The Trump Administration has formally announced plans to weaken a vital set of offshore safety regulations that were designed to prevent a repeat of the deadly Deepwater Horizon explosion that killed 11 workers and injured 17 others less than a decade ago.
BSEE Regulatory Rollback Targets “Well Control Rule”
Specifically, the Trump Administration is targeting the “Well Control Rule,” which was implemented in 2016 and focuses largely on the blowout preventer systems that are used aboard offshore drilling platforms to prevent the uncontrolled release of oil from a well.
A defective blowout preventer was identified as one of the main causes of the Deepwater Horizon explosion.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has been signaling its intention to go after the Well Control Rule for months, but only formally announced its plans on April 27th – just days after the Gulf Coast marked the 8th anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Among other things, the Bureau is rescinding portions of the rule that mandate government certification for the independent inspectors who test the blowout preventer systems.
The BSEE is also planning to do away with rules that require offshore rigs to shut down their wells when certain kinds of boats are nearby and it intends to ease regulations that require real-time monitoring of offshore operations.
The Bureau maintains that weakening the Well Control Rule will save the industry $946 million over the next 10 years, supposedly without compromising safety.
Trump’s Elimination of Offshore Safety Regulations Could Make Offshore Explosions More Likely
The move is not a surprise for the Trump Administration, which is well- known for its hostility to regulations – even those designed to save workers’ lives.
However, the BSEE’s announcement still drew harsh opposition from critics, who contend that the agency is courting disaster by repealing important safety protections.
“The Trump administration’s commitment to unlearning the lessons from the Deepwater Horizon disaster knows no bounds,” Sierra Weaver, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, said in a statement responding to the BSEE’s announcement.
“Rolling back these safety regulations only threatens the safety of workers and makes it even more likely that we’ll see another disaster of this scale decimate our coasts.”
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