WASHINGTON, September 17 /PRNewswire/ --

The U.S. Department of the Interior will wait until next year to see if 
Congress addresses flawed oil and natural gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico or 
leaves it to government agencies to do so, the new director of the Minerals 
Management Service (MMS), Randall Luthi, said Monday at a Platts Energy 
Podium roundtable in Washington.

"I want to see what Congress does and evaluate all the possibilities,"
Luthi said.

Luthi did not rule out resuming negotiations with companies whose leases
lack customary provisions requiring producers to pay royalties when oil and
gas prices rise to certain levels. The government has estimated that the
omissions ultimately could cost taxpayers US$10 billion in lost royalty
revenue.

"Certainly, I would like to resolve this issue before I leave," said
Luthi, whom the Senate confirmed for the post in July. He noted that there
are about 15 months left in the Bush administration, after which he is likely
to be replaced.

Congress is considering a number of measures to force companies to
renegotiate their Gulf leases to include price thresholds, including
preventing those that refuse from obtaining new leases. Six companies agreed
to the changes last year but more than 40 others, including majors
ChevronTexaco and ExxonMobil, have refused to do so, saying their lease
contracts with the government are legally binding.

Luthi acknowledged the legal issue. "It's hard to tell a company you have
to renegotiate because we made a mistake," he said.

Among other issues, Luthi said MMS is especially optimistic about an
October 3 oil and gas auction in the central Gulf of Mexico because of the
resource potential of a number of tracts. "We suspect that it will be the
largest sale in a decade, in terms of money," he said.

As for offshore alternative energy projects, Luthi said he wanted MMS to
complete, as soon as possible, environmental reviews for regulations for
wind, wave, solar and hydrogen activities on the Outer Continental Shelf, as
well as for the proposed Cape Wind Project, involving 130 turbines off
Massachusetts. Both reviews have undergone delays.

Sponsored by Platts, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Platts
Energy Podium provides an ongoing forum for prominent newsmakers and the
press to address important energy and environmental issues. Credentialed
members of the media may receive complementary registration for Platts Energy
Podium events by contacting Nancy Covey at +1-202-942-8719,
Nancy_Covey@platts.com. A recording of the Randall Luthi session is available
via podcast at www.energypodium.platts.com.

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