Consistent with the findings of their inspections and data gathering (as discussed further here), BSEE has published a safety alert (attached) that identifies significant shortcomings in medical evacuation planning and performance.
The findings suggest that a renewed focus on medevac preparedness should be an immediate industry priority. Note the evacuation time, supply, training, and other planning issues summarized in the BSEE alert. Also note the helideck safety issues that were identified. These issues are particularly troubling in light of last December’s fatal crash.
Costco’s new CEO Ron Vachris started in an entry level warehouse position at Costco 40 years ago. It’s nice to see that such stories, while less common, still exist.
Ron is a Costco veteran, with over forty years of service to the Company, starting as a forklift driver, and subsequently serving in every major role related to Costco’s business operations and merchandising activities.
Per our previous post on policy decisions that favor production in Iran and Venezuela over US offshore production, Senator Manchin made this statement:
“I also want to briefly express at the outset my strong concerns about the news last night that this administration has lifted most sanctions on Venezuelan oil for the next 6 months. On the heels of announcing the smallest 5-year offshore oil and gas leasing plan in decades, this administration is turning to Venezuela — they know I have a problem and I’m sure many of you will have feelings on this — one of the world’s dirtiest energy producers and an oppressor of its own people, to help make up the production that they refuse to allow in America. I understand that the administration believes this will encourage Venezuela to make democratic reforms, that has been tried, and we’ve failed before. It makes no sense at all to reward bad actors before they actually take the action you want. We tried that with Iran, and now here we are with Venezuela.” said Chairman Manchin.
Additionally, the Maria Mitchell Association and the Nantucket Preservation Trust, co-signers on the Good Neighbor Agreement, canceled scheduled interviews despite the fact that the only thing rising quicker than the first visible wind turbine off Nantucket’s south shore is the local level of uneasiness associated with this eyesore.
In my opinion, the long-term sustainability of offshore wind farms simply doesn’t add up. Seaside communities like Nantucket will become the visual victims of the federal government’s desire to have 30 gigawatts of offshore wind production by 2030. Especially from a financial perspective, what sounded so good a few years ago doesn’t appear so rosy today.
The first Vineyard Wind turbine 15 miles off Nantucket. Photo by Charity Grace Mofsen
I was on the first panel to appear before a Senate committee during the Macondo blowout. All of the senators were respectful and professional with two exceptions, one of whom was Bob Menendez. Perhaps Senator Menendez’s penchant for political grandstanding was an indication of more significant character flaws.
Robert Menendez Allegedly Agreed to Use His Official Position to Benefit Wael Hana, Jose Uribe, Fred Daibes, and the Government of Egypt in Exchange for Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars of Bribes to Menendez and His Wife Nadine Menendez, Which Included Gold Bars, Cash, and a Luxury Convertible
Last week, Sen. Menendez was cited for additional charges accusing him of accepting bribes from a foreign government and conspiring to act as a foreign agent.
Given that further depletion of the SPR was no longer politically acceptable, a cynic might suggest that oil market considerations associated with the end of SPR withdrawals and OPEC tightening (Iran is currently exempt from OPEC quotas) factored into decisions regarding the relaxation of sanctions on Iran.
Guardian: Juvenile rockfish seen on an oil platform off the coast of Santa Barbara. For the scientists who study them, preserving these accidental marine ecosystems has become a moral issue. Photograph: Scott Gietler
Excellent Guardian article featuring my former colleague Dr. Ann Bull and Dr. Milton Love from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
According to a 2014 study they (Bull and Love) co-authored, the rigs were some of the most “productive” ocean habitats in the world, a term that refers to biomass – or number of fish and how much space they take up – per unit area. The research showed the rigs to be about 27 times more productive than the natural rocky reefs in California.
The Tiberius exploration well tested a four-way structural trap in the outboard Wilcox trend, located in Keathley Canyon Block 964. The well encountered approximately 250 feet (~75 meters) of net oil pay in the primary Wilcox target. Wireline logging has been completed and casing is currently being run to the target depth to enable the well to be used as a future oil producer. The Tiberius well is located in approximately 7,500 feet (2,300 meters) of water and was drilled to a total vertical depth of approximately 25,800 feet (7,800 meters).
BSEE data indicate that Kosmos has an excellent compliance record, having been cited for only 3 violations during 44 facility inspections (83 inspection types) since 1/1/2018.
One quibble: the Kosmos news release does not name the drilling unit or drilling contractor. The rig crew is the group most responsible for safely drilling the well.
Is it accurate to describe BOEM’s agreement with the Sierra Club as a “sue and settle” arrangement? a. If so, does BOEM intend to continue making decisions through “sue and settle” tactics? b. How can the Committee attain confidence that the BOEM is considering the interest of small businesses in its decision-making when its decisions are made behind closed doors with special interest groups?
Last week, the 5th Circuit heard arguments on the appeal by Earthjustice et al of Judge Cain’s decision to remove the Rice’s whale restrictions from Sale 261 leases. The sale is to be held on Nov. 8 per the 5th Circuit’s order.
S&P Global reports on the surge in Iranian oil production and exports. In the quote below, note the concern about the higher oil prices that might result from tightening the sanctions. If oil price concerns are driving critical foreign policy decisions, this would be a rather stunning indictment of US energy policy, which is sometimes perceived as being more hostile toward domestic producers than international adversaries.
“Before the war, US-Iranian tensions had eased, which facilitated higher Iranian oil exports. Iranian crude oil production increased 500,000 b/d from March to September 2023 — to 3.1 million b/d from 2.6 million,” the analysts said. “Biden will be under pressure to enforce sanctions and curtail Iranian export revenue. This is a challenging situation for the Biden administration, which wants more oil on the market, not less. The attacks on Israel could override the oil issue.“
Q. I wanted to ask you about oil, if I could, and the money that it’s bringing in. So, is the amount of oil that’s being brought in by Iran — specifically, records amount, 85 percent to China, more oil being sold above the price cap from Russia — giving the President any pause on changing these energy policies for fossil fuels here in the U.S.?
MR. KIRBY: I would — just let me back up a little bit. I mean, it’s important to remember that Iran gets most of its oil revenue off the black market and evad- — evading sanctions, which they do. It’s costly to them. In fact, our evidence is that they really only receive a fraction of the market value of the oil that they sell, because they have to sell it on the black market.
We will always, as we do in any case, typically, revisit sanctions regimes to see if they need to be changed or adjusted, specifically with respect to Iranian oil.
The President, since the beginning of the administration, has been concerned about making sure we have a viable global market for oil, working hard to keep the prices of gasoline down here in the United States. Part of that is making sure you remove some of the volatility in that global supply and demand.
I don’t have any announcements or decisions to make today with respect to any changes to the domestic oil production.
Q But isn’t it a national security issue when you have countries that are profiting off of oil and the increased price of oil that don’t like Israel, that don’t like America?
MR. KIRBY: We don’t want, for instance, Russia to be able to — to get a windfall in profits from the oil market so that they can then turn that around and — and apply that to weapons in Ukraine. We certainly don’t want to see Iran do — be able to do much of the same, which is why we’re — we’re putting as much pressure on them as we are.
Q So, why not increase oil production here?
MR. KIRBY: I — again, I don’t have any announcements to make today.
On a related note, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve has remained at historic low levels. The current volume is 351.3 million barrels, a slight rise from the low of 346.8 million barrels in July, the lowest volume since 8/19/1983 when the SPR was still being filled. Have the oil embargoes following the Yom Kippur War, the reason for the SPR’s existence, been forgotten?
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 