BSEE Archives

NOIA Supports Reforms to Improve Offshore Coordination and Oversight

April 3, 2026 by Justin Williams

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Friday, April 3, 2026
Media Contact: media@nullnoia.org

Washington, D.C. – National Ocean Industries Association president Erik Milito issued the following statement regarding the Department of the Interior’s reforms to reconsolidate the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement as the Marine Minerals Administration. as detailed in the White House Fiscal Year 2026 Discretionary Budget Request and announced here:

Our industry supports an Interior management and oversight system that efficiently expands access to marine resources, streamlines the permitting and approval process, implements a reasonable regulatory framework for safety and environmental protection, and ensures effective oversight functions.

Two separate-yet-overlapping government agencies responsible for administering the same statute – the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act – can understandably result in inconsistencies and delays in the implementation of the regulatory process. Bringing them back together should result in closer coordination and a more efficiently functioning government, for the benefit of American citizens who rely upon the energy produced from the U.S. outer continental shelf to fuel our economy and lift society.

About NOIA

The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) represents and advances a dynamic and growing offshore energy industry, providing solutions that support communities and protect our workers, the public, and our environment.

To learn more about the Gulf of America’s role in anchoring U.S. energy leadership, visit GulfofAmericaForward.com.

NOIA Applauds Selection of Scott A. Angelle as BSEE Director

May 22, 2017 by Justin Williams

For Immediate Release: Monday, May 22, 2017
Contact: Nicolette Nye, (202) 465-8463, nicolette@nullnoia.org

NOIA Applauds Selection of Scott A. Angelle as BSEE Director

Washington, D.C. – National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) President Randall Luthi issued the following statement on the selection of Scott A. Angelle as Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.

“NOIA applauds Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s selection of Scott A. Angelle as Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). Angelle’s unique combination of political acumen, experience, and knowledge of the offshore industry make him an excellent choice to lead BSEE. We appreciate Angelle’s work with the Gulf Economic Survival Team (GEST), which NOIA supports, and we look forward to working with him again in his new capacity as BSEE Director. Angelle’s previous work related to natural resources and offshore safety will serve both the offshore industry and American consumers well, and he will no doubt add some Cajun spice to the BSEE hallway at the Main Interior Building in Washington, D.C.”

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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 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 about 300 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.

NOIA Seeks Transparency on New Decommissioning Assessments Submits FOIA Request to BSEE

October 4, 2016 by Justin Williams

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Contact: Nicolette Nye, (202) 465-8463, nicolette@nullnoia.org

NOIA Seeks Transparency on New Decommissioning Assessments

Submits FOIA Request to BSEE

Washington, D.C. – The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) has sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) seeking information related to the agency’s recently revised estimates for future well plugging and abandonment and platform decommissioning costs in the Gulf of Mexico.

The FOIA request reinforces industry efforts to obtain vital information being used by BSEE to determine estimates of decommissioning costs. To date, that information has not been released to the public or to companies attempting to meet new financial assurance/bonding requirements being issued by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). The FOIA request seeks to assure transparency regarding the methodologies used to calculate BSEE’s revised estimates, the accuracy of which cannot be verified by industry without the supporting documentation.

The BSEE estimates, particularly for facilities in the shallow water Gulf, appear to vary wildly from current decommissioning costs. BSEE released the revised estimates with little explanation regarding the assumptions and data it relied upon, despite the fact the agency’s own projections for decommissioning liability in the shallow water Gulf are over 100% higher than previous estimates from as recently as four months ago. In stark contrast, actual costs to perform decommissioning projects have decreased dramatically due to depressed commodity prices, better equipment and execution by operators, and a reduction of overall service costs in the Gulf.

BOEM may be incorporating BSEE’s revised decommissioning estimates into its new financial assurance/bonding requirements for offshore operators. Thus, BSEE’s decommissioning assessments must provide realistic liability estimates for use by BOEM to establish bonding limits for each lease. It is vital that underpinning formulas and information being used by BSEE are thoroughly vetted and verified.

NOIA member companies impacted by the revised estimates have made exhaustive inquiries to BSEE regarding the assumptions and methodologies supporting the revised estimates, but these inquiries have yet to garner any meaningful response from BSEE. NOIA member companies remain willing to work in a collaborative manner to develop an accurate and reliable method for determining decommissioning liability for offshore operators. We remain hopeful that BSEE will continue to work with the industry to ensure a viable future for all operators in both shallow and deepwater areas of Gulf of Mexico as the new financial assurance/bonding requirements are implemented.

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ABOUT NOIA