Elizabeth Klein named BOEM director to oversee offshore energy

WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior (DOI) has named Elizabeth (Liz) Klein director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).

Klein succeeds Amanda Lefton, who served as the first BOEM director in the US' Biden-Harris administration and announced her resignation, effective Jan. 19, 2023.

Klein is an experienced attorney and leader in clean energy, climate change, and environmental law and policy. A member of the Biden-Harris administration since January 2021, she has served as senior counselor to Secretary Haaland with an emphasis on water policy and climate change resilience. In this role, Klein also served as chair of the Indian Water Rights Working Group, which manages, negotiates and implements settlements of water rights claims.

BOEM is the DOI's lead bureau responsible for the management of America’s offshore energy and mineral resources. BOEM works to promote energy development, environmental protection and economic sustainability through science-based management of energy and mineral resources on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.

Among its top priorities, BOEM is responsible for offshore renewable energy development in federal waters. US President Joe Biden has set goals to deploy 30 GW of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030 and 15 GW of floating offshore wind capacity by 2035.

Klein will also work on finalizing the administration's five-year plan for offshore oil and gas development in areas of existing production, which could see anywhere from zero to 11 lease sales.

Prior to joining the administration, Klein was deputy director of the non-partisan State Energy & Environmental Impact Center at NYU School of Law, which supports state attorneys general addressing clean energy, climate, and environmental initiatives of regional and national importance. President Biden is the third president under which Klein has served at the DOI, having worked for both the Clinton and Obama administrations. Under Secretaries Ken Salazar and Sally Jewell, Klein served as the DOI's associate deputy secretary as well as principal deputy assistant secretary in the Office of Policy, Management and Budget. She was a key architect of the Obama administration's work to create a new offshore wind industry and leasing program.

01.10.2023