Offshore Drilling Reforms Urged

A recent National Acadamies report urges greater funding and a broader oversight role for a planned, independent institute intended to improve safety at offshore oil and gas drilling sites. The Ocean Energy Safety Institute—first recommended by a presidentially appointed panel investigating the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil well disaster—was proposed earlier this year by the Department of the Interior. The institute is to be made up of nongovernment experts with offshore drilling experience, and it is to advise DOI on the best available and safest offshore drilling technologies. DOI has proposed $5 million in funding for five years for the institute, but the report urges that the sum be expanded and that DOI consider creating a federally funded or university-affiliated R&D center. A well-funded R&D center, the report notes, may help overcome the federal government’s problem of finding and retaining skilled, experienced staff members. Such experts often leave government to take high-paying industry positions.