06/09/2016
WASHINGTON – More than 600 people gathered at the Newseum on May 7-9 to address the variety of challenges the world’s oceans face during Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW), the Nation’s premier ocean stewardship event. Sponsored by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (NMSF), CHOW brings together political leaders, industry heads, and senior staff from nonprofit organizations to discuss a broad array of ocean-related topics, including offshore energy. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) sponsored one of the dozen booths at the conference.
In addition to energy, the major topics on this year’s agenda were marine fisheries, restoration efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, and technological advancements related to vessel tracking. The conference highlighted the complexity of the ocean environment and the difficulty of managing a system that is shared by virtually every nation. One speaker noted that tens of thousands of commercial ships ply the world’s oceans at any given time, transporting goods, capturing sea life, extracting energy, and ferrying travelers.
BSEE staff fielded a number of questions related to the Bureau’s efforts to prevent oil spills and its role in forthcoming wind energy projects. Several participants asked about BSEE’s rigs-to-reefs program and wanted to know what BSEE was doing to protect marine sanctuaries. BSEE works closely with the National Marine Fisheries Service, other federal partners (such as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Environmental Protection Agency), and coastal states who share the Bureau’s goal of protecting marine sanctuaries and ensuring the long-term health of our oceans and the energy workers who spend much of their lives at sea.
More than 30 nonprofit organizations and government agencies interacted with BSEE staff over the course the three-day event. With more than 53% of the U.S. population living in coastal regions, activities on the OCS are likely to remain a perennial topic of interest for our Nation. Conversations about offshore wind energy’s potential to significantly contribute to the Nation’s energy needs were peppered with concerns that this growing industry poses some level of risk to workers and the environment. BSEE is emerging as a leader in the area of safety regulation of wind energy and has trained inspectors ready to engage in oversight activities as wind farms advance through design, construction, and production phases.
BSEE and BOEM are in the process of designating authority that will make BSEE responsible for environmental oversight, facility inspections, and regulatory enforcement of renewable energy. Meanwhile, BSEE continues to promote environmental stewardship in the offshore oil and gas sectors through integrated prevention, compliance, and preparedness activities. Participating in conferences such as CHOW helps BSEE explain to stakeholders its mission to promote safety, protect the environment, and conserve resources offshore through vigorous regulatory oversight and enforcement.
Attendees of Capitol Hill Ocean Week listen to a panel discussion on tracking commercial ships at sea, mostly with the aid of satellites.