Inspectors overseeing oil drilling in the Gulf are overly focused on minor infractions that needlessly hold up production, says Scott Angelle, the offshore oil industry’s top cop.
Angelle, who heads the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, tells the Houston Chronicle he’s concerned over-policing is creating a contentious environment in which his bureau and oil companies spend too much time on paperwork and not enough on preventing oil spills and blowouts.
Angelle is seeking to overhaul the agency to reduce lag times in permitting as well as focus inspections on violations and operations determined to be most at risk. His attempts to shakeup BSEE is drawing criticism that he’s trading safety for efficiency.
“They’re opening up areas, putting more communities at risk, while simultaneously issuing a directive to jettison the safety protocols that have just been finalized after a long process working with the industry,” Franz Matzner, deputy director of federal campaigns at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
But Angelle says the goal is to create more efficient processes.
