April 13, 2015

On April 13, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) proposed new regulations for offshore drilling that would require equipment upgrades for energy developers over the next ten years, including blowout preventers that serve as a final line of defense for offshore drilling wells, to prevent another disaster such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Oil and gas companies would have to comply with the new regulations in order to continue developing under current and future outer continental shelf leases. The regulations were developed based on investigations into the Deepwater Horizon spill as well as recommendations from federal agencies, academia, environmental organizations, equipment manufacturers, and industry groups who provided knowledge and input on best practices, standards, and specifications for the new regulations.

Source: BSEE, E&E News