U.S. Reps. Charles Boustany (R-LA) and Garret Graves (R-LA) recently coauthored a letter to the House Appropriations Committee calling for a prohibition on funds to implement an oil well control rule.
The congressmen asked the committee to prohibit the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) from using federal funds to implement a proposed rule titled “Oil and Gas and Sulphur Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf-Blowout Preventer Systems and Well Control.”
“The well control rule is a solution in search of a problem,” Boustany said. “While we all agree on the goal of a safe work environment in the Gulf of Mexico, the Obama administration is approaching this problem from a punitive — not practical — standpoint. Not only does the oil and gas industry continue to warn this rule as implemented would have no demonstrable safety benefit, it would cost thousands of jobs precisely while the industry is struggling. Congressman Graves and I are asking Congress to join us, support our hard working oil and gas industry, and stand up against the Obama administration’s latest over-the-top attack on energy.”
The lawmakers contend that BSEE’s “one-size-fits-all” rule could result in decreased safety and increased drilling risks. Gas and oil industry stakeholders have argued that the new rule would result in a de facto moratorium in drilling until new technology is developed.
“We lost 11 lives during the Deepwater Horizon disaster and have lost 25 percent of the oil and gas jobs in the state of Louisiana over the last 14 months,” Graves said. “Misguided regulations like this only add to these tragedies. This is a perfect example of uninformed bureaucrats attempting to write highly technical rules and entirely missing the mark. The Department of the Interior estimates compliance with the rule would cost approximately $880 million, while a private study found it could cost nearly $95 billion. There is a fundamental disconnect there that needs to be resolved. If finalized, this rule would result in less safe offshore conditions and a further bleeding of energy jobs in Louisiana. I am all for innovation and improving safety, but this rule needs to go back to the drawing board.”