The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) today announced the availability of a final rule effective immediately that reassigns safety, environmental oversight, and enforcement-related renewable energy regulations from BOEM to BSEE.
The rule includes reassignment of the authority to oversee facility design, fabrication, installation, and safety management systems; ensure the safety of operations, including inspection programs and incident reporting and investigations; enforce compliance with all applicable safety, environmental, and other laws and regulations through enforcement actions (such as noncompliance notices, cessation orders, and lease suspensions); and oversee decommissioning activities.
Commenting on the transfer of regulations, Principal Deputy Asst. Interior Sec. for Land and Minerals Management Laura Daniel-Davis said that the transfer “advances regulatory clarity and transparency for the offshore wind industry” and “allows the bureaus to focus on ensuring that future clean energy development and operations continue to occur in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.”
Following promulgation of the rule, BSEE Director Kevin Sligh received a briefing in Norfolk, VA on the Commonwealth’s first commercial offshore wind project and toured the Portsmouth Marine Terminal. Sligh said the transfer “provides regulatory clarity and signals a commitment to maintaining high standards for worker safety and environmental compliance,” adding that “[e]very decision and every action must be taken with the safety of workers and protection of the environment in mind.”
