Trump Watch > Rollbacks

Interior Department announces plan to weaken safety regs on offshore drilling sites

In a move that delighted the oil and gas industry, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced its intention to weaken safety regulations at offshore drilling sites. The proposed revisions include removing a deadline for well-failure investigations and ending a requirement for more frequent inspections by independent certified auditors. The Trump administration is specifically targeting rules that were put in place after the horrific BP Deepwater Horizon explosion, which killed 11 workers and thousands of marine animals. Two-hundred million gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico as it took BP 87 days to stop the leak—and cost the company nearly $62 billion. So fossil fuel companies are OK with cutting safety regulations, risking irreparable damage to ecosystems, endangering human lives, and chancing a price tag like that? You might want to invite some oil execs to poker night. These guys sure are some terrible gamblers. 

Related Content

Skip carousel items

What We Learned from the BP Oil Disaster

ExplainerUnited States, LouisianaPatrick Rogers
The resulting loss to life, livelihoods, and the environment hasn't slowed offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. But it should.

The Fight to Keep Oil and Gas Rigs Out of Our Waters. For Good.

NRDC in ActionAlaska, Florida, California, Washington, United StatesMelissa Denchak
NRDC played a key role in banning offshore drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Once again, it’s fighting to protect those oceans—and the rest of America’s waters.

BP Cries Pauper over Gulf Spill Penalties, Blames Low Gas Prices

Expert BlogDavid Pettit
Byron Encalade

Disaster in the Gulf

ExplainerUnited StatesNicole Greenfield
Years later, not much has changed—including the impulse to drill.

How Deep Were the Impacts of the BP Oil Disaster?

ExplainerUnited StatesMelissa Denchak
A decade later, the Gulf of Mexico is still far from fully recovered.