The Biden-Harris administration has submitted to Congress the president’s budget for fiscal year (FY) 2023. The budget reflects the administration’s commitment to ongoing efforts and initiatives vital to Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) mission which support the administration’s priorities, including tackling climate change, creating good-paying union jobs, advancing energy security, supporting economic prosperity, and ensuring the reliability and affordability of domestic clean energy.
The FY 2023 budget for BOEM provides $237.4 million in total budget authority to fund the bureau’s mission to manage the nation’s offshore energy and mineral resources in an environmentally and economically responsible manner.
“Interior’s FY 2023 budget provides needed resources to ensure BOEM is equipped to deliver on its mission on behalf of the American public and to achieve the ambitious Biden-Harris administration’s priorities to fight climate change and create good paying jobs,” says BOEM Director Amanda Lefton. “The increase in BOEM’s funding will help us to advance offshore energy and marine minerals development in a manner that considers environmental stewardship and values public engagement during all phases of planning and development.”
The FY 2023 budget includes $51.7 million for BOEM’s Renewable Energy Program. BOEM has made considerable strides toward accomplishing the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of achieving the deployment of 30 GW of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030. BOEM has demonstrated an all-of-government approach in fostering offshore wind production by collaborating with multiple government agencies, consulting with Tribal nations, and signing an extensive interagency agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
BOEM seeks to administer an efficient review process and an inclusive, expeditious process to identify areas that are most appropriate for future leasing. Expanding upon this work, BOEM plans to issue nine environmental reviews of offshore wind projects in FY 2023 and to hold up to three lease sales in FY 2022 and up to two lease sales in FY 2023.
The FY 2023 budget also includes $86.4 million for BOEM’s environmental programs. The aim is to inform the public, stakeholders, diverse ocean users and external decision-makers about the potential impacts of OCS energy and mineral activities through transparent environmental analyses that identify risks and mitigation strategies to assist with ensuring environmental protection. During FY 2023, BOEM will continue to ensure scientific data and Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge inform its decision-making across its programs. BOEM will also promote environmental justice and the administration’s Justice40 initiative to deliver benefits to underserved communities.
Read more about the department’s FY 2023 budget proposal here.
