May 22, 2012

Department of Interior Issues New Rules for Offshore Oil and Gas Operations

Andrews Kurth LLP - Straight Talk is Good Business ®
EcoZone Blog
Andrews Kurth LLP
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Administrative & Regulatory / Environmental, Energy & Resources / Utilities & Transport
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On September 30, 2010, the Department of the Interior announced two new rules intended to “help improve drilling safety by strengthening requirements for safety equipment, well control systems, and blowout prevention practices on offshore oil and gas operations, and improve workplace safety by reducing the risk of human error.”  The “Drilling Safety Rule” is issued as an “interim final rule” under an “emergency rulemaking process” so as to be effective immediately upon publication, ". . . to enhance the safety of oil and gas drilling operations on the Outer Continental Shelf.”  The “Workplace Safety Rule,” covering “all offshore oil and gas operations in Federal waters,” requires operators to have a Safety and Environmental Management System in place to reduce human and organizational errors—making mandatory the American Petroleum Institute’s “Recommended Practice 75” (previously a voluntary program) to identify, address and manage safety hazards and environmental impacts.

Click here to view additional details, including DOI’s “Fact Sheets” on these new rules on DOI’s website.

Click here to visit the entire EcoZone Oil & Gas Toolkit.  

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