President Joe Biden's administration on Monday reimposed safety regulations from the Obama administration that were relaxed by former President Donald Trump.
The Obama administration instituted stricter safety rules for drilling after the Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010 killed 11 people and resulted in over 130 million gallons of fuel leaking into the Gulf of Mexico. The Trump administration decreased the standards imposed by Obama in 2019.
"This proposed rulemaking will help ensure that offshore energy development utilizes the latest science and technology to keep people safe," Interior Secretary Deb Haaland told reporters on Monday, adding that the move will "improve conditions for offshore workers and the public."
She also chided the previous administration for working to "tip the balance of oversight of offshore activities back to the oil and gas industry."
"Offshore drilling is inherently dirty and dangerous, and blowout preventers are not reliable," Diane Hoskins, campaign director for the conservation group Oceana, said in a statement, according to Bloomberg. "While the new safety measures being proposed are a step in the right direction, no operator can promise there won't be another disaster like BP's Deepwater Horizon blowout."
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