On August 22, 2023, the Department of the Interior (“DOI”) announced that the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (“BSEE”) has issued the final Well Control Rule for drilling, workover, completion and decommissioning operations.  This final rule clarifies blowout preventer (“BOP”) system requirements, modifies certain specific BOP equipment capability requirements, and builds upon the regulatory reforms that were originally implemented by the DOI after 2010.  The BSEE is setting an effective date of 60 days following publication of the final rule, by which time oil and gas operators in the federally regulated outer Continental Shelf will be required to comply with most of the final rule’s provisions. Operators have a one-year deferred compliance date following publication of the final rule to equip subsea BOP stacks with the remotely operated vehicle intervention capability to both open and close each shear ram, ram locks, and one pipe ram as required by 30 CFR § 250.734(a)(4).  The final rule:Continue Reading BSEE Announces New Well Control Rule

BSEE’s August 2020 update of its Notice to Lessees signals renewed interest in decommissioning of aging oil & gas platforms offshore of California. While so-called “rigs to reefs” in-place decommissioning is a potential option, uncertainty remains surrounding decommissioning methods and timing for platforms, pipelines and related infrastructure located in state and federal waters off the coast of California.
Continue Reading BSEE Renews Offshore Platform Decommissioning Guidelines

From California to the South China Sea, uncertainties surrounding offshore oil and gas platform decommissioning regulations and financial obligations pose a significant risk to the environment and to responsible natural resource development. “Rigs to reefs” decommissioning pioneered in the US Gulf Coast provides a model promising reduced costs, a net reduction in environmental impacts and enhanced ecological benefits; welcomed in some jurisdictions and questioned in others, time will tell whether RTR can deliver its promises.
Continue Reading Offshore Platform Sustainable Decommissioning – “Rigs to Reefs” Goes Global