History
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) was formally established on October 1, 2011 as part of a major reorganization of the Department of the Interior's offshore regulatory structure.
BSEE uses the full range of authorities, policies and tools to compel safety, emergency preparedness, environmental responsibility and appropriate development and conservation of offshore oil and natural gas resources. Key functions include:
- an offshore regulatory program that develops standards and regulations and emphasizes a culture of safety in all offshore activities;
- oil spill response preparation including review of industry Oil Spill Response Plans to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements;
- environmental enforcement with a focus on compliance by operators with all applicable environmental regulations, as well as ensuring that operators adhere to the stipulations of their approved leases, plans and permits;
- and funding scientific research to enhance the information and technology needed to build and sustain the organizational, technical and intellectual capacity within and across BSEE’s key functions that keeps pace with industry technological improvements, innovates regulation and enforcement and reduces risk through systematic assessment and regulatory and enforcement actions in order to better carry out the BSEE mission.
The bureau maintains regional offices in Anchorage, Alaska, Camarillo, Calif., and New Orleans, La., with additional district offices along the Gulf coast.
Reforms
Reorganization