WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) signed four revised memorandums of agreement (MOAs) this week in order to improve regulatory collaboration related to the energy industry on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The agreements leverage each agency’s authorities and areas of expertise to increase collaboration, clarify responsibilities, and streamline information sharing. The revised agreements address best practices for managing civil penalties, incident investigations, management systems and oil discharge preparedness.
The revised MOAs were implemented in accordance with the November 2012 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between BSEE and the Coast Guard. BSEE Director Brian Salerno and Deputy Director Margaret Schneider, along with U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Paul Thomas and Director for Incident Management & Preparedness Policy, Ms. Dana Tulis, signed the MOAs in special ceremonies held at both the U.S. Department of the Interior headquarters building and USCG headquarters offices.
Under current regulations, both BSEE and the Coast Guard share jurisdiction over the regulation of OCS energy industry facilities. The revised MOAs clarify the responsibilities of each agency regarding oversight of systems and sub-systems. The Coast Guard and BSEE use MOAs to better align policies and procedures in order to reduce redundancies and allow for collaboration on future regulatory projects and training activities.
Links to each of the MOAs are provided below:
· MOA-OCS-03 Oil Discharge Planning, Preparedness & Response
· MOA-OCS-05 Incident Notifications and Investigations
· MOA-OCS-07 Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) & Safety Management Systems (SMS)
A full list of BSEE's interagency agreements can be viewed HERE
