The U.S. Minerals Management Service, Department of Energy, and a Louisiana independent are developing a prototype safety and environmental management plan (SEMP) for use on the Outer Continental Shelf.
DOE awarded $500,000 to Taylor Energy Co., New Orleans, to develop the plan. Taylor will document procedures, costs, and experiences during the 30 month program and share the information with other offshore producers.
The project is part of an MMS effort to provide offshore producers an alternative to "command and control" regulations. It is designed to assist small and midsized independents that lack extensive environmental and safety programs majors have.
MMS launched the SEMP program in 1991 as a voluntary approach to improving OCS safety and environmental protection. The American Petroleum Institute and Offshore Operators Committee developed a recommended practices report (RP75) MMS endorsed.
DOE said, "Many smaller and midside independent producers, however, have raised questions over the costs and methods for implementing RP75. DOE and MMS determined that a carefully documented, prototype effort would answer many of the questions of smaller producers.
"With results of the effort oriented specifically to small and midsized companies, independent producers would be much more willing to invest time and resources to adapt RP75 procedures to their operations."
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