Fewer oil companies will qualify for categorical exclusions under the federal government’s continued moratorium on offshore drilling, said U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar yesterday.
“In light of the increasing levels of complexity and risk, and the consequent potential environmental impacts, associated with deepwater drilling, we are taking a fresh look at the [National Environmental Protection Act] process and the types of environmental reviews that should be required for offshore activity,” Salazar said in a statement.
The actions by the government are intended to redress a loose oversight policy that has allowed many large oil companies to circumvent regulations and receive permits to drill in domestic waters.
A new government report indicated that BP, whose Deepwater Horizon well exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, killing 11 workers and rupturing a well which spewed millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf for months, directly capitalized on a lax federal review process. The report, published by the White House Council of Environmental Quality, determined that BP was granted permission to drill its deepwater well based on exemptions established by federal regulatory agencies in the 1980’s, several years before the creation of new technologies allowed oil companies to drill a mile below the surface of the ocean.
On Monday, the head of the regulatory agency tasked by President Obama with more or less taking over the job previously performed by the Minerals Management Service (MMS), said increased scrutiny of the oil industry is needed.
“We are building a more robust and aggressive independent oversight agency based on the development of new tools and enhanced legal and regulatory authorities, as well as on the more aggressive use of existing tools,” said Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement Director Michael Bromwich.
“These changes in our regulatory framework and approach will serve to hold offshore operators accountable and ensure that the industry and the country are fully prepared to deal with catastrophic blowouts and oil spills like the Deepwater Horizon.”
Feds Tightening Rules For Deepwater Drilling
Fewer oil companies will qualify for categorical exclusions under the federal government’s continued moratorium on offshore drilling, said U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar yesterday.
“In light of the increasing levels of complexity and risk, and the consequent potential environmental impacts, associated with deepwater drilling, we are taking a fresh look at the [National Environmental Protection Act] process and the types of environmental reviews that should be required for offshore activity,” Salazar said in a statement.
The actions by the government are intended to redress a loose oversight policy that has allowed many large oil companies to circumvent regulations and receive permits to drill in domestic waters.
A new government report indicated that BP, whose Deepwater Horizon well exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, killing 11 workers and rupturing a well which spewed millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf for months, directly capitalized on a lax federal review process. The report, published by the White House Council of Environmental Quality, determined that BP was granted permission to drill its deepwater well based on exemptions established by federal regulatory agencies in the 1980’s, several years before the creation of new technologies allowed oil companies to drill a mile below the surface of the ocean.
On Monday, the head of the regulatory agency tasked by President Obama with more or less taking over the job previously performed by the Minerals Management Service (MMS), said increased scrutiny of the oil industry is needed.
“We are building a more robust and aggressive independent oversight agency based on the development of new tools and enhanced legal and regulatory authorities, as well as on the more aggressive use of existing tools,” said Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement Director Michael Bromwich.
“These changes in our regulatory framework and approach will serve to hold offshore operators accountable and ensure that the industry and the country are fully prepared to deal with catastrophic blowouts and oil spills like the Deepwater Horizon.”