President proposes funding for BSEE, BOEM

As part of his proposed federal budget for the 2016 financial year, President Obama has allocated $204 million in funding for the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and $170 million for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the two agencies within the Department of the Interior with primary responsibility for the oversight of oil and gas activities on the federal outer continental shelf.

BSEE said that the funding would continue to strengthen agency’s role in regulatory oversight of offshore operations.

“The president’s 2016 request fully reflects the administration’s continued emphasis by ensuring that development of the nation’s vast offshore energy resources is conducted in a safe and environmentally responsible manner,” said BSEE Director Brian Salerno. “Funds will be used to recruit expert engineers, scientists, inspectors and oil spill prevention specialists to support the development of risk-based approaches to oversight and compliance on the outer continental shelf.”

BSEE said that the 2016 budget includes $1.7 million to establish the Engineering Technology Assessment Center, for the evaluation of new and emerging technologies and develop associated safety and oversight protocols. The budget has also requested $750,000 for establishing the renewable energy inspection program, BSEE said. The budget also proposes $14.9 million for oil spill research, a funding level equal to that in 2015.

BOEM said that the funding that the president had requested would provide the agency with the resources it needs to effectively carry out its role of managing oil and gas development, renewable resources and mineral resources on the outer continental shelf.

“The president’s budget would provide us with the needed resources and personnel to expand our technical expertise to make science-informed policy decisions and effectively oversee the development of OCS resources,” said BOEM Director Abigail Ross Hopper.

In addition to funding for routine responsibilities such as the operation of outer continental shelf oil and gas lease sale programs, the proposed BOEM budget includes $1.1 million to further develop the agency’s risk management program. The president has also requested $500,000 to fund BOEM’s role in supporting the United States’ upcoming chairmanship of the Arctic Council and to increase its expertise on ecosystem science, BOEM said.

- Alan Bailey