WASHINGTON – The Biden-Harris administration today submitted to Congress the President’s Budget for fiscal year 2022, which includes $253.4 million to support the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s (BSEE) mission of facilitating safe and environmentally responsible offshore energy development. BSEE’s FY 2022 budget request includes funding for priority investments like decommissioning orphan wells and infrastructure; supporting the advancement of renewable energy by developing and expanding safety and environmental compliance programs; and enhancing research activities.
“The Interior Department plays an important role in the President’s plan to reinvest in the American people. From bolstering climate resiliency and increasing renewable energy, to supporting Tribal nations and advancing environmental justice, President Biden’s budget will make much-needed investments in communities and projects that will advance our vision for a robust and equitable clean energy future,” said Secretary Deb Haaland.
“The President’s budget request for BSEE is a clear indication of the Administration’s support of our mission,” said BSEE Acting Director Scott Mabry. “This budget will enable BSEE to continue providing oversight of oil, gas, and renewable energy development on the Outer Continental Shelf, while promoting a culture of safety and environmental protection and ensuring industry compliance with federal regulations.”
This significant investment will help the Department address the climate crisis while creating good-paying union jobs and investing in healthy lands, waters, and economies of energy communities across the country. BSEE’s FY 2022 budget request supports the following Biden-Harris administration priorities as well as other important bureau priorities:
- Creating Reclamation Jobs: To reduce the risk of pollution from orphaned infrastructure, BSEE’s budget request includes $30.0 million to address the immediate and urgent need to properly plug and abandon orphaned wells and orphaned pipelines on the Outer Continental Shelf.
- Deploying Clean Energy and Advancing Science: BSEE’s FY 2022 budget request fully supports the Administration’s priority to tackle the climate crisis, including $9 million to establish a core foundational program to support the development of a safe, robust, and environmentally responsible offshore wind industry in the United States. The funding will enable BSEE to ensure timely and rigorous industry plan reviews, initiate a thorough compliance assurance program, promote science-based renewable energy research, and demonstrate BSEE’s commitment and leadership in driving safety performance in the offshore wind industry while supporting the administration’s goal to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind production capacity by 2030. As offshore renewable energy is expected to rapidly expand along the Atlantic Coast, BSEE’s renewable energy research will play a crucial role in ensuring this development is managed in a scientifically sound and robust manner.
- Enhancing Oil Spill Research: Recognizing the importance of research in the prevention and response to oil pollution, the budget request includes $15.1 million for oil spill research. This request will enable BSEE to sponsor the testing of advanced technologies for detecting oil spills and determining oil slick thickness using remote sensing tools, integrate remote sensing data to support operational decision making, and develop “smart” skimming technologies to improve oil recovery rates.
- Broadening the Environmental Compliance Program (ECP): Building on BSEE’s work to integrate its renewable energy program needs into the ECP the budget addresses growing activity levels and continues to support BSEE’s environmental compliance priorities of monitoring, verifying, improving, and enforcing industry’s compliance with environmental standards.
- Promoting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility: The BSEE budget request includes $200,000 to support the President’s efforts to advance racial diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility across the federal government. As part of this initiative, the Department, bureaus, and offices will jointly conduct a review of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility program across Interior to identify gaps, challenges, and best practices and to examine Department and bureau roles, responsibilities, and governance.
Enacting the President’s budget policies into law this year would strengthen the nation’s economy and lay the foundation for shared prosperity, while also improving long-term fiscal health.
For more information on the President’s FY 2022 budget, please visit https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/.
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The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement is the lead federal agency charged with improving safety and ensuring environmental protection related to the offshore energy industry on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.