Offshore industry moves toward audits of safety systems
Oil and gas companies working offshore have until June 4, 2015 to let outside auditors examine their new government-mandated safety programs, but right now, there aren’t any investigators qualified to do the job, experts said Thursday. More »
New blowout preventer mandates coming — but companies won’t have to comply overnight
Federal regulators are on track to propose new standards for boosting the reliability and performance of emergency devices safeguarding offshore wells later this year — but that doesn’t mean the industry will have to comply overnight. More »
Q&A: Drilling regulator James Watson
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Director James Watson talks about coming new regulations with FuelFix ahead of a speech at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston. More »
Interior secretary to oil industry: Don’t throw regulators under the bus
During a closed-door meeting with oil industry leaders on the sidelines of the Offshore Technology Conference, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell pleaded for cooperation and a little understanding, as federal drilling regulators aim to keep pace with rapidly evolving technology.
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OTC attendees: Uncle Sam is looking for you
Private businesses aren’t the only ones searching for talent at the Offshore Technology Conference. Federal regulators also are recruiting engineers and would-be inspectors to join their ranks. More »
Feds, industry workers finish test of emergency offshore equipment
A week-long drill testing how the oil industry and federal regulators would respond to an out-of-control Gulf of Mexico well wrapped up late Monday, with government officials deeming the exercise a success. More »
Feds launch test of Helix offshore spill containment system
In deep Gulf of Mexico waters on Tuesday, federal regulators and the oil industry launched a drill meant to test whether emergency equipment and first responders are ready to tackle an out-of-control subsea well. More »
Feds: Offshore safety audits are meant for sharing
Companies soon will be required to submit the results of these audits to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement as a part of the overhaul of safety regulation in the Gulf of Mexico. More »
Feds add teeth to offshore drilling safety mandates
Federal regulators finalized a plan designed to boost the safety of offshore drilling on Thursday, by insisting that workers have the power to halt dangerous activity and requiring third-party audits of risk management programs. More »
Republican wants answers about feds’ offshore drilling strike team
A top congressional Republican wants to know more about a new Interior Department “strike team” dedicated to rooting out wrongdoing by companies drilling offshore and the government officials who police them. More »
Statoil may abandon US Arctic drilling leases
Facing mounting regulatory and operational costs, Statoil may abandon its oil leases in U.S. Arctic waters north of Alaska, five years after spending $23 million for the drilling rights. More »
Specialists working to kill Apache well in Gulf
Drilling specialists have been pumping heavy fluids into a gas well 50 miles off the Louisiana coast in a bid to halt natural gas moving among underground formations at the site. More »
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