For Immediate Release: 

March 15, 2012                                                                                                          

Contact: Nicolette Nye

 (202) 347-6900

 Nicolette@nullnoia.org                                                                                                                                   

 

ATP Oil & Gas Corporation Wins NOIA 2012

Safety-in-Seas Award

Award presented during NOIA’s 40^th Anniversary Kick-off Celebration
 

Washington, D.C. – Today, the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) announced ATP Oil & Gas Corporation as the recipient of the 2012 Safety-in-Seas Award as the association marked its 40^th anniversary at its annual meeting in Washington, D.C.  ATP was recognized for their outstanding contribution to the safety of offshore energy workers as well as for the “ATP Titan”, a deepwater drilling and production facility in the Gulf of Mexico.

ATP’s award-winning nomination was selected by a blue-ribbon panel of judges from the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Academy of Science’s Marine Board, and the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. 

According to Randall Luthi, NOIA President, “ATP's initiative, which preceded the Macondo blowout by 3 years, demonstrates the type of safety commitment, risk assessment and mitigation, and close collaboration with the regulators that is critical to the long-term success of the offshore oil and gas industry.  The judges and NOIA applaud ATP for their safety leadership and are pleased to present the company with this prestigious award.”

ATP is recognized for innovative safety leadership in the design of the drilling systems for the ATP Titan platform, a deepwater drilling and production facility in the Gulf of Mexico.  ATP Titan drilling operations employ both surface and subsurface barrier systems to further reduce the safety and environmental risks associated with deepwater development.  In addition to the blowout preventer (BOP) stack on the ATP Titan platform, redundant and independently controlled blind shear rams are incorporated in a subsea isolation device installed on the seafloor.  The ATP Titan thus has two independent BOP systems connected by a high pressure drilling riser.  This arrangement significantly increases the options for shutting-in a well, protecting workers, and preventing pollution.

This year’s Safety-in-Seas Award was presented at NOIA’s annual meeting, where the association is celebrating 40 years of commitment to America’s offshore energy industry.

“The offshore energy industry has certainly changed over the past 40 years,” said Luthi. “The technology involved in finding and producing offshore energy is truly astonishing, and has made the industry safer, more efficient and more environmentally friendly. The Outer Continental Shelf holds immense energy potential that remains unrealized due to current restrictions. Our industry stands ready, with the knowledge gained over decades of experience and an innovative spirit, to deliver homegrown domestic energy while creating American jobs across the nation.”
 

Over the past four decades, NOIA has effectively represented the interests of all facets of the offshore energy industry, which is vital to the economic prosperity and energy security of the nation. To commemorate the anniversary, NOIA has produced an array of historical resources, including a 40^th Anniversary video, a list of 40 significant industry milestones, a graphic timeline of 15 major offshore industry achievements, and a host of additional information that highlights the significant contributions of the offshore energy industry. NOIA will be commemorating the anniversary throughout the year as the association and its members work to increase access to the Outer Continental Shelf.

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ABOUT NOIA
NOIA is the only national trade association representing all segments of the offshore industry with an interest in the exploration and production of energy resources on the nation’s outer continental shelf.  The NOIA membership comprises more than 275 companies engaged in business activities ranging from producing to drilling, engineering to marine and air transport, offshore construction to equipment manufacture and supply, telecommunications to finance and insurance. 

 

ABOUT THE SAFETY IN SEAS AWARD

Acknowledging the significant contributions made by modern-day pioneers in their pursuit of the ocean frontier, Compass Publications, Inc., publishers of Sea Technology Magazine, established the NOIA Safety and Seas Award in 1978.  The award recognizes excellence among those who, by their actions, design or influence, have contributed to improving the safety of life offshore.   The award, now in its 32^nd year, continues to serve as a testimony to the high standards associated with the rapid growth of the ocean industries.

 

ABOUT ATP OIL & GAS CORPORATION

ATP Oil & Gas is an international offshore oil and gas development and production company with operations in the Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea and the North Sea. The company trades publicly as ATPG on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. For more information about ATP Oil & Gas Corporation, visit www.atpog.com.

 

For Immediate Release:                   Contact:  Nicolette Nye

Thursday, March 1, 2012                               (202) 347-6900

                                                                          

NOIA Statement on President Obama’s Energy Speech

Proposed Tax Increases Unfair to Industry and May Hinder, Not Grow Production

 

Washington, D.C. – NOIA President Randall Luthi today issued the following statement following President Obama’s Energy Speech in New Hampshire:     

 

“While the President today said his Administration is focused on oil and gas production, he continues to propose tax increases that will certainly not incentivize the industry to continue to make the immense capital investments required to find and develop new sources of offshore oil and gas.  He also continued to shamelessly claim credit for production increases realized during his term, but made possible by policies put in place long before he took office.  While the facts are the facts, it is disingenuous of the President to claim credit for increased production, particularly when that increased production has occurred on private and state lands.  The fact remains that his administration has done very little to encourage new future production on federal lands onshore or offshore, and has in fact done more to thwart it.  

 

“As the President said, this is a global-market industry.  The oil companies themselves have very little influence on the price of gasoline at the pump. Yet, once again, the President evoked the specter of “big oil” and record profits for oil and gas companies.  It is a simple fact of business that when prices are higher, so are profits.

 

“We agree with the President’s focus on an “all of the above” energy policy for our nation, but a policy that would unfairly punish one industry by withholding the same tax treatment enjoyed by other sectors of the economy is simply not a recipe for adding new jobs, nor providing reliable and affordable energy to America.”

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NOIA is the only national trade association representing all segments of the offshore industry with an interest in the exploration and production of both traditional and renewable energy resources on the nation’s outer continental shelf.  NOIA’s mission is to secure reliable access and a fair regulatory and economic environment for the companies that develop the nation’s valuable offshore energy resources in an environmentally responsible manner. The NOIA membership comprises more than 270 companies engaged in business activities ranging from producing to drilling, engineering to marine and air transport, offshore construction to equipment manufacture and supply, telecommunications to finance and insurance, and renewable energy.

For Immediate Release:                                              Contact:  Nicolette Nye

Thursday, February 23, 2012                                       (202) 347-6900

                                                                          

NOIA Statement on President Obama’s Energy Speech

 

Washington, D.C. – NOIA President Randall Luthi today issued the following statement following President Obama’s Energy Speech in Florida:     

 

“NOIA applauds recognition that our Nation needs an “all of the above” approach when it comes to energy.  We have long supported such a policy.    However, in spite of today’s mention of the importance of oil and natural gas, we remind the Administration that “all of the above” does indeed include oil and natural gas.  To date, the Administration’s actions hindering domestic production has eclipsed any fleeting words of support.

 

While it is true that production is up in the U.S., it is not a surprise to learn that the increase is attributable to actions taken before this administration took office and on state and private lands onshore.    This Administration loves to conjure the image of “big oil,” but the fact is much of our increased production is a result of smaller, independent operators that would be hit hard by the President’s proposed tax increases at a time when we should be encouraging them to produce more jobs and more energy for America.  So while we should all be pleased when domestic production rises, it makes absolutely no sense to attempt to raise taxes on those that would create jobs and generate more energy production.

While there is indeed no silver bullet to immediately fix high gas prices, the country certainly would have been better served had the administration moved to facilitate new offshore access following the lifting of the moratoria in 2008.    Instead, we are left with the fact that not one new acre outside the areas already opened has been leased and the Administration’s plan for the next five years would not allow for the opening of any truly new areas.  Thus, we are left with leasing, exploration and development taking place in the same areas it has for a generation.  Simply saying areas are “new” does not make it so.   Apparently “all of the above” doesn’t include any truly new sources of offshore oil and natural gas.”

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NOIA is the only national trade association representing all segments of the offshore industry with an interest in the exploration and production of both traditional and renewable energy resources on the nation’s outer continental shelf.  NOIA’s mission is to secure reliable access and a fair regulatory and economic environment for the companies that develop the nation’s valuable offshore energy resources in an environmentally responsible manner. The NOIA membership comprises more than 270 companies engaged in business activities ranging from producing to drilling, engineering to marine and air transport, offshore construction to equipment manufacture and supply, telecommunications to finance and insurance, and renewable energy.

 

For Immediate Release:                      Contact:  Nicolette Nye

Tuesday, February 14, 2012                             (202) 347-6900

                                                                                   

 

NOIA Statement on Interior Budget Request

Non-Producing Lease Fee Shows Lack of Understanding  

 

Washington, D.C. – NOIA President Randall Luthi today issued the following statement on the Obama Administration’s Budget Request for the Department of the Interior:     

 

“The Administration’s budget request for an additional fee on yet to be producing leases shows a remarkable lack of understanding about geology and the oil and natural gas industry.  If the Administration’s goal is to produce more home grown energy, this not the way to go.  Using this logic, charging more for a fishing license means you will catch more fish, or charging more for a driver’s license means you will get better gas mileage.  Neither is true.  What is true is the offshore oil and gas industry uses the most modern, sophisticated geological and geophysical methods to predict where valuable deposits of oil and natural gas might be found.   Once they pay top price for the lease, they pay a rental fee until the lease is producing.    If the lease is not developed within the lease terms -- usually 3, 5 or 10 years --that lease is returned to the Federal government to be sold again.  Given today’s economy and  today’s prices, exploration companies are not sitting on leases, because  they don’t have a chance of making a profit, nor can they supply more American jobs or produce more American energy, until they actually drill.  This old, tired ‘use it or lose it’ philosophy should be lost for good.”

 

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NOIA is the only national trade association representing all segments of the offshore industry with an interest in the exploration and production of both traditional and renewable energy resources on the nation’s outer continental shelf.  NOIA’s mission is to secure reliable access and a fair regulatory and economic environment for the companies that develop the nation’s valuable offshore energy resources in an environmentally responsible manner. The NOIA membership comprises more than 270 companies engaged in business activities ranging from producing to drilling, engineering to marine and air transport, offshore construction to equipment manufacture and supply, telecommunications to finance and insurance, and renewable energy.