US proposes new set of safety rules for offshore drilling in Arctic

摘要

Proposed regulations by the Obama administration would set performance and safety standards for companies engaged in exploratory drilling in the U.S. Arctic Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed rules apply only to the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea planning areas. The proposal comes in advance of the planned sale of leases by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) of sections of the Outer Continental Shelf that contain 90 percent of technically recoverable oil and gas. BOEM and the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) proposed the new rules.