As federal safety officials responded Friday to a death on a Gulf of Mexico oil rig, the agency in charge of oil-rig safety received a rebuke from a congressional watchdog office that found poor management has caused it to fail in its most basic functions.
The American Petroleum Institute says it welcomes the federal government’s effort to align regulations for offshore well control with industry standards, but with a caveat: a warning that the unintended consequences of some elements of the proposed rule could make offshore operations less safe.
Following a 2012 explosion that killed three workers and three loss of well control incidents since February, federal government officials met with offshore oil and gas industry executives last week to talk about improving safety in offshore operations – particularly in shallow water in the Gulf of Mexico.
