Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior, established in 2010 by Secretarial Order.

The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) states: "...the outer Continental Shelf is a vital national resource reserve held by the Federal Government for the public, which should be made available for expeditious and orderly development, subject to environmental safeguards, in a manner which is consistent with the maintainence [sic] of competition and other national needs."

BOEM and its sister agency, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement are the agencies to which this responsibility is delegated. They exercise the oil, gas, and renewable energy-related management functions formerly under the purview of the Minerals Management Service. Specifically, BOEM activities involve resource evaluation, planning, and leasing.

The agency's first director, serving from June 2010 to May 2014, was Tommy Beaudreau. The current director, sworn in in January 2015, is Abigail Ross Hopper. During the interim period, the deputy director Walter Cruickshank served as acting director.