Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE)
Mary Katherine Ishee Biography

Mary Katherine Ishee was appointed Deputy Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) on January 19, 2010.

Ms. Ishee assists BOEMRE Director Michael Bromwich in administering programs that ensure the effective management of renewable energy, such as wind, wave, and ocean current energy; and traditional energy and mineral resources on the nation’s Outer Continental Shelf, including the environmentally safe exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas, as well as the collection and distribution of revenues for minerals developed on federal and American Indian lands.

She brings more than 20 years of experience in energy and environmental policy to the BOE. Her diverse background includes the legal, legislative, regulatory, and administrative aspects of environmental and energy issues.

She began her career as a staff attorney in the Solicitor’s Office in the U.S. Department of the Interior. After almost 10 years in the Solicitor’s Office working on a variety of onshore and offshore mineral development issues, she moved to Capitol Hill to work as Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. While on the Energy Committee she handled a broad range of energy issues affecting both private and public lands in the United States.

After approximately five years on the Energy Committee, she took a position as Senior Energy Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, where she handled energy legislation relating to the jurisdiction of the EPW Committee, with a special emphasis on renewable energy issues.

Following her work on Capitol Hill, Ms. Ishee worked in private practice as an energy and environmental consultant. She has worked extensively in the renewable energy field and has a depth of experience with the legislative and policy issues affecting both onshore and offshore applications of wind, solar and other renewable energy resources.