Departments of Interior, Energy offer $40M for safety, environmental efforts at offshore energy operations

The United States Departments of the Interior (DOI) and Energy (DOE) have jointly put up a $40 million funding opportunity announcement for efforts to improve safety and environmental sustainability at offshore energy exploration and production operations.

To be distributed over the course of five years, the money will be dispersed through the Operation and Maintenance of the Ocean Energy Safety Institute (OESI 2.0). OESI was originally supposed to facilitate research and development of operational improvements in offshore drilling safety and environmental protection, blowout containment, and oil spill prevention and response.

Now, OESI will support research and development linked to offshore oil, natural gas, wind, and marine hydrokinetic energy production. It will be focused on safety, environmental monitoring, and operational improvements. Government, academia, and scientific experts will be involved in the program.

“Our nation’s energy, economic, and national security rely on our all-of-the-above approach to producing safe, reliable, and resilient energy,” Deputy Secretary of Energy Mark Menezes said. “Through federal collaboration and a cross-sector approach, we can increase support for offshore energy production while protecting our workers and the marine environment.”

Running point on the DOI side of things is the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), which has implemented environmental and safety initiatives yielding results like less oil spilled in 2018 and 2019 than in at least the last 25 years and zero incidental marine mammal or sea turtle fatalities from oil and gas exploration and production activities since at least 2017. Under its watch, royalty payments to the government have increased, but more oil has also been produced, reaching record highs in 2018 and 2019.

“Under the Trump Administration, the U.S. has become the world’s largest producer of oil and gas and second-highest generator of solar and wind,” Acting Under Secretary of Energy Steve Winberg said. “Offshore energy is a key component of this feat, making OESI 2.0 all the more important.”

Whatever organization earns the money will be responsible for managing OESI, providing its thoughts on annual objectives, and pursuing work that follows those objectives.