Trump administration's offshore leasing chief departs for senior Halliburton role

Matt Giacona, the acting head of the Marine Minerals Administration, will vacate his position on Sept. 4, ending his tenure overseeing offshore oil and gas lease sales under the Trump administration. He is slated to start a senior government-affairs role at Halliburton on Sept. 8, moving from public service to the private-sector oilfield services firm. The Marine Minerals Administration, a newly formed Interior Department subagency that combined the former Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, has not announced a replacement.

Giacona’s background includes serving as acting director of BOEM and holding senior government-affairs positions with the National Ocean Industries Association and the International Association of Drilling Contractors. His departure follows a recent exit by Brittany Kelm, who left the National Energy Dominance Council for a small offshore oil company, raising questions about regulator-industry ties. Halliburton, while not owning production assets, provides drilling and fracking services to major oil firms such as Chevron.