The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), within the Department of the Interior (DOI), is charged with the responsibility to permit, oversee and enforce the laws and regulations associated with the development of energy (oil and natural gas) resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). BSEE’s Oil Spill Preparedness Division (OSPD) is responsible for developing and administering regulations (30 CFR 254) that oversee the oil and gas industry’s preparedness to contain, recover and remove oil discharges from facilities operating seaward of the coastline. Current regulations require that operators of these offshore oil and gas facilities submit an Oil Spill Response Plan (OSRP) that identifies the procedures and contracted spill response resources necessary to respond, to the maximum extent practicable, to the facilities worst case discharge (WCD).
Nearly two decades has passed since BSEE’s OSRP regulations were promulgated. During this time, changes occurred in drilling trends, as well as the risks associated with oil spills. The national response system has matured, and Area/Regional Contingency Plans have been developed and approved that now contain preauthorized strategies for the use of dispersants and in situ burning, in addition to mechanical recovery equipment. Remote sensing technologies have been improving and are now commercially available. To better understand and analyze changes that have occurred in offshore drilling and their impacts on oil spill response planning, this study has undertaken a series of related analyses to assist BSEE in updating its oil spill response plan requirements, with a particular focus on required oil removal capabilities.
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