American Oil and Gas Reporter - April 2018 - 123

SPECIAL REPORT: GULF OF MEXICO
Gulf of Mexico. However, a number of
proposed Lower Tertiary projects will require these systems," he surmises. "What
is important about Buckskin is that it
does not require 20K systems. We are
able to use conventional 15K technology
and our standardized development approach on Buckskin."
Fowler mentions that since entering
Buckskin, LLOG has been studying 20k
and has been getting more comfortable
with the technology, and may acquire
20k projects in the near future.

Other than drilling contractor Seadrill,
key vendors and contractors on Buckskin
include:
* TechnipFMC, which is providing
subsea equipment, including trees, manifolds,
connectors and valves under a 10-year alliance agreement with LLOG (TechnipFMC
also is responsible for installing the flowlines
and risers, and its subsidiary, Genesis, is
responsible for the riser design);
* McDermott International, which is
installing the umbilicals and subsea distribution systems;

* Aker Solutions, which is providing
both the production and gas-lift and umbilicals;
* Tenaris, which is providing the
flowline and riser pipe;
* Pinnacle Engineering, which is performing subsea engineering work;
* Wood, which is conducting topsides
engineering work;
* 2H Offshore, which is conducting
buckling and thermal analysis; and
* DNV, which is acting as the riser
certified verification agent.
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Chamber Backs Infrastructure Reform
WASHINGTON-Modernizing the nation's infrastructure is a top policy priority
for the U.S. business community, and
the U.S. Chamber of Commerce urges
Congress and the White House to take
immediate, meaningful action to advance
legislation to fund that initiative.
"It's time to invest in a 21st-century
infrastructure to support and grow our
21st-century economy," says Thomas J.
Donohue, U.S. Chamber president and
chief executive officer. "It's time to approach this as a national imperative for
long-term growth and competitiveness,
not an exercise in parochial politics."
The U.S. Chamber's recommendations
for an infrastructure package include:
* Increasing the federal fuel user fee
by 25 cents;
* Implementing a multifaceted approach to leveraging more public and
private resources;
* Streamlining the permitting process
at federal, state and local levels; and
* Expanding the nation's workforce
through work-based learning and immigration reform.
"It isn't a set of demands. It's a handful
of ideas that we believe policymakers
should consider as they begin work on
this critical national priority. We will
work with anyone . . . who is committed
to getting this done for our country,"
Donohue pledges.
Needed Changes
According to the U.S. Chamber, it
has long advocated for a modest increase
in the federal fuel user fee to fund infrastructure improvements. "It's the simplest,
fairest and most effective way to raise
the money we need for roads, bridges

and transit," Donohue says. "Our leaders
need to stop hiding behind the fallacy
that this can't be done, and just go do it."
Congress last increased the gasoline
tax in 1993, the U.S. Chamber notes.
Since then, inflation has eroded nearly
40 percent of the value it generates. In
addition, it points out vehicles are significantly more fuel efficient than they were
25 years ago, and as a result, motorists
use less fuel to drive the same number of
miles, and there is significantly less revenue
to maintain the roads on which they drive.
He adds the group's vision for an infrastructure package goes well beyond a
gasoline tax. He pledges the U.S. Chamber
will push for an entire tool kit of funding
and financing options.
The group calculates the nation's infrastructure needs exceed $2 trillion. To
finance those needed projects, the U.S.
Chamber urges Congress to expand and
improve federal loan programs involving
transportation, including those authorized
by the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFTA), Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) Act, and Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation (WIFIA)
Act, to make it easier for the private
sector to participate in infrastructure projects and leverage an average of $40 for
each dollar of federal funding.
The group says on average it takes five
years to complete an environmental impact
statement, a federal requirement for many
projects. The U.S. Chamber seeks to reduce
permitting time to no more than two years
for all federal infrastructure permits. "Without permitting reform, all the funding and
financing you could dream of won't get
the job done," he predicts.

The group recommends:
* Merging sequential and duplicative
federal environmental reviews;
* Ending duplication of completed
environmental reviews and studies;
* Implementing citizen lawsuit reform
to prevent misuse of environmental laws
and ensure that post-approval lawsuits
don't needlessly delay projects; and
* Codifying the "one federal decision"
approach so that there is a single agency
responsible for shepherding a project
through the approval process.
A majority of contractors struggled to
find skilled workers in 2017, and anticipate
facing the same challenge in 2018, the
chamber says. In the first 11 months of
2017, it reports, there was an average of
192,000 unfilled construction job openings
each month, an increase of 119 percent
from an average of 88,000 a month five
years ago.
In order to build a skilled workforce
that will be ready to undertake infrastructure projects in the years ahead,
Donohue says the U.S. Chamber supports
immigration reform and also is committed
to advancing employer-led solutions for
closing the skills gap. The group points
out 41,000 workers subject to the Deferred
Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
policy are employed by the construction
industry, as are 51,000 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries. The
group urges Congress to act to ensure
those workers can continue to live and
work in this country.
"This is the next great opportunity to
do something significant, something longlasting, and something long overdue, for
our nation's future," Donohue concludes.
"And, it will benefit all of us."
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APRIL 2018 123

American Oil and Gas Reporter - April 2018

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