Feds lay out plans for new blowout preventer mandates
Obama administration officials today outlined their plans for new regulations designed to boost the reliability of crucial emergency equipment safeguarding offshore wells. Fundamentally, said Deputy Interior Secretary David Hayes, blowout preventers “need to be able to cut whatever is in their way and completely sell off the well.” More »
Quid pro quo? Texas Republican suggests feds went easy on BP
Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert today suggested that the Obama administration turned a blind eye toward BP’s safety problems before the Gulf oil spill because the company promised to support White-House backed climate change legislation and the 2010 health care law. More »
Training, standards, culture cited as key to safety
Charlie Williams, who heads the oil and gas industry’s new Center for Offshore Safety, talked about his plans. More »
What Is the Law’s Role in Offshore Drilling Safety?
As the OTC gets underway to record numbers here in Houston, one oft repeated phrase from industry and government is that safety should come first. James Watson, head of BSEE, also announced that the government plans to speed up its rulemaking on safety requirements by skipping the “notice of proposed rulemaking” stage and going straight [...] More »
BP now works with fewer contractors to reduce risk, exec tells OTC audience
In response to the blowout of its Macondo well, blamed partly on poor communication among people working for multiple companies, BP now manages risk by developing stronger relationships with fewer contractors, a BP executive said at the OTC. More »
Steffy: What I’ll be watching for at the OTC
Here’s some of the things I’ll be looking for at this years annual gala of oilfield geek chic. More »
Oil spill’s long-term effects on sea life have yet to surface
The extent of the ecological damage to the Gulf may not match the worst fears of some people. More »
Spill response firm bulks up on skimmers and boom
The Marine Spill Response Corp. has bulked up its arsenal of skimmers, boom and planes that can be tapped in case of a spill. More »
Industry’s progress on offshore safety still draws skepticism
Two years after the Gulf of Mexico spill, the oil and gas industry continues to pour millions of dollars into efforts aimed at actually boosting offshore safety and at convincing regulators and the public that it can police itself. More »
Gulf residents getting an extra $64M for spill claims
Roughly 7,300 residents and businesses harmed by the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will get more than $64 million in additional payments because their claims with BP were shortchanged or wrongfully denied, the Justice Department announced Thursday. More »
Investigators say Congress hasn’t changed laws to prevent future spill
Investigators who probed the 2010 Gulf oil spill on Tuesday blasted Congress for failing to pass a single substantive change in laws governing offshore drilling that could help prevent a repeat of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. More »
Feds confirm that natural seafloor seep caused Gulf oil sheen
A 10-mile oil sheen that surfaced in the central Gulf of Mexico last week was caused by crude naturally seeping from the sea floor, federal investigators said today. More »
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