Biden Admin revives Obama’s offshore drilling limits.
The Biden administration has reinstated stricter offshore drilling rules that were previously rolled back by the Trump administration. The oil and gas industry argued that these rules would hinder future development and production.
The Interior Department announced on Aug. 22 that it has finalized a well control rule aimed at enhancing worker safety and ensuring the highest oversight and safety standards for offshore oil and gas operations.
Deb Haaland, the Interior secretary, and Kevin Sligh, the director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), stated that the new rules were influenced by lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon incident in 2010. This incident resulted in the death of 11 workers and caused significant damage to the Gulf Coast.
“Finalizing this rule will enable BSEE to continue to prioritize the lives and livelihoods of workers, as well as the protection of our waters and marine habitats,” Mr. Sligh said.
The new rule (pdf) reinstates the majority of the Obama-era protections, including real-time drilling monitoring and stricter safety requirements for blowout preventer systems (BOPs), which serve as the final barrier to prevent loss of well control.
More Details
A report (pdf) from the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board identified BOP failure as a key factor in the Deepwater Horizon incident, one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.
Under the new rule, BOPs must always seal wells under maximum pressure, and any failures must be reported to designated third parties and the BSEE.
Operators are also required to share BOP test results with the BSEE within 72 hours if they are absent during testing.
Investigations into incidents must begin within 90 days, and independent third-party qualifications are necessary for permit applications.
Additionally, the new rule mandates that emergency safety devices be certified by third parties and real-time monitoring of drilling operations is required.
“This rule strengthens testing and performance requirements for blowout preventers and other well control equipment, provides for timely and robust analyses and investigations into failures, and clarifies reporting requirements to ensure we have appropriate visibility over information and data critical to maintaining well integrity,” Mr. Sligh said.
Reactions
The American Petroleum Institute (API), a major U.S. oil and gas lobby, criticized the rulemaking process, claiming it was politically driven and did not effectively improve worker safety or protect the environment.
“Regulatory clarity is critical for ensuring compliance and establishing safe operations, but this rule continues the rampant politicization of the rulemaking process and represents another policy swing from administration to administration, resulting in a policy that fails to meaningfully improve the safety of workers or protect the environment,” API vice president of upstream policy, Holly Hopkins, told The Epoch Times.
Ms. Hopkins added that the API would continue to work with policymakers to advance regulations that prioritize worker safety, allow for innovation, and protect the environment while strengthening U.S. energy security.
The API was part of a coalition that wrote a letter (pdf) to the Interior Department in response to the proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register on Sept. 14, 2022.
The coalition argued that the new rules would impose burdensome costs on energy development without significant safety benefits.
While environmental groups have not yet responded to requests for comment, the Center for Biological Diversity expressed opposition to the Trump-era rollback of the rule in 2019.
“We can’t let the Trump administration make dirty offshore drilling even more dangerous,” said Kristen Monsell, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity.
The Center for Biological Diversity was part of a coalition that filed a lawsuit (pdf) to block the Trump administration’s rollbacks of offshore drilling regulations.
Ultimately, the rule was adopted during President Donald Trump’s term.
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