Government should tap industry resources to improve oil and gas safety: report

Washington – A new report is calling for the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to enlist the help of the offshore oil and gas industry in developing safer technology.

Released Oct. 28 by the National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council, the report states that despite BSEE’s efforts to improve its response after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, the agency lacks the internal resources to match industry capabilities and expertise. Along with making use of industry technology to perform technical assessments, economic analyses and reviews, the report suggests that BSEE expand its plans to form an independent safety group named the Ocean Energy Safety Institute.

The group may offer a “suitable vehicle” to develop technology, the report states. However, NAE and NRC said the institute should be located in the Houston area along the Gulf Coast and receive a charter so it has stable funding. Suggestions include BSEE hiring an experienced chief engineer or scientist to interface with the institute and recruit industry retirees.