BSEE, Coast Guard Enter Agreement to Improve Offshore Oversight

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Director James Watson and U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Joseph Servidio announced Thursday at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas a new Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that will strengthen the working relationship between their two agencies on the management of safety and environmental protection responsibilities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

"Both BSEE and the Coast Guard have specialized expertise in the management of safety and environmental protection programs offshore," said Director Watson. "This agreement with the Coast Guard will bring together resources and expertise from both agencies as we work to ensure both orderly resource development and protection of the human, marine and coastal environments."

"The Coast Guard and BSEE share the goal of keeping our oceans clean and offshore workers safe," said Rear Admiral Servidio. "This agreement solidifies the commitment of each regulatory agency to work across agency boundaries in order to develop a coordinated regulatory approach that promotes safety through the use of safety management systems."

Under the current regulatory regime, both the U.S. Coast Guard and BSEE have shared responsibilities for the regulation of safety management systems on the OCS. This MOA ensures a comprehensive, joint approach to safety and environmental management. Together, BSEE and the Coast Guard will use this agreement to establish a process for the identification of offshore safety and environmental management requirements within the jurisdiction of both agencies and to spur the development of joint policies and guidance. The agreement also provides a mechanism to ensure that all future regulations, policies and guidance are enforced consistently by both agencies.

The MOA is implemented in accordance with an overarching Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between BSEE and the Coast Guard signed November 27, 2012. The MOU outlined the efforts of the two agencies to closely coordinate responsibilities for regulation and enforcement on the OCS and for the establishment of future focused agreements such as the one announced today. It was the first MOU between the two agencies since BSEE became a bureau in 2011.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

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BSEE, Coast Guard Enter Agreement to Improve Offshore Oversight

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Director James Watson and U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Joseph Servidio announced Thursday at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas a new Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that will strengthen the working relationship between their two agencies on the management of safety and environmental protection responsibilities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

"Both BSEE and the Coast Guard have specialized expertise in the management of safety and environmental protection programs offshore," said Director Watson. "This agreement with the Coast Guard will bring together resources and expertise from both agencies as we work to ensure both orderly resource development and protection of the human, marine and coastal environments."

"The Coast Guard and BSEE share the goal of keeping our oceans clean and offshore workers safe," said Rear Admiral Servidio. "This agreement solidifies the commitment of each regulatory agency to work across agency boundaries in order to develop a coordinated regulatory approach that promotes safety through the use of safety management systems."

Under the current regulatory regime, both the U.S. Coast Guard and BSEE have shared responsibilities for the regulation of safety management systems on the OCS. This MOA ensures a comprehensive, joint approach to safety and environmental management. Together, BSEE and the Coast Guard will use this agreement to establish a process for the identification of offshore safety and environmental management requirements within the jurisdiction of both agencies and to spur the development of joint policies and guidance. The agreement also provides a mechanism to ensure that all future regulations, policies and guidance are enforced consistently by both agencies.

The MOA is implemented in accordance with an overarching Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between BSEE and the Coast Guard signed November 27, 2012. The MOU outlined the efforts of the two agencies to closely coordinate responsibilities for regulation and enforcement on the OCS and for the establishment of future focused agreements such as the one announced today. It was the first MOU between the two agencies since BSEE became a bureau in 2011.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here

EPA Should Improve Emissions Rule Before Finalizing

Here’s something to keep in mind as we discuss the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule on emissions from oil and natural gas development: A Rasmussen Reports poll this week showed 44 percent of likely voters believe, generally, that EPA’s regulations and actions hurt the economy. Just 17 percent disagree and say EPA’s policies help the economy.

EPA has a new policy on the way, the proposed New Source Performance Standards. As presently crafted, the standard would require hydraulic fracturing operators to use “green completion” equipment to control emissions of volatile organic compounds or VOCs.

But in a conference call with reporters, Howard Feldman, API director of regulatory and scientific affairs, said the proposed rule could needlessly impose significant costs – more than $780 million over four years – and troublesome delays on energy producers:

“First, the proposed rule would require more emissions equipment for sources that emit little to no regulated pollutants and should not be subject to these requirements. … Second, EPA recognized that there will be a significant increase in reduced emission completions but failed to analyze whether or not there is enough of the specific emissions reduction equipment available.”

Joined by Sara Banaszak of America’s Natural Gas Alliance, Feldman said industry has urged EPA to apply the new rule only to sources with significant VOCs emissions – and not to those whose vent streams contain less than 10 percent VOCs. Industry also believes more time is needed to develop and deploy the equipment needed to reduce emissions, as well as to train workers to use it. Feldman:

“The fact is that the industry is already leading efforts to reduce emissions. Our companies, after all, are in the business of selling methane, which is natural gas, so they don’t want it to escape into the atmosphere. The technology and equipment being used to reduce emissions were created by the industry itself – not by the EPA or by our critics in the environmental movement – and companies are already implementing it in many locations. … The (EPA) proposal took too much of a one-size-fits-all approach to regulating an industry that varies greatly in the type, size and complexity of operations.”

Critics say oil and natural gas companies are trying to avoid compliance with emissions-reducing efforts, which Feldman rejected:

“I want to be clear that we do not oppose these rules. … The whole concept of the VOCs threshold, let me emphasize, is to make sure that the rule is cost-effective for the regulated pollutant. It would be unprecedented to try to fit a standard that would have an extremely high [cost] approaching infinity. … You don’t force controls where there are no significant emissions. … Where there’s no emissions, to require control equipment doesn’t make any sense.”

Although environmentalists say the proposal as written would pay for itself or even produce revenue for industry, Feldman and Banaszak said EPA cost-effectiveness estimates are based on flawed data. Drillers say compliance costs and delays would be significantly greater. Feldman said if the choice is between the estimates of “lawyers in Washington” and operators, he would go with people doing the work on the ground.

EPA’s proposed rule is scheduled to be finalized next week. Earlier Thursday, API President and CEO Jack Gerard sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, outlining industry’s concerns. Will EPA listen? Rasmussen’s results certainly suggest it should.

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