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Posts Tagged ‘retirement’

Congratulations to John Cushing for 42 years of offshore safety leadership!

Posted in Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on October 29, 2026| 4 Comments »

John Cushing, Santa Barbara Channel

After dedicating 42 years to offshore safety, pollution prevention, marine operations, and responsible offshore energy development, John Cushing is retiring from Federal service. During his impressive career with the Coast Guard and the Dept. of the Interior, John earned the respect of energy professionals throughout govt and the offshore industry.

John’s impressive academic achievements include engineering degrees from the Coast Guard Academy and MIT. This training launched the career that followed.

Among other duties during his 24 years as a Coast Guard officer, John worked on cutters, was a marine inspector, served as a structural and stability engineer, managed the Commercial Vessel Safety Program, was Chief of the Vessel & Facility Operating Standards Division, and served as Executive Director of the National Offshore Safety Advisory Committee (NOSAC), the most important ongoing industry-govt forum for addressing offshore safety issues.

Following his military retirement, we were fortunate to recruit John to the OCS regulatory program, which is part of a DOI bureau that, rather remarkably, has had 4 different names (acronyms: MMS, BOEMRE, BSEE, and MMA) during John’s 18-year tenure.

At Interior, John applied his training and experience to provide engineering support for both the offshore oil and gas and wind programs. He rose to Chief of the Inspection Policy Branch, which managed the national inspection program, helicopter contracts, medical standards, and related offshore safety functions.

John has been similarly proactive during his “leisure time.” He is an avid hiker, kayaker, cyclist, ice hockey player, and more! This physical activity is not surprising given that his mother was among the pioneering women runners in the Boston Marathon. At 87, she continues to be enjoy hiking in the Central Massachusetts hills!

It was an honor to have worked with John and gotten to know him better. Congrats on a great career! Keep on rolling!

Enjoy the pictures that follow:

Dashing Coast Guard Academy cadet
John on the Eagle
The US Coast Guard Eagle -“America’s Tall Ship”
John and classmate on the Eagle
John as Executive Director of the National Offshore Safety Advisory Committee (NOSAC). If you can name some of the pictured committee members, I probably know you! 😀
Representing the US at IMO.
When John retired from the Coast Guard, we were happy to welcome him to MMS!
At MMS-operated Ohmsett, the National Oil Spill Response Test Facility, in Leonardo, NJ.
John practicing self-rescue during wind turbine safety training.
John’s hockey team, the Englewood Jacks (2024), a recreational league dynasty!
Evgeny Kuznetsov, star forward for the Washington Capitals, showed up to play against John’s Englewood Jacks team on 6/19/2015! They told him not to shoot on goal, so he just made amazing posses for most of the game. With the score tied at 5 in the 3rd period, they turned him loose and his team won 9-6. The Jacks were good, but not that good! 😀
John and his wife (pictured) enjoy hiking in Shenandoah National Park – “Almost Heaven.”
Kayaking into his next adventure! Best wishes John!

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Offshore Safety Leader Mike Saucier is retiring after a Hall of Fame career

Posted in Gulf of Mexico, Regulation, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 25, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Bryan Domangue presents the coveted Order of the Alligator citation to Mike Saucier
Lars Herbst welcomes Mike Saucier to our prestigious retirement organization (fMMS).

After 41 years of offshore safety leadership, Mike Saucier, an outstanding engineer and manager, is retiring from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).

Like many of the offshore program’s stalwarts, Mike earned a petroleum engineering degree from the Louisiana State University (LSU). In 1984, he began his Federal career in the Houma District Office of BSEE’s predecessor, the Minerals Management Service (MMS), where he was mentored by the great John Borne.

Mike has held many important engineering and supervisory positions including Drilling Engineer and District Manager in the highly regarded Houma District Office, Regional Supervisor for Field Operations, Regional Supervisor for District Field Operations, Acting Deputy Regional Director for District Operations, and Senior Technical Advisor for the Office of the Director. When the New Orleans District Manager retired during a hiring moratorium, Mike stepped up and assumed those duties as well.

Mike impressed his colleagues with his commitment to safety achievement, the essential core element of the offshore program. His diligence, and his firm, fair, and consistent enforcement of the safety and pollution prevention regulations, earned him respect throughout the offshore industry.

Mike is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hunting and fishing, and has 4 grandsons to mentor in those skills. Note the impressive achievements cited in the Order of the Alligator certificate (below) 😉. The Order of the Alligator recognition is most fitting given Mike’s alligator hunting expertise, which greatly impressed those of us who were unfamiliar with such exploits!

In recognition of Mike’s outstanding career, the Board of Directors of the former Minerals Management Service (fMMS) has unanimously voted to induct Mike into the fMMS Hall of Fame! Mike receives (is sentenced to? 😉) lifetime membership in the fMMS and a registered copy of the offshore world’s prized masterpiece, the painting Rig at Sunset 😉. (image and short explanation below).

Congratulations to Mike! You made a difference!

“Rig at Sunset” was painted 50 years ago by a US Geological Survey (USGS) employee who chose to remain anonymous. Initially, the masterpiece was presented to USGS (later MMS) engineers and scientists who had made important contributions to the offshore oil and gas program. Understandably, the intended recipients were so humbled by the magnificence of the painting that they could not accept it. As the painting grew in value and international prominence, framed copies were presented to outstanding retirees and the original painting was kept at a secure, undisclosed location.

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Congratulations Walter Cruickshank!

Posted in energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on June 10, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Congratulations to Walter Cruickshank on his retirement from the U.S. Dept. of the Interior!

Walter’s policy acumen, in depth understanding of the offshore program, and balanced perspective on energy development earned him the respect of the political leadership from both parties, a rare achievement. As a result, Walter served more time as Director and Deputy Director of both the Minerals Management Service and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management than any other individual. He also served as Acting Secretary of the Interior during the latest transition, a first for a career offshore program employee.

Walter earned a Bachelor of Arts in Geological Sciences from Cornell University and a Doctorate in Mineral Economics from the Pennsylvania State University (We Are!). Although his Federal career spanned more than 40 years, he has rather remarkably retained his intellect and sanity! 😉

Best wishes to Walter going forward. I hope he finds time to root for his Harwich Mariners in the Cape Cod Baseball League!

Consistent with the proud tradition of the OCS program, I am posting the masterpiece “Rig at Sunset” in Walter’s honor.

“Rig at Sunset” was painted 50 years ago by a US Geological Survey (USGS) employee who chose to remain anonymous. The masterpiece was presented to USGS (later MMS) engineers and scientists who had made important contributions to the offshore oil and gas program. Understandably, the intended recipients were so humbled by the magnificence of the painting that they could not accept it. As the painting grew in value and international prominence, framed copies were presented to retirees and the original painting was kept at a secure, undisclosed location. More on the painting’s important symbolism at a later date. 😉

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Gig Kocher retires after 57 years of Federal service

Posted in Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on November 3, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Gig Kocher (second from left) after receiving an honor award from (then) Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke (middle)

Gig Kocher recently retired from BSEE after an amazing 57 years of Federal service. Nine of those years were served in the US Air Force, and the remaining 48 were at the US Dept. of the Interior, mostly in the offshore oil and gas program.

Gig is a native New Yorker and a huge Yankees fan (tough year in that regard). However, it’s only fitting that a guy named Gig would eventually become a Texas A&M Aggie (“Gig ’em!”), where he earned a master’s degree in computer science back in the mainframe and punch card era.

Gig was a strategic planning wiz who excelled at concisely outlining the steps and tactics needed to achieve desired objectives. He managed major updates to the documents and information technology systems critical to the success of our offshore energy programs.

Gig will be greatly missed by the troops at BSEE. His retirement event went something like this: 😉

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Decommissioning update (not directed at any BOE reader😀)

Posted in decommissioning, Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized, tagged , , on July 8, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Like offshore platforms, BOE readers are useful long after “retirement”😁

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