Representatives from BSEE, EPA, NOAA, Coast Guard, BOEM, Army Corps of Engineers and the State of Texas participated
On November 16, 2012 BSEE Director James A. Watson provided opening remarks for the Interagency Working Group on Rigs to Reefs meeting on the decommissioning of offshore oil and natural gas platforms and the process for converting obsolete infrastructure to artificial reefs. The meeting was held in the Walter J. McCoy Auditorium in the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs on the campus of Texas Southern University (TSU) in Houston. Representatives from BSEE, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard participated in the meeting where each discussed their agency's role in the Rigs to Reefs process. In addition to the federal agencies participating, a representative from the state of Texas discussed the role Texas plays during the decommissioning process for facilities offshore Texas. Following the presentations, audience members asked questions of the panel.
While at TSU, Director Watson also met privately with Dr. Robert D. Bullard, Dean of the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs, the host for Friday's interagency panel discussion. During their meeting, Director Watson and Dr. Bullard discussed BSEE's on-campus recruitment efforts in addition to possible areas of collaboration between TSU and BSEE. Dr. Bullard also shared his background in environmental justice and emergency response and how some of those experiences are relevant to BSEE's role of promoting safety and protecting the environment offshore.
Decommissioning of Offshore Platforms Video
Rigs to Reefs Informational Meeting(PDF)
BSEE photo by Dara Fennell