Interior Department to merge offshore oil and gas regulatory agencies
The US Interior Department Apr. 3 said it would merge the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) into a single entity, the Marine Minerals Administration, to streamline offshore oil and natural gas leasing, permitting, inspections and oversight.
The agencies were separated after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill exposed oversight failures and spurred structural reforms. Currently, BOEM oversees leasing and development of oil and gas, as well as renewable energy and mining, on the US Outer Continental Shelf, while BSEE enforces safety and environmental regulations.
"By aligning planning, leasing and oversight functions, the Department is positioning the agency to better meet current and future energy demands," Interior said in a press release.
The “streamlined approach” will maintain existing regulatory protections and safety standards, while allowing the agency to “deliver clearer coordination, better service to the public and stronger, more integrated oversight of offshore energy development,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated.
The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA), which represents the offshore industry, said it supports the move. “Two separate-yet-overlapping government agencies responsible for administering the same statute – the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act – can understandably result in inconsistencies and delays in the implementation of the regulatory process,” said NOIA's Erik Milito.
“Bringing them back together should result in closer coordination and a more efficiently functioning government," he said.
Environmental groups argued that combining the agencies would remove necessary checks and balances, risking the safety of coastal communities and wildlife.
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About the Author
Cathy Landry
Washington Correspondent
Cathy Landry has worked over 20 years as a journalist, including 17 years as an energy reporter with Platts News Service (now S&P Global) in Washington and London.
She has served as a wire-service reporter, general news and sports reporter for local newspapers and a feature writer for association and company publications.
Cathy has deep public policy experience, having worked 15 years in Washington energy circles.
She earned a master’s degree in government from The Johns Hopkins University and studied newspaper journalism and psychology at Syracuse University.