Greetings Tribal Leader,

You are invited to participate in a virtual roundtable discussion with Kevin Sligh, the Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) to discuss our Tribal Engagement Program. Over the past year, BSEE has been working diligently to expand its National Tribal Engagement Program (NTEP). Expansion of the Program includes the hiring of a new Tribal Liaison Officer, a Tribal Coordinator, and additional Regional Tribal Liaisons who will be locally accessible points of contact for the Alaska, Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific Outer Continental Shelf Regions, as well as the Eastern Seaboard.

The BSEE has the authority to oversee safety and environmental standards related to offshore energy and mineral exploration, development, and production under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. This authority allows BSEE to regulate energy-related activities on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf, which is seaward of states’ jurisdiction off of the west coast in the Pacific Ocean; off of Alaska in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, the Bering Sea, and Cook Inlet; in the Gulf of Mexico; and off of the East Coast in the Atlantic Ocean.

While the purpose of the Tribal Roundtable is for BSEE to discuss the BSEE National Tribal Engagement Program with interested Tribes, we also intend to use the roundtable to describe some of our key initiatives. We will explain how the BSEE regions and program offices collaborate and plan to work together with Tribes so you will have an expanded voice in Federal actions that may have Tribal implications. BSEE intends to proactively involve Tribes early and often in decisions to ensure meaningful and robust engagements and consultations as we move forward with the expansion of our Tribal Engagement Program nationally.

As part of the discussion, we would like for you to consider these questions:

1. Does your Tribe have any cultural, historical, and present day needs on or related to the Outer Continental Shelf that you would like to discuss?
2. Do you have any questions or concerns beyond the topics listed in the proposed agenda that you would like BSEE to include for discussion?
3. Can you please recommend conferences or meetings that would be appropriate for our Tribal Liaisons to attend that can help us understand your issues or needs?

We are looking forward to hearing from your Tribal Nation regarding any concerns or questions you have about BSEE’s mission and furthering ongoing discussions in the future. If you would like to submit your response to the questions ahead of the Roundtable, please submit them to our Tribal Liaison Officer Jack Lorrigan, jack.lorrigan@bsee.gov.

You are invited to join us for this interactive virtual session on June 26, 2023, beginning at 2:00PM EST.

Please Register in advance for this meeting: https://bseegov.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItcu6vqzstHYOkIPJ9EUSaJiJD3x_4k8I

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Dear Tribal Leader Letter