WASHINGTON – Today, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and Mexico’s National Agency for Industrial Safety and Environmental Protection of the Hydrocarbons Sector (ASEA) signed a letter of intent to strengthen cooperation, coordination and information sharing related to the development, oversight, and enforcement of safety and environmental regulations for development of offshore hydrocarbon resources.
The ceremony of signature was conducted by BSEE Director Brian Salerno and ASEA’s Executive Director, Carlos de Regules Ruiz-Funes. The signing took place after the closing of this year’s International Regulators’ Forum (IRF) Offshore Safety Conference in Washington, following on their earlier meeting in September. Mexico and the U.S. have a long history of mutually beneficial cooperation on conservation, management and sustainable development of natural resources. This continued cooperation between BSEE and ASEA is in keeping with broader bilateral efforts for cooperation in the environmental and hydrocarbons sector between the two countries. The letter of intent lays out areas in which the two agencies may coordinate, to include:
- Periodic information and experience exchanges;
- Organization of bilateral events and visits of delegations;
- Participation as observers in activities related to their respective authorities;
- Conducting of joint studies and research where appropriate;
- Training of staff; and
- Further cooperation by way of any other terms BSEE and ASEA may hereafter mutually determine.
ASEA was formally established on March 2, 2015 and is responsible for the regulation and oversight of all oil and gas production, as well as industrial safety and environmental protection in Mexico. The Mexican agency works with the goal of providing certainty to both investors and society. ASEA’s vision is based on adherence to international standards and best practices in regulation across the world, and it carries out its international collaboration with the intent of implementing the best technical processes in the newly established Mexican hydrocarbon sector.
