Director's Corner - Implementing the Well Control Rule

In the six weeks since the final Well Control Rule was published in the Federal Register, my staff at the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has begun receiving questions about the specifics of implementation. I’m happy to announce that this week my implementation team released answers to the first set of inquiries in the form of a Q&A on our website, BSEE.gov. I would also like to welcome all questions through our dedicated email address, wellcontrolrule@bsee.gov. The website and email address represent part of our efforts to guide the Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas industry as it prepares to comply with this long-awaited final rule.

The Well Control Rule marks the culmination of improved offshore safety efforts that began shortly after the Deepwater Horizontragedy in April 2010. Those efforts include the creation of BSEE, expansion of inspections, enhanced coordination among government agencies, requiring operators to establish and follow Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS), and the establishment of rules that will greatly reduce the possibility of another uncontrolled blowout, such as occurred at the Macondo well site.

Although the Well Control Rule doesn’t take effect until July 28, 2016 – and even then allows offshore energy operators a substantial amount of time to implement certain aspects – it’s understandable that a number of operators want fast responses to their questions. Our Bureau is committed to respond to inquiries as quickly as possible, and will be updating our Q&A page regularly at BSEE.gov. Our goal is to help everyone comply with the Well Control Rule, so if you have questions, I invite you to send them to us.