Oil, Coal, and Gas Regulations
Oil, gas, and coal are three of the most widely used energy sources in America. Unfortunately, all three take a terrible toll on human populations and the environment, both during the extraction process and use. Government agencies including the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) monitor and regulate these economic sectors, and numerous laws have been passed to address the negative externalities created by these industries.
Commentary
PG&E’s success in Washington led to failure in San Bruno
Cry Wolf Quotes
...we are not supportive of the extensive, prescriptive regulations as proposed in this rule. We believe industry's current safety and environmental statistics demonstrate that the voluntary programs implemented since the adoption of API RP 75 have been and continue to be very successful.
These regulations, taken in combination with other pending requirements, will have serious affects on the petroleum industry, the economy, and the nation--reducing investment in capacity and new technologies, making domestic refiners less competitive in the global marketplace, increasing imports of refined products by up to 500,000 barrels per day, increasing consumer prices for products such as gasoline and heating oil, and reducing industry employment.
The fallout from the act is coming. It is like the sword of Damocles hanging over the industry.
OPA 90 -- virtually everyone affected, except the environmentalists, think it is as the 'Rocky Horror Picture Show.' Congress crafted it in an emotional bonfire, which was ignited by the massive spill at Valdez.
