With only months to go before the Trump Administration’s weakened offshore drilling regulations take effect, a new round of federal inspections is revealing potentially dangerous conditions at some Gulf of Mexico drilling sites.
Gulf of Mexico Inspections Focused on Fired Vessels Aboard 27 Platforms
The surprise inspections were carried out by the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) over a 2-day period in July and focused on the fired vessels used to process hydrocarbons aboard 27 platforms in the Gulf.
The BSEE decided to conduct its review after 12 Gulf of Mexico operators reported 17 fired vessel incidents between January 2016 and May 2018. The Bureau issued 76 non-compliance orders related to fired vessels during the same 29-month period.
Unfortunately, a Safety Alert published on October 2nd suggests that hazards associated with fired vessels continue to plague Gulf of Mexico drilling sites, with the BSEE noting that its July inspections revealed “noticeable gaps” aboard some platforms that “warrant attention to prevent or mitigate uncontrolled releases of hydrocarbons, toxic substances, or other materials that may cause environmental or safety consequences.”
Previous Offshore Inspections Uncovered Crane Hazards
This isn’t the first time that a snap inspection has cast doubt on Gulf of Mexico drilling operations.
In March, BSEE personnel made surprise visits to more than 40 sites to inspect the massive cranes used to lift workers and supplies between ocean-going vessels and offshore platforms and rigs.
An undisclosed number of offshore operators received non-compliance orders as a result of those inspections.
In at least one of those incidents, a crane was being used in a manner that exceeded its design specifications, placing workers at risk for a potentially fatal accident.
Trump’s Weakened Well Control Rule Will Increase Risks to Offshore Workers
Unfortunately, offshore worker will likely face even greater risks on the job once the Trump Administration’s weakened “Well Control Rule” takes effect later this year.
Finalized by the Obama Administration in 2016, the Well Control Rule was intended to prevent a repeat of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion that killed 17 Gulf of Mexico workers in April 2010.
A significant portion of the rule focused on the blowout preventer systems that are used aboard offshore platforms to prevent the uncontrolled release of oil from a well. A malfunctioning blowout preventer was cited as a major cause of the Deepwater Horizon tragedy.
The BSEE announced plans to revise the Well Control Rule shortly after President Trump took office, citing the burden the regulations purportedly imposed on the industry.
The Trump Administration’s watered-down Well Control Rule takes effect on December 27th.
Advocates for workers and the environment strongly dispute the BSEE’s claims that the revised regulations won’t jeopardized safety aboard offshore drilling rigs.
“Nothing could be more reckless than seeking to expose more of our coasts to the risks of drilling while simultaneously increasing those risks by rolling back commonsense safety standards designed to protect workers and the environment from disasters like Deepwater Horizon,” Athan Manual, director of the Sierra Club’s lands protection program, said in statement issued shortly after the revised Well Control Rule was published at the Federal Register.
“This is yet another example of this Administration’s shameless attempts to please corporate polluters, no matter the cost to workers’ safety, our health, or the environment.”
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