Pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (collective...
Office of Natural Resources Revenue (“ONRR”), Interior.
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY:
Pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (collectively referred to herein as the “Inflation Adjustment Acts”), and Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) guidance, ONRR annually adjusts its civil monetary penalty (“CMP”) amounts it assesses under the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982 (“FOGRMA”) for inflation. This notice is to inform the public that, per OMB direction, ONRR is retaining the 2025 CMP amounts for calendar year 2026.
DATES:
This notice is applicable on July 22, 2026.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
For questions on procedural issues, contact Ginger Hensley, Regulatory Specialist, by telephone at (303) 231-3171 or by email to
Ginger.Hensley@onrr.gov.
For questions on technical issues, contact Michael Marchetti, Enforcement & Financial Compliance Program Manager, by telephone at (303) 231-3125 or by email to
Michael.Marchetti@onrr.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
FOGRMA, at 30 U.S.C. 1719(a)-(d), authorizes the Secretary of the Interior (“Secretary”) to assess CMPs for royalty reporting and other violations. Pursuant to the authority delegated to it by the Secretary, ONRR published regulations at 30 CFR part 1241 implementing the Secretary's CMP authority. The Inflation Adjustment Acts require Federal agencies to publish annual CMP inflation adjustments in the
Federal Register
by January 15 of each year.
OMB Memorandum No. M-26-11 (April 17, 2026) cancelled penalty inflation adjustments for 2026 “based on the lack of October 2025 CPI-U data due to the lapse in appropriations.” Because of this cancellation, ONRR is unable to adjust CMP amounts without the inflation factor. Per OMB's direction, ONRR will retain its 2025 CMP inflation adjustments as published in 90 FR 1878 (January 10, 2025) for calendar year 2026.
II. ONRR's Inflation-Adjusted Maximum Rates
This notice retains the 2025 maximum CMP dollar amounts for each of the four violation categories set forth in 30 U.S.C. 1719(a)-(d) and implemented by 30 CFR part 1241. The following table identifies the applicable ONRR regulations and the dollar amounts established in the regulations.
30 CFR
Citation
2025/2026 Current
maximum penalty
1241.52(a)(2)
$1,562
1241.52(b)
15,628
1241.60(b)(1)
31,252
1241.60(b)(2)
78,134
April Lockler,
Acting Director of the Office of Natural Resources Revenue.