BSEE and BOEM Replace BOEMRE in US
The establishment of BOEM and BSEE will mark the completion of an effort to reorganise the former Minerals Management Service (MMS). This important milestone comes as part of a series of fundamental changes made by the Obama administration to reform the government's regulation of offshore energy development and the agency responsible for it, while ensuring that responsible oil and gas drilling and production continues on the US Outer Continental Shelf, under the leadership of Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and BOEMRE Director Michael R. Bromwich.
BOEM and BSEE will carry out oversight missions with greater efficiency and effectiveness, helping to expand safe and responsible offshore energy development and supporting job-creation and investment in coastal communities.
BSEE will be led by Director Bromwich, who has served as the BOEMRE director since its creation in June 2010 and has agreed to serve as the BSEE director until an ongoing national search for a permanent director has been completed. BSEE will be responsible for safety and environmental oversight of offshore oil and gas operations, including permitting and inspections, of offshore oil and gas operations. Its functions include the development and enforcement of safety and environmental regulations, permitting offshore exploration, development and production, inspections, offshore regulatory programs, oil spill response and newly formed training and environmental compliance programmes.
BOEM will be led by Director Beaudreau and will be responsible for managing environmentally and economically responsible development of the nation's offshore resources. Its functions will include offshore leasing, resource evaluation, review and administration of oil and gas exploration and development plans, renewable energy development, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis and environmental studies.
These changes are in addition to new requirements regarding the development of well-specific blowout and worst-case discharge scenarios and ensuring that operators demonstrate that they have access to, and can deploy, subsea containment resources that would be sufficient to promptly respond to a deepwater blowout or other loss of well control.
