The gulf oil spill was apparently enough to cause a government shuffle. It was announced yesterday that 2 new agencies will be made to make sure that energy development is promoted and safety is enforced.
According to the Washington Post the 2 new agencies will come out of a split of the Bureau of Ocean Energy and Management, Regulation and Enforcement.
“Wednesday’s announcement remakes that agency into the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management , which will be in charge of the development of offshore energy, and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, which will enforce safety regulation. More than a thousand employees from the former agency will be reassigned in the new structures, which are to start operating by Oct. 1.”
The real question is was the reshuffle needed. Will these two new agencies actually do more than they previously were doing as one? I don’t know the details but I imagine the agency split costs money so I would hope that it’s for something more than just a symbolic change.
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Stephen – Thanks for posting. I have watched this story emerge. As a Floridian I am interested in what this will mean for two reasons. First our state economy was adversely impacted by the Deepwater Horizon explosion even though our beaches were spared from the disaster. Still, the tourism economy took a big hit, especially on the West Coast where I reside. Second, my organization, the Collins Center for Public Policy was requested by the Senate president last year to research the pros and cons of oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Ironically, we issued our report 30 days prior to the explosion.
Creating the two agencies seem justified –distinct and separate missions where it would be difficult to be transparent and objective if the two were to continue to reside under the same roof.