“Honored to be named Inspector of the Year. I’m sincerely thankful to my supervisor and the management involved for recognizing my commitment to this mission, and I’m proud to work alongside the Well Operations Inspection team, whose support and professionalism elevate all of us. This award reflects our shared dedication to safety and the environment.”
Posts Tagged ‘BSEE’
Congratulations to Frank Musacchia – BSEE Inspector of the Year
Posted in Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, tagged BSEE, Frank Musacchia, Inspector of the Year, New Orleans District, offshore safety, well operations on April 9, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Breaking news: BOEM and BSEE to be combined to form the Marine Minerals Administration
Posted in energy policy, Regulation, tagged BOEM, BSEE, combined, Department of the Interior, inefficiency, Marine Minerals Administration, overlap, regulatory fragmentation on April 3, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“The Department of the Interior today announced the start of a phased plan to establish the Marine Minerals Administration, bringing together the functions of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. This action is intended to improve coordination and increase efficiencies across offshore leasing, permitting, inspections and environmental oversight, while maintaining all existing regulatory protections and rigorous safety standards.
This streamlined approach reflects the evolution of offshore energy development and the need for a more integrated approach to managing conventional and emerging resources such as critical minerals. By aligning planning, leasing and oversight functions, the Department is positioning the agency to better meet current and future energy demands.“
This is an excellent step that many OCS program veterans have been advocating. In addition to the inefficiencies associated with overlapping and intertwined BOEM and BSEE responsibilities, the associated regulatory fragmentation is a significant safety risk factor.
See the comments that I submitted to the Dept. of the Interior in response to their request for regulatory reform recommendations.
Buckle up! Sable is selling SYU production!
Posted in California, energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, pipelines, tagged 50 year saga, BSEE, Jim Flores, oil sales, Sable Offshore, Santa Ynez Unit on March 31, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Sable Offshore Corp. (3/30/2026) today announced that on March 29, 2026, Sable initiated oil sales. The Santa Ynez Pipeline System was filled from Las Flores Canyon to Pentland Station at a rate in excess of 50,000 barrels of oil per day.
At the Santa Ynez Unit, Platform Harmony is currently producing approximately 22,000 gross barrels of oil per day. Additionally, the United States Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has completed its final pre-restart inspection of Platform Heritage. Sable plans to commence production restart at Platform Heritage today at an expected total rate of over 30,000 gross barrels of oil per day. We expect Platform Hondo to be online by the end of the second quarter of 2026 at a rate in excess of 10,000 barrels of oil per day.
Sable Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Jim Flores, said “Sable is proud to announce oil sales through the Santa Ynez Pipeline System to Chevron. In doing so, we are providing American oil from American soil through an American pipeline to an American refinery for American consumers and the United States military.
A wild month in the 50 year Santa Ynez Unit saga is ending with a flourish. The wind is at Sable’s back, but storm clouds are on the horizon.
The offshore world has lost a rising star 😢
Posted in Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, Uncategorized, tagged Bobby Nelson, BSEE, Obituary, offshore safety, rising star on March 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Robert “Bobby” Nelson, a beloved father and husband, and a highly respected engineer, died suddenly last Saturday.
Jason Mathews, a Supervisory Petroleum Engineer with the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, had this to say about his admired colleague:
“A legacy is not just what you leave for others; it’s the impact of your presence, the influence of your actions, and the memories you create.
Bobby was an exceptional engineer, father, husband and friend who had a lasting impact on many of us. In fact, I would argue Bobby was one of the most impactful engineers in my tenure on developing and transforming younger engineers on how to think critically on complex offshore systems and processes.
Bobby’s legacy in my industry will push on for many years, and we are forever grateful for the time we had with him.”
More from his colleagues:
Bobby dedicated much of his professional life to BSEE, where he served as a Technical Advisor since January 2020, and for the previous seven years as Well Operations Section Chief and Drilling Engineer in the Houma District.
His expertise in well control, drilling engineering, and offshore regulatory compliance was invaluable. He contributed significantly as a subject matter expert and assistant content writer for the BSEE Well Control Rule Revision Team, helping shape post-Deepwater Horizon reforms, and provided technical insights on critical projects ranging from tropical cyclone risk assessments for floating rigs to hydrate pressure coring expeditions and incident investigations.
Bobby’s commitment to safety and environmental stewardship on the Gulf of America’s Outer Continental Shelf left a lasting impact on his colleagues and the industry.
He is survived by his loving wife, Amber, whom he met at BSEE, and their young daughter. In this time of grief, please keep Bobby’s family in your thoughts and prayers.
Santa Ynez Unit – no production but great theater!
Posted in California, energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, tagged BSEE, Chris Wright, Jane Fonda, Julia-Louis Dreyfus, Phil Mickelson, PHMSA, Sable Offshore, Santa Barbara Channel, Santa Ynez Unit, Ted Danson on January 22, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“The Santa Barbara Channel has been dubbed the Galápagos of North America” ~ Maggie Hall, Environmental Defense Center attorney. (comments: 1. clever branding ala calling ANWR “America’s Serengeti!;” 2. no natural oil seeps in the Galapagos Islands; 3. 130 years of oil production history in the Channel)
Sable opponents organize entertaining rallies featuring famous celebrities:
Meanwhile, Sable has some starpower of its own with strong public support from golfer Phil Mickelson.
Senior Federal officials and key agencies are outspoken Sable supporters:
“Only in California! Newsom is blocking oil production off California’s coast from reaching their own refineries, driving gasoline prices even higher for Californians! Now, this oil production will have to be shipped elsewhere, lowering gas prices for other areas— just not for California! This is the opposite of common sense!” ~ Energy Secretary Chris Wright
BSEE declared victory 6 months ago: “This is a significant achievement for the Interior Department and aligns with the Administration’s Energy Dominance initiative, as it successfully resumed production in just five months.”
on December 23, 2025, the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) declared jurisdiction over and issued an emergency special permit for the Santa Ynez Pipeline System.
Perhaps most entertaining are the exchanges on X between Sable bulls and short-sellers. A few examples are embedded below:
Gulf of America – violations decline on level inspection numbers
Posted in Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, tagged 2025 inspections, BSEE, Cox Operating, enforcement, incident data, INCs, Sable Offshore, violations on January 8, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Observations after reviewing publicly available 2025 BSEE inspection data:
- The number of BSEE inspections in 2025 (first chart) remained relatively constant despite the extended government shutdown.
- The decline in the number of Incidents of Noncompliance (INCs) in 2025 is encouraging (chart 2).
- Given that BSEE’s tables have yet to be updated to include 2024 incidents, let alone 2025, it’s difficult to assess whether there have been similar declines in the number and severity of incidents. We do know that there were no occupational fatalities in 2025. (Note that OCS incident tables were once updated within 30 days at the end of each quarter. The public has a right to timely information on the type of incidents that are occurring, the operating companies, and the resulting casualties, pollution, and property damage.)
- Chart 3 shows the decline in INCs by type – warnings, component shut-ins, and facility shut-ins
- As is typically the case, a few companies accounted for a disproportionate number of violations, most notably the Cox legacy operators. More on this in a subsequent post.
- The top 6 oil producers all had excellent compliance records, as did a leading shelf operator. More to follow.
- Sable Offshore, California’s most notorious operator, fared well during 77 inspections of their three platforms in the Santa Barbara Channel.
Zero fatalities during oil and gas operations on the US OCS in 2025! Kudos to the offshore industry, BSEE, and the Coast Guard!
Posted in accidents, Offshore Energy - General, Offshore Wind, tagged BSEE, OCS oil and gas, offshore accidents, Offshore Wind, USCG, zero fatalities on January 6, 2026| Leave a Comment »
BOE is pleased to report that there were no occupational fatalities during oil and gas operations on the US OCS in 2025!
There were also zero fatalities in 2023. Two of the past three years were thus fatality free. One fatality occurred during decommissioning operations in 2024.
One fatality was associated with US offshore wind development in 2025. A crew member died while conducting vessel maintenance on a ship working for Equinor on the Empire Wind project.
Offshore energy chief leaves Interior
Posted in energy policy, Regulation, tagged BBG1, BOEM, BSEE, Kenny Stevens, Lanny Erdos, Leslie Beyer, Matthew Giacona, offshore energy, US Dept. of the Interior on December 26, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Leslie Beyer, Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management (ASLM), has stepped down from her post as the leader of the Dept of the Interior’s offshore energy programs. She was the senior official at this month’s BGG1 lease sale, and made strong remarks about the importance of the offshore oil and gas program. Ms. Beyer was confirmed by the Senate in September.
Lanny Erdos, Director, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, has been named Acting ASLM.
This leaves the offshore energy program without a confirmed Asst. Secretary and with Acting Directors at both BOEM (Matthew Giacona) and BSEE (Kenny Stevens).
BSEE Safety Alert addresses recent Emergency Disconnect incidents
Posted in accidents, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, tagged BSEE, Deepwater Horizon, EDS, Emergency Disconnect Sequence, riser disconnect, Safety Alert on December 9, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Several BSEE Safety Alerts have just been released. Of particular importance to those interested in deepwater drilling is the attached alert describing two separate Emergency Disconnect Sequence (EDS) incidents.
The EDS (see the diagram above) is a critically important safety protocol that ensures that a well is sealed and the riser and rig are disconnected from the blowout preventer in the event of a well control emergency, unforeseen weather/ocean conditions, loss of power, or positioning system malfunction. Note that the Macondo blowout could have been prevented if the Deepwater Horizon crew had activated the EDS in a timely manner.
The two EDS events cited in the Safety Alert were presumably the March 28, 2025 and March 5, 2024 incidents investigated by BSEE district offices. The drillships were the Stanley Lafosse and the Deepwater Poseidon The investigation reports provide detailed information on these incidents.
Unintended riser disconnects not associated with EDS activations are a related safety and pollution concern that necessitated the issuance of a 2000 Notices to Lessees that was subsequently updated:
New Bedford Light: “Seventeen months on, Vineyard Wind blade break investigation isn’t done”
Posted in accidents, Offshore Wind, Regulation, tagged blade failure, BSEE, investigation, New Bedford Light, panel reports, publication delays, Vineyard Wind on December 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Excellent New Bedford Light piece on the unacceptable delay in completing the blade failure investigation report.
The Town of Nantucket’s attorney, Greg Werkheiser of Cultural Heritage Partners, told The Light last month that “it’s taken far too long” to get a final report on the blade failure.
It’s noteworthy that there have also been unacceptable delays in issuing panel reports for serious offshore oil and gas incidents:
| ncident date | report date | elapsed time (months) | incident type |
| 5/15/2021 | 10/31/2023 | 29.5 | fatality |
| 1/24/2021 | 7/24/2023 | 30 | fatality |
| 8/23/2020 | 2/15/2023 | 30 | fatality |
| 7/25/2020 | 2/15/2023 | 31 | spill |
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 