(a) The Director is responsible for the regulation of activities to assure that all operations conducted under a lease or right of use and easement are conducted in a manner that protects the environment and promotes orderly development of OCS mineral resources. Those activities are to be designed to prevent serious harm or damage to, or waste of, any natural resource (including OCS mineral deposits and oil, gas, and sulphur resources in areas leased or not leased), any life (including fish and other aquatic life), property, or the marine, coastal, or human environment.

(b)

(1) In the evaluation of a Delineation Plan, the Director shall consider whether the plan is consistent with:

(i) The provisions of the lease;

(ii) The provisions of the Act;

(iii) The provisions of the regulations prescribed under the Act;

(iv) Other applicable Federal law; and

(v) Requirements for the protection of the environment, health, and safety.

(2) Within 30 days following the completion of an environmental assessment or other NEPA document prepared pursuant to the regulations implementing NEPA or within 30 days following the comment period provided in §582.4(b) of this part, the Director shall:

(i) Approve any Delineation Plan which is consistent with the criteria in paragraph (b)(1) of this section;

(ii) Require the lessee to modify any Delineation Plan that is inconsistent with the criteria in paragraph (b)(1) of this section; or

(iii) Disapprove a Delineation Plan when it is determined that an activity proposed in the plan would probably cause serious harm or damage to life (including fish and other aquatic life); to property; to natural resources of the OCS including mineral deposits (in areas leased or not leased); or to the marine, coastal, or human environment, and the proposed activity cannot be modified to avoid the conditions.

(3) The Director shall notify the lessee in writing of the reasons for disapproving a Delineation Plan or for requiring modification of a plan and the conditions that must be met for plan approval.

(c)

(1) In the evaluation of a Testing Plan, the Director shall consider whether the plan is consistent with:

(i) The provisions of the lease;

(ii) The provisions of the Act;

(iii) The provisions of the regulations prescribed under the Act;

(iv) Other applicable Federal law;

(v) Environmental, safety, and health requirements; and

(vi) The statutory requirement to protect property, natural resources of the OCS, including mineral deposits (in areas leased or not leased), and the National security or defense.

(2) Within 60 days following the release of a final EIS prepared pursuant to NEPA or within 60 days following the comment period provided in §582.4(c) of this part, the Director shall:

(i) Approve any Testing Plan which is consistent with the criteria in paragraph (c)(1) of this section;

(ii) Require the lessee to modify any Testing Plan which is inconsistent with the criteria in paragraph (c)(1) of this section; or

(iii) Disapprove any Testing Plan when the Director determines the existence of exceptional geological conditions in the lease area, exceptional resource values in the marine or coastal environment, or other exceptional circumstances and that (A) implementation of the activities described in the plan would probably cause serious harm and damage to life (including fish and other aquatic life), to property, to any mineral deposit (in areas leased or not leased), to the National security or defense, or to the marine, coastal, or human environments; (B) that the threat of harm or damage will not disappear or decrease to an acceptable extent within a reasonable period of time; and (C) the advantages of disapproving the Testing Plan outweigh the advantages of development and production of the OCS mineral resources.

(3) The Director shall notify the lessee in writing of the reason(s) for disapproving a Testing Plan or for requiring modification of a Testing Plan and the conditions that must be met for approval of the plan.

(d)

(1) In the evaluation of a Mining Plan, the Director shall consider whether the plan is consistent with:

(i) The provisions of the lease;

(ii) The provisions of the Act;

(iii) The provisions of the regulations prescribed under the Act;

(iv) Other applicable Federal law;

(v) Environmental, safety, and health requirements; and

(vi) The statutory requirements to protect property, natural resources of the OCS, including mineral deposits (in areas leased or not leased), and the National security or defense.

(2) Within 60 days following the release of a final EIS prepared pursuant to NEPA or within 60 days following the comment period provided in §582.4(d) of this part, the Director shall:

(i) Approve any Mining Plan which is consistent with the criteria in paragraph (d)(1) of this section;

(ii) Require the lessee to modify any Mining Plan which is inconsistent with the criteria in paragraph (d)(1) of this section; or

(iii) Disapprove any Mining Plan when the Director determines the existence of exceptional geological conditions in the lease area, exceptional resource values in the marine or coastal environment, or other exceptional circumstances, and that:

(A) Implementation of the activities described in the plan would probably cause serious harm and damage to life (including fish and other aquatic life), to property, to any mineral deposit (in areas leased or not leased), to the National security or defense, or to the marine, coastal, or human environments;

(B) That the threat of harm or damage will not disappear or decrease to an acceptable extent within a reasonable period of time; and

(C) The advantages of disapproving the Mining Plan outweigh the advantages of development and production of the OCS mineral resources.

(3) The Director shall notify the lessee in writing of the reason(s) for disapproving a Mining Plan or for requiring modification of a Mining Plan and the conditions that must be met for approval of the plan.

(e)-(f) [Reserved]

(g) The Director shall establish practices and procedures to govern the collection of all rents, royalties, and other payments due the Federal Government in accordance with terms of the leasing notice, the lease, and the applicable Royalty Management regulations listed in §581.26(i) of this chapter.

(h) [Reserved]