---
title: "Map offshore decommissioning obligations for an OCS facility"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/energy-resources-and-mining/map-decommissioning-obligations-and-financial-assurance-gaps/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A13-T1-R5-US"
practice_area: "Energy, Resources & Mining"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Map offshore decommissioning obligations for an OCS facility

> 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.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/energy-resources-and-mining/map-decommissioning-obligations-and-financial-assurance-gaps/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Energy, Resources & Mining](https://ailawframework.com/practice/energy-resources-and-mining.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| 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 | United States |
| Applies to | [Map decommissioning obligations and financial-assurance gaps](https://ailawframework.com/practice/energy-resources-and-mining/map-decommissioning-obligations-and-financial-assurance-gaps.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: 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.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- Section 250.1703 is an outer-continental-shelf rule. Do not use it for an onshore BLM well.
- Financial-assurance amounts are in other sections of the offshore rules. Open the current section before stating a bond amount.

## Sources

- [30 C.F.R. § 250.1703 (general requirements for decommissioning)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-30/chapter-II/subchapter-B/part-250/subpart-Q/section-250.1703) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [30 U.S.C. § 226 (onshore oil and gas leasing; not the offshore decommissioning rule)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/30/226) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Offshore decommissioning principles checklist](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/energy-resources-and-mining/offshore-decommissioning-principles.md) | Checklist | Yellow | The decommissioning principles NOPSEMA states for titleholders in Commonwealth waters: responsibility, early planning, completion before the title ends, and the test for an alternative to full… |
| [Security deposit and rehabilitation obligations checklist for a NSW mining authority](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/energy-resources-and-mining/security-deposit-and-rehabilitation-obligations-checklist-nsw.md) | Checklist | Yellow | Checklist mapping a NSW mining authority's security deposit condition and rehabilitation exposure: the assessed or minimum deposit, review rights, directions under s 240, rehabilitation by the… |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*