Regulation of Offshore Rigs Is a Work in Progress

Gerald · 04-17-11, 12:06 PM

WASHINGTON — A year after BP’s Macondo well blew out, killing 11 men and spewing millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the much-maligned federal agency responsible for policing offshore drilling has been remade, with a tough new director, an awkward new name and a sheaf of stricter safety rules. It is also trying to put some distance between itself and the industry it regulates.

But is it fixed? The simple answer is no. Even those who run the agency formerly known as the Minerals Management Service concede that it will be years before they can establish a robust regulatory regime able to minimize the risks to workers and the environment while still allowing exploration offshore.

“We are much safer today than we were a year ago,” said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who oversees the agency, “but we know we have more to do.”

Oil industry executives and their allies in Congress said that the Obama administration, in its zeal to overhaul the agency, has lost sight of what they believe the agency’s fundamental mission should be — promoting the development of the nation’s offshore oil and gas resources. Environmentalists said the agency, now known as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, has made only cosmetic changes and remains too close to the people it is supposed to regulate.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/us...gulate.html?hp

Note: April 17, 2011

Platapus · 04-17-11, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vendor

“We are much safer today than we were a year ago,” said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who oversees the agency, “but we know we have more to do.”

Sounds like a success story to me.

Gargamel · 04-17-11, 06:21 PM

Is it fixed?

It was, or at least better than it is now, during the Clinton admin. He had passed numerous environmental and oil regulation laws that were soon repealed after oil friendly, no loving, Bush came into power. Most of the oil related disasters (the vast majority will never get major press since they are local in scale), could have been prevented if the laws had stayed intact.

04-17-11, 12:06 PM	#1
Gerald SUBSIM Newsman Join Date: May 2008 Location: Close to sea Posts: 24,254 Downloads: 553 Uploads: 0	Regulation of Offshore Rigs Is a Work in Progress WASHINGTON — A year after BP’s Macondo well blew out, killing 11 men and spewing millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the much-maligned federal agency responsible for policing offshore drilling has been remade, with a tough new director, an awkward new name and a sheaf of stricter safety rules. It is also trying to put some distance between itself and the industry it regulates. But is it fixed? The simple answer is no. Even those who run the agency formerly known as the Minerals Management Service concede that it will be years before they can establish a robust regulatory regime able to minimize the risks to workers and the environment while still allowing exploration offshore. “We are much safer today than we were a year ago,” said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who oversees the agency, “but we know we have more to do.” Oil industry executives and their allies in Congress said that the Obama administration, in its zeal to overhaul the agency, has lost sight of what they believe the agency’s fundamental mission should be — promoting the development of the nation’s offshore oil and gas resources. Environmentalists said the agency, now known as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, has made only cosmetic changes and remains too close to the people it is supposed to regulate. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/us...gulate.html?hp Note: April 17, 2011 __________________ Nothing in life is to be feard,it is only to be understood. Marie Curie

04-17-11, 06:21 PM	#3
Gargamel Lucky Sailor Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Rome Posts: 4,273 Downloads: 81 Uploads: 0	Is it fixed? It was, or at least better than it is now, during the Clinton admin. He had passed numerous environmental and oil regulation laws that were soon repealed after oil friendly, no loving, Bush came into power. Most of the oil related disasters (the vast majority will never get major press since they are local in scale), could have been prevented if the laws had stayed intact. __________________ Luck is a residue of Design.