Ocean Energy Safety Advisory Committee (OESC)

April 25, 2012

Director Watson addressed the Ocean Energy Safety Advisory Committee (OESC) where he identified recent progresses made by BSEE to improve safety and new recruitment incentives for critical career fields within BSEE.

During the meeting, Director Watson highlighted BSEE's regulatory priorities, improvements to technical training for BSEE personnel and staffing increases. Watson also announced authorities made available to BSEE that for the first time, allow the agency to offer a 25% base salary increase for both new and current geologists, geophysicists, and petroleum engineers within most locations in the Gulf of Mexico Region.

BSEE competes with the offshore oil and gas industry for the best qualified geologists, geophysicists, and petroleum engineers in the Gulf of Mexico Region. Because the private sector is not bound by the same recruitment, retention, and salary limitations as the public sector, BSEE has been faced with many challenges to recruit and retain employees in these particular positions. BSEE's new salary incentive enables the bureau to better compete for potential employees with these skills and training.

The OESC is a public federal advisory body including some of the nation’s leading scientific, engineering and technical experts. Chaired by former Sandia National Laboratory Director Dr. Tom Hunter, the group consists of 15 members from federal agencies, the offshore oil and gas industry, academia, and nongovernmental organizations. The Committee provides critical policy advice to the Secretary of the Interior through the BSEE Director on improving all aspects of offshore energy safety. During the public meeting, the OESC addressed safety management systems, safety culture, and the OESC Subcommittees’ activities to date on the issues of oil spill prevention, spill containment, spill response, and safety management systems.