NEW ORLEANS (Dow Jones)--Michael Bromwich, the top U.S. offshore drilling regulator, said Tuesday that the speed with which some oil and gas companies are "shrugging off" last year's deadly Deepwater Horizon disaster as an aberration is "disturbing." Nonetheless, Bromwich, who heads the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, said that more permits to … [Read more...]
US approves Shell’s deepwater Exploration Plan in Gulf of Mexico
NEW ORLEANS – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) Director Michael R. Bromwich today announced that the bureau has approved an Exploration Plan, submitted by Shell Offshore Inc., following the completion of a site-specific Environmental Assessment (SEA) for deepwater oil and gas … [Read more...]
Despite Second GoM Permit, Don’t Expect Surge In US Deep-Water Drilling
Though US regulators have decided to allow a second deepwater Gulf of Mexico drilling project, don't bet on a rush of permits to follow, FBR Capital Markets says. Instead, expect "a long period of slow approvals" as offshore regulators work through a "sustained bottleneck" of drilling permit applications that face much more scrutiny since the Deepwater Horizon disaster, firm … [Read more...]
Obama Administration Will Appeal Judge’s Order On Drilling Permits
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The Obama administration will appeal a ruling from a federal judge who has ordered it to act on pending permits for oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, a cabinet official said Wednesday. The administration has said it will comply with the judge's order to act on five pending applications by the end of next week. But it will dispute the court's … [Read more...]
WSJ: Spill Panel Co-Chair Says Offshore Regulatory System ‘Not One We Can Rely On’
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- The co-chairman of the presidential panel that investigated last year's Gulf of Mexico oil spill said Thursday the "regulatory apparatus" that oversees offshore drilling "is not one we can rely on." William Reilly, former head of the Environmental Protection Agency, said he is concerned federal offshore oil rig inspectors and regulators are "under … [Read more...]