that a bond or a departure has been accepted.
- What the lawyer must review
- When facilities are no longer useful for operations, 30 C.F.R. § 250.1703 requires approval from the District Manager before decommissioning wells and from the Regional Supervisor before decommissioning platforms, pipelines or other facilities, and it requires wells to be permanently plugged. Decommissioning must be safe, must not unreasonably interfere with other uses of the outer continental shelf, and must not cause undue or serious harm to the human, marine or coastal environment. This section is the offshore rule. An onshore federal well is a different regulation. The lawyer confirms which regime applies before the plan is used.
- Written for / version
- United States versionUS
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | Potential support includes identifying points for review. Confirm the tool’s capability and permitted scope. |
| Lawyer | Set the scope, supervise the work closely, verify every part relied on, resolve omissions and exceptions, and approve the exact output. |
Checklist
- Verify the applicable jurisdiction and the version of each relevant law, rule or instrument in force at the material time.
- Confirm the output against the client’s instructions and the complete relevant source material, including omissions or contradictions.
- Resolve exceptions and record the responsible lawyer’s approval of the exact output and intended use.