In this Unit 9 Assignment, I will be preparing a policy brief on offshore energy planning and management. This brief will discuss three options such as the complexity of overlapping statutes through regulatory agencies, oil spill prevention and response, and the efforts to reduce environmental impacts through research and conclusions about the predicted effects of these policy options. A final recommendation of which policy option would be best utilized to ensure success.
According to the National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan (NOPIP), offshore energy planning and management is defined as a “renewable energy that has the potential to supply the country with a significant portion of our energy needs and contribute to our energy security. …show more content…
For example, 30 CFR Part 250 has a conflict between the Bureau of Ocean Energy, Management, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG). This conflict hinders the ability of BOEMRE to conduct unannounced inspections. “The USCG regulates certain activities of mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs) and floating installations operating on the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The USCG also oversees the safety of systems at the platform level of a MODU, as opposed to the sub-platform drilling and production systems overseen by the BOEM/Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). Both US Department of Interior (DOI) and USCG recognize that inspections represent only one tool for ensuring safety and that positive inspection results do not guarantee desired performance outcomes. Nonetheless, inspectors are an important line of defense for promoting safety and environmental protection for offshore oil and gas development” (NPC, …show more content…
Requirements under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) are designed to regulate oil spill prevention and response from upstream operations. A few requirement examples under the OPA of 1990 are the establishment of funds for the cleanup costs associated with a spill incident, increased financial responsibility requirements for offshore facilities, and outer continental shelf (OCS) facilities must develop and plan to handle a worst case discharge of oil with the potential to reach navigable waters.
According to American Petroleum Institute, “industry’s performance during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita demonstrated the environmental protection built into offshore operations estimates that 3,050 of 4,000 Gulf platforms and 22,000 of 33,000 miles of pipelines were in the direct paths of the storms. About 115 platforms were destroyed and over 50 others damaged while no lives were lost” (API, 2008) while oil spill prevention operations conducted in the OCS “has spilled less than 0.001% of the oil produced in navigable waters since 1980” (API,
According to the National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan (NOPIP), offshore energy planning and management is defined as a “renewable energy that has the potential to supply the country with a significant portion of our energy needs and contribute to our energy security. …show more content…
For example, 30 CFR Part 250 has a conflict between the Bureau of Ocean Energy, Management, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG). This conflict hinders the ability of BOEMRE to conduct unannounced inspections. “The USCG regulates certain activities of mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs) and floating installations operating on the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The USCG also oversees the safety of systems at the platform level of a MODU, as opposed to the sub-platform drilling and production systems overseen by the BOEM/Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). Both US Department of Interior (DOI) and USCG recognize that inspections represent only one tool for ensuring safety and that positive inspection results do not guarantee desired performance outcomes. Nonetheless, inspectors are an important line of defense for promoting safety and environmental protection for offshore oil and gas development” (NPC, …show more content…
Requirements under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) are designed to regulate oil spill prevention and response from upstream operations. A few requirement examples under the OPA of 1990 are the establishment of funds for the cleanup costs associated with a spill incident, increased financial responsibility requirements for offshore facilities, and outer continental shelf (OCS) facilities must develop and plan to handle a worst case discharge of oil with the potential to reach navigable waters.
According to American Petroleum Institute, “industry’s performance during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita demonstrated the environmental protection built into offshore operations estimates that 3,050 of 4,000 Gulf platforms and 22,000 of 33,000 miles of pipelines were in the direct paths of the storms. About 115 platforms were destroyed and over 50 others damaged while no lives were lost” (API, 2008) while oil spill prevention operations conducted in the OCS “has spilled less than 0.001% of the oil produced in navigable waters since 1980” (API,