The US Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement’s proposal to modify the Blowout Preventer System and Well Control Rule imposed following the 2010 Macondo deepwater well blowout and crude oil spill reflects BSEE’s recent work to revise flawed regulations and make offshore oil and gas operations safer, and Independent Petroleum Association of America official said.
“IPAA is pleased to see BSEE is taking a closer look at the technically-flawed Well Control Rule, which missed the mark on improving the safety of America’s offshore oil and gas operations,” Daniel T. Naatz, IPAA’s senior vice-president of government relations and political affairs, said on May 11.
His statement came as the agency’s proposal was published in the Federal Register. Comments will be accepted until July 10. BSEE announced the proposed changes late last month (OGJ Online, Apr. 27, 2018).
Offshore producers share the federal government’s goal of enhancing offshore safety, and companies continue to work every day to make their operations as safe as possible, Naatz said.
“Unfortunately, the overly-prescriptive Obama-era rule did not allow for flexibility or the ability to utilize the latest technologies, which would only enhance the safety of offshore operations,” he continued. “Instead, the 2016 rule created bureaucratic red tape for producers and arduous regulatory constraints at the expense of safety.”
IPAA and the broader domestic oil and gas industry have worked closely with the US Department of the Interior over the past several years to support regulation of US offshore oil and gas standards and safety programs, Naatz said. The association and six others expressed concerns with the existing well control and BOP requirements in a joint letter nearly a year ago.
“IPAA supports BSEE’s efforts to modernize regulations for an ever-improving offshore industry that place the protection of its workers, the environment, and coastal communities first,” Naatz maintained.