BOEM to take comments on proposed offshore air rule for 14 more days

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management extended by 2 weeks the comment period for its proposed air-quality regulations for offshore oil and gas operations on May 6. The US Department of the Interior agency said it would accept comments for 60 days when it initially proposed the requirements in March (OGJ Online, Mar. 18, 2016).

The original comment period ended on June 6. Comments now will be accepted through June 20, BOEM announced on May 10.

National Ocean Industries Association Pres. Randall B. Luthi was not impressed when he learned about the proposed offshore air quality rule comment period’s extension. “While NOIA members appreciate and will take advantage of [it], BOEM’s parsimonious 14-day extension may once again result in a dearth of meaningful dialogue between those affected by the rule and the regulators,” he said.

“We saw this with the well control rule: Once the comment period ended, industry attempted to get clarification and provide useful guidance, only to be met with stony silence from the regulators until the final rule was released,” Luthi said. “Our hope is that there will be ample opportunity in the still-too-short comment period for active give-and-take engagement on the proposed air quality rule.”

Contact Nick Snow at [email protected].