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Biden Administration Reinstitutes Offshore Drilling Rules After Deepwater Horizon

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FILE - Wilson Ruiz, a crew member of the Joe Griffin, looks out at the oil slick at the site of the BP Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig collapse in the Gulf of Mexico on May 6, 2010. The Biden administration has tightened offshore oil drilling safety regulations, including rules regarding the use of “blowout preventer” devices on offshore oil and gas drilling rigs. Planned changes announced last fall were finalized Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023 — more than 13 years after the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster that killed 11 workers and spewed an estimated 130 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

Overview

  • The Department of the Interior announced stricter offshore drilling rules under President Biden, reinstating Obama-era regulations.
  • The rules were weakened under Trump but now require real-time monitoring and stronger blowout preventers.
  • The oil/gas industry argues the new rules are burdensome, but the administration says they will prevent disasters.
  • Compliance costs are disputed, with the industry estimating $200 million over 10 years.
  • The move comes years after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion killed 11 and caused an environmental catastrophe.