Oil, natural gas industry task forces hold first meeting

WASHINGTON, May 11, 2010 – Two industry task forces created in response to the Deepwater Horizon incident held their first meeting in Houston Monday and are working expeditiously to provide recommendations to the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The oil and natural gas industry formed the task forces as a complement to the Outer Continental Shelf Safety Oversight Board, which DOI established as part of the federal government’s ongoing review of offshore drilling issues in the wake of the incident. The task forces are not involved in the review of the incident, but bring together industry experts to identify best practices in offshore drilling equipment and operations, with the ultimate goal of enhancing safety and environmental protection. The task forces will provide recommendations to DOI, which is tasked with submitting a report on the incident to President Obama on May 28, 2010.

"The Gulf of Mexico oil spill demands that our industry get to work immediately to reexamine our offshore operations, procedure and technology to ensure our commitment to safety is uncompromised," said API President and CEO Jack Gerard. "In an effort to assist and complement the government, leading experts from across our industry are exploring whether any improvements in industry operations could result in improved offshore safety and stronger environmental protections."

Combined, the task forces include dozens of experts from across the U.S. oil and natural gas industry.

The Offshore Equipment Task Force brings together equipment manufacturers, industry subsea equipment specialists and deepwater contractors and focuses on blowout-preventer (BOP) equipment and remotely operated vehicles. The task force is reviewing current BOP equipment designs, testing protocols and regulations to determine if any gaps exist or improvements can be made and make recommendations on those issues.

The Offshore Operating Procedures Task Force leverages the expertise of offshore operators and members of the service sector to review the critical processes associated with the drilling and completion of deep water wells. The task force is working to identify gaps between existing practices and regulations and industry best practices, then recommend practices and procedures that will move the industry’s safety and operations standards to a higher level of performance.

The task forces are working expeditiously to serve both short-term and longer-term needs. In the short term, the task forces can provide recommendations to the DOI regarding Gulf of Mexico deepwater drilling operations. In the long-term, industry can use the findings from the task forces’ reviews to revise existing API standards to reflect any identified improvements.

Updated: May 11, 2010