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
If the Coast Guard implements a regulation requiring the certificates, but if there are no insurers willing to back them, then there is the possibility that all tankers would be banned from US waters.
This proposed action is a major, paper work intensive, rulemaking that will significantly impact our business, both operationally and financially, and will bring little or no benefit towards improving safety of offshore operations. In addition to the unnecessary burden to industry, it will create an additional unwarranted burden to regional MMS staff that will require additional inspector/auditor training and increased workload demand.
Elimination of sections 327 and 328 [of the Safe Water Drinking Act] would not make production of oil and natural gas in the United States any safer, but could substantially increase domestic oil and natural gas production costs, thereby decreasing domestic supply.
[By exposing shipowners to an uninsurable level of liability, the act is] 'driving away from U.S. trading many responsible shipowners who may well possess the safest tankers and the most solid financial backing to cope with pollution damage claims.'
