WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement highlighted the agency’s priorities with attendees of the annual Capitol Hill Ocean Week, held Tuesday through Thursday. BSEE sponsored one of twenty booths at the conference, exchanging information with the more than 600 participants representing federal agencies, the energy industry, and nonprofit organizations.
During this three-day event, staff at BSEE’s booth distributed a variety of informational materials and answered questions on many areas of interest, including offshore safety, deepwater development, energy production, oil spill preparedness, environmental compliance, and economic opportunities. During 2016, the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf produced 581 million barrels of oil and more than 1.25 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Most of the production occurs in the Gulf of Mexico; energy is also produced from both Pacific and Arctic regions.
Convened by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation every June, the conference brings together national and international policymakers, scientists, scholars, industry leaders and conservation groups to address pressing ocean conservation and management issues.