Offshore accountability act introduced

On the anniversary (Jan. 28) of the 1969 Santa Barbara, Calif., oil spill, U.S. Rep. A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.) introduced the Offshore Accountability Act of 2020. The bipartisan legislation would require off-shore drilling operators to report failures of critical safety systems directly to the Secretary of the Interior Department, who would be required to publicly disclose the reports. Currently, legally required reporting of safety equipment failure is sent anonymously to the Department of Transportation’s SafeOCS, a third-party confidential reporting system. As a result, the information is not accessible to the public or Congress. “The lack of transparency … fosters a deeply concerning culture of secrecy around the offshore oil and gas industry,” said McEachin. “... I believe all Americans, especially those in coastal communities, dependent on critical ecosystems, deserve transparency (and) particularly when equipment failures can result in significant devastation for coastal economies, wildlife and the environment. The Offshore Accountability Act of 2020 is co-sponsored a pair of Florida of Florida Republicans, Rep. Matt Gaetz (NW Fla.) and Rep. Vern Buchanan, among others. The bill is also endorsed by a number of environmental groups. (Source: Work Boat 01/30/20) https://www.workboat.com/news/offshore/bill-introduced-to-report-failures-of-offshore-drilling-safety-systems/