NEW ORLEANS – Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Director Scott Angelle emphasized the importance of safe and environmentally sustainable offshore energy production at the Deepwater Technical Symposium and with BSEE Gulf of Mexico Region staff in New Orleans this week.
“The Gulf of Mexico alone out-produces eight OPEC member nations,” Angelle told the gathering. “That’s not just good for America, it’s good for the world. American energy dominance can happen because no other nation does it safer, cares more about the environment or has the technical expertise that we have in the Gulf of Mexico.”
On Tuesday, Angelle addressed attendees of the 22nd Annual Deepwater Technical Symposium, comprised of members of the offshore oil and gas industry, students and other stakeholders.
While in New Orleans, Angelle also met with BSEE Gulf of Mexico Region staff to discuss the organizational change initiatives underway at BSEE that will enhance BSEE’s ability to ensure safety and environmental sustainability on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.
“BSEE is looking at all of our processes to ensure our approach to OCS production is strong, safe and smart,” said Angelle. “When our operations are tested and refined, everyone benefits, from the deckhands on drillships to the families who fuel their cars, heat their homes and use other petroleum-based products.”
In 2017, BSEE inspectors conducted 17,661 inspections throughout the Gulf of Mexico on oil and gas production facilities and drilling rigs. Oil production from the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf totaled 621,223,717 barrels in 2017, 99% of this production came from the Gulf of Mexico.
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