BSEE seeks changes to rules put in place after Deepwater Horizon

DECEMBER 29, 2017 — In what is widely seen as an attempt to roll back safety measures put in place after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has completed a comprehensive review of the Production Safety Systems regulations.

The review comes in response to a Presidential Order to reduce undue burden on industry.

“I am confident that this revision of the Production Safety Systems Rule moves us forward toward meeting the Administration’s goal of achieving energy dominance without sacrificing safety,” said BSEE Director Scott A. Angelle. “By reducing the regulatory burden on industry, we are encouraging increased domestic oil and gas production while maintaining a high bar for safety and environmental sustainability.”

The Production Safety Systems Rule addresses safety and pollution prevention equipment, subsea safety devices and safety device testing for the production of oil and gas resources on the U.S. outer continental shelf (OCS).

According to BSEE, the proposed amendments address provisions of the regulations that create an unnecessary burden on operators, while providing the same level of safety and protection of the environment. BSEE’s initial regulatory impact analysis estimates that the proposed amendments would reduce industry compliance burdens by at least $228 million over 10 years.

You can view the proposed regulations HERE