BOEM

What BOEM does

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is a U.S. federal bureau within the Department of the Interior, established in 2010 when the former Minerals Management Service was reorganized into BOEM and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). BOEM is the sole federal agency designated under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to manage the development of U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) energy and mineral resources in an environmentally and economically responsible way. The bureau operates four core program areas: Oil and Gas Energy (including the five-year National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program, leasing, exploration and development plan review, resource evaluation, and energy economics), Renewable Energy (offshore wind and marine renewable energy), Marine Minerals (including critical minerals and sand resources for coastal restoration), and Environmental Services (environmental analyses, marine acoustics, scientific studies). BOEM also manages emerging programs in Carbon Storage assessment and Gas Hydrates research, supported by energy economics analysis and a comprehensive Maps and GIS Data service delivered through MarineCadastre.gov.

BOEM's technology platform is built on GIS mapping technology, seismic data analysis, environmental assessment systems, and geological/geophysical data management tools applied to the entire U.S. OCS. Proprietary components include the Marine Minerals Information System (MMIS) Viewer, the Environmental Studies Program Information System (ESPIS), stochastic Gas Hydrate Resource Assessment Models for Gulf of America, Atlantic, and Pacific regions, and the OceanReports interactive ocean use analysis tool. BOEM maintains exclusive, multi-decade geological, geophysical, and environmental datasets for the OCS and partners with NOAA, USGS, DOE/NETL, the Department of Defense, and academic institutions including Ohio State, UT Austin, Stanford, Scripps, and Woods Hole.

BOEM does not operate a commercial business model. As a federal regulatory agency, it does not charge for its regulatory services and is funded through Congressional appropriations. The agency administers, but does not retain, lease sale revenues from offshore oil and gas, renewable energy, and marine mineral activities; these revenues flow to the U.S. Treasury, coastal states, and the Land and Water Conservation Fund. BOEM's primary "customer" segments are oil and gas companies, renewable energy developers, the critical minerals industry, and coastal communities seeking OCS sand resources. In April 2026, the Department of the Interior began a phased consolidation of BOEM and BSEE into a new Marine Minerals Administration.

Name

BOEM

Legal name

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Website

https://boem.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

BOEM is the U.S. federal bureau within the Department of the Interior that manages offshore oil and gas, renewable energy, marine mineral, and critical mineral resources on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf, administering lease sales, environmental review, and resource evaluation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

BOEM is a U.S. federal bureau within the Department of the Interior that manages the development of energy and mineral resources on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). It administers the National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program, issues renewable energy leases for offshore wind, and oversees marine minerals (sand, gravel, and critical minerals) leasing, resource evaluation, energy economics, and environmental analyses to balance energy production with environmental protection.

Product overview

BOEM (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management) is a U.S. federal agency under the Department of the Interior that manages the development of energy and mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The agency operates across four interconnected program areas: Oil and Gas Energy (including the National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program, leasing, exploration/development plans, resource evaluation, energy economics, risk management, and geological/geophysical data), Renewable Energy (offshore wind and marine renewable energy development), Marine Minerals (sand and gravel leasing for coastal restoration, critical minerals exploration), and Environmental Services (environmental analyses, marine acoustics, and scientific studies). The agency also manages Carbon Storage assessment for potential CO2 sequestration on the OCS, and Gas Hydrates research. Key supporting functions include Maps and GIS Data (via MarineCadastre.gov), Energy Economics analysis, Resource Evaluation (undiscovered and discovered resources, fair market value assessments), and Congressional reporting on OCS resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program Five-year schedule of offshore oil and gas lease sales determining the size, timing, and location of proposed leasing activity on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf to meet national energy needs. The 11th National OCS Program proposes 34 potential lease sales across Alaska (21), Gulf of America (7), and Pacific (7) regions.
• Resource Evaluation Technical and economic analysis supporting all BOEM program areas, including assessment of discovered and undiscovered oil and gas resources, fair market value determination, carbon storage resource assessment, and geological/geophysical data management for OCS resources.
• Energy Economics Economic analysis supporting policies on offshore leasing of oil and gas, renewable energy, and marine minerals, including designing lease and fiscal terms, analyzing regulatory impact, and formulating budget projections for BOEM programs.
• Maps and GIS Data Comprehensive mapping and GIS data services including MarineCadastre.gov interactive maps, GIS data downloads (shapefiles), Official Protraction Diagrams, and lease map diagrams for all OCS regions (Alaska, Atlantic, Gulf of America, Pacific).
• Carbon Storage Assessment Assessment of CO2 storage resources on the Outer Continental Shelf for long-term carbon sequestration, utilizing existing OCS geological and geophysical data sources.
• Gas Hydrates Research Program Research program studying gas hydrate distribution on the OCS, including resource assessments for Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic, and Pacific regions using mass-balance modeling and stochastic methodology.
• Marine Minerals Information System (MMIS) Viewer Online interactive mapping tool for viewing marine minerals data and information on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.
• Environmental Studies Program Information System (ESPIS) Database for environmental studies related to offshore renewable energy projects and other OCS activities.
• Renewable Energy Leasing Program Offshore wind and marine renewable energy leasing, environmental consultations, regulatory framework and guidelines, and lease and grant issuance on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.
• Marine Minerals Program Program covering exploring and leasing marine minerals, coastal resilience, the National Offshore Sand Inventory, negotiated agreements for OCS sand resources, critical minerals leasing, environmental stewardship, and research and reports.
• Environmental Analyses and Marine Acoustics Environmental science, environmental analyses, marine acoustics, and environmental stewardship activities supporting oil and gas, renewable energy, and marine minerals development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.

Quantifiable outcome

• The 11th National OCS Program proposes 34 potential lease sales over a five-year period
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U.S. Department of DefensecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBOEM coordinates with the Department of War (military) for training, testing, and operations in offshore operating areas, undersea warfare training ranges, and special use airspace on the OCS. These activities are critical to military readiness and national security. The U.S. Navy uses airspace, sea surface, subsurface, and OCS seafloor for events ranging from instrumented equipment testing to live-fire exercises. Military operations and oil and gas exploration have coexisted for many years in the GOA, Alaska, and Pacific regions under a 1983 Memorandum of Agreement.
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBOEM works with NOAA on ocean science, marine environmental data, and coastal resilience initiatives. NOAA's Digital Coast provides spatial data including LIDAR, benthic data, and other ocean resources that support BOEM's environmental analyses and resource evaluations.
• Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBOEM and BSEE are sister bureaus within the Department of the Interior that jointly oversee offshore energy development. BOEM handles leasing and resource management while BSEE handles regulatory supervision and safety inspections of offshore facilities. The Department of the Interior has begun a phased transition to consolidate these two agencies into the Marine Minerals Administration.
• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBOEM collaborates with USGS on the Mid-Atlantic Resource Imaging Experiment (MATRIX) project that collected over 2,000 line km of marine seismic data on the Atlantic OCS, providing new information about gas hydrate distribution.
• Department of Energy / National Energy Technology LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBOEM partners with DOE/NETL on gas hydrate research, including the Gulf of Mexico Gas Hydrate Joint Industry Project and ongoing research to understand methane hydrate deposits and their relationship to sediment stability.
• Ohio State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOhio State University conducted analysis of natural gas hydrate systems on the Gulf of Mexico OCS through two phases, identifying 72 bottom simulating reflection (BSR) systems covering approximately 1,700 km2.
• University of Texas at Austin Institute for GeophysicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUT Austin leads the GOM2 project to locate, drill, and sample methane hydrate deposits, analyzing cores acquired and preserved at in-situ pressure to evaluate hydrate concentration and thermodynamic state.
• Stanford University School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences (BPSM Group)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStanford's Basin and Petroleum System Modeling Group, an industrial affiliates program and recognized center of excellence, characterizes gas hydrate petroleum systems in the Terrebonne Basin in the Gulf of America.
• Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San DiegominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBOEM entered into cooperative agreements with Scripps to collect controlled source electromagnetic data (CSEM) for characterizing marine gas hydrate deposits in the Santa Cruz Basin on the Pacific OCS and in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBOEM collaborates with Woods Hole through the Gulf of Mexico Hydrates Research Consortium focused on studying gas hydrate mounds and active gaseous hydrocarbon vents, including development of a permanent seafloor observatory.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC): Federal regulator for interstate energy infrastructure including LNG and pipelines that connect offshore production to markets; comparable in its economic and regulatory oversight of energy infrastructure.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Federal environmental regulator that BOEM coordinates with on air, water, and impact assessments for offshore activities; comparable in its environmental oversight and rulemaking functions.
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): Partner agency providing ocean science, marine environmental data, and coastal resilience inputs through Digital Coast; comparable as a federal ocean/marine data steward that BOEM relies on for environmental analyses.
• Bureau of Land Management (BLM): Manages onshore federal mineral and energy leasing across the U.S., covering the analogous land-based counterpart to BOEM's offshore leasing mandate under similar federal land management authorities.

Direct peers

• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): Conducts geological and geophysical research including the MATRIX seismic survey on the Atlantic OCS alongside BOEM; highly comparable in resource assessment and earth-science mandate.
• Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE): BOEM's sister bureau within the Department of the Interior, responsible for safety and environmental enforcement of offshore operations. BSEE and BOEM are currently being consolidated into the Marine Minerals Administration, making them the closest functional peers.
• Norwegian Petroleum Directorate: Norway's national offshore petroleum resource manager responsible for resource evaluation, leasing, and data stewardship — the international agency most functionally comparable to BOEM's mandate.
• North Sea Transition Authority (UK): UK regulator managing offshore petroleum licensing, carbon storage licensing, and field development — a close functional peer given its combined oil/gas and CCUS mandate analogous to BOEM's emerging carbon storage program.

Regional players

• California State Lands Commission: Manages state-owned lands including offshore resources in California; relevant sub-federal peer that interacts with BOEM on overlapping jurisdictions (e.g., Platform Gilda well stimulation reviews).
• National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA): Australia's offshore safety and environmental regulator; comparable in its regulatory scope over offshore energy development, though geographically distinct from BOEM's U.S. mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/boem_doi
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCXL807nkJMCuxNj5kF09LLQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/bureauofoceanenergymanagement
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bureau-of-ocean-energy-management

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BOEM