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This rulemaking would remove the existing Federal Oil and Gas Management Act (FOGRMA) civil penalty amounts from BSEE regulations and replace them with a cross-reference to the Department of the Interior's Office of Natural Resource Revenue's (ONRR) FOGRMA civil penalty regulations. The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Improvements Act of 2015 (FCPIA of 2015) requires Federal agencies to make annual adjustments for inflation to civil penalties. ONRR makes inflation adjustments to its FOGRMA civil penalties on an annual basis; the last adjustment was issued in January 22, 2018 (83 FR 2907). This rulemaking would provide a more cohesive and streamlined approach to BSEE's compliance with the FCPIA of 2015 requirement for annual adjustments of BSEE's FOGRMA civil penalty regulations by simply referencing ONRR’s regulations, which will reflect the annual adjustments required by the FCPIA of 2015. The annual civil penalty inflation adjustments will be made by ONRR pursuant to FOGRMA, FCPIA of 2015, and relevant Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance.

Overall Description of Deadline: The FCPIA of 2015 requires Federal agencies to make annual adjustments for inflation to civil penalties. Agencies are required to publish the annual inflation adjustments in the Federal Register by no later than January 15 of each year.