Buchanan concerned that proposal will undo Deepwater Horizon regulations

Jan. 25--Concerned that a proposed revision of offshore drilling safety regulations will undo the work set forth after the disastrous Deepwater Horizon oil spill, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan submitted a formal letter Thursday as part of the public comment process that ends next week.

The proposal "Oil and Gas Production Safety Systems Revisions" from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement was submitted to the Federal Register on Dec. 29, and addresses regulations that officially were put in place in 2016. As of the end of the day Wednesday, the proposal had received 491 comments.

Among the most "egregious" changes Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, pointed out in his letter included removing a provision that requires independent third parties to certify safety and pollution prevention equipment. According to the proposal, this requirement is slated to be removed because independent third party equipment certifications are "duplicative" and are a "burden."

"If these safeguards are so burdensome then why is the oil industry enjoying record profits?" Buchanan said in his letter. "The U.S. is currently producing over 10 million barrels of oil per day -- a level we have not reached since the 1970s, rivaling the world's top producer, Russia."

The effects of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon explosion that killed 11 and subsequently spilled about 210 million gallons of oil in the Gulf of Mexico are still affecting Floridians and wildlife, Buchanan wrote. BP recently announced it would be charged another $1.7 billion as a result of the spill, pushing the costs of the class action suit up to nearly $65 billion.

Buchanan was among 20 Florida congressmen to sign a letter that opposed these rollbacks earlier this month, just days after Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced the draft of the 2019-2024 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program nearly eight months after President Donald Trump signed the "Implementing an America First Offshore Energy Strategy" executive order. The public comment period for that proposal ends March 9, and has gotten nearly 17,000 comments.

Lawmakers from across the country have taken issue with this proposal as well as one that seeks to open 47 drilling leases, including 12 in the Gulf of Mexico. Things got particularly heated when Zinke met with Gov. Rick Scott at Tallahassee International Airport to say he was taking Florida's coast off the bargaining table, leaving leaders of other coastal states scratching their heads as to why they weren't offered the same consideration.

The acting director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Walter Cruickshank, later told the House Committee on Natural Resources Committee hearing that the secretary's comment "stands for itself" and that it wasn't a formal move.

Anyone who wants to submit comments for either proposal can do so online by searching on regulations.gov or by sending mail. Comments on the regulations can be sent to Department of the Interior (Department or DOI); Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Attention: Regulations Development Branch; 45600 Woodland Road, VAE-ORP, Sterling VA 20166.

Comments on the draft oil drilling expansion can be sent to Ms. Kelly Hammerle, Chief, National Oil and Gas Leasing Program Development and Coordination Branch, Leasing Division, Office of Strategic Resources, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (VAM-LD), 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, VA 20166-9216.

Hannah Morse: 941-745-7055, @mannahhorse

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