American Oil and Gas Reporter - November 2018 - 16

IndustryDigest
prevention equipment (SPPE);
· Replaces the requirement that
independent third parties certify each
SPPE device will function in the most
extreme conditions to which it will be
exposed with requirements for device
design testing, documenting the process
used to ensure the device is designed to
function as required, and independent
third-party review if the device is
moved to a new location;
· Clarifies equipment failure
reporting requirements; and
· Clarifies and revises production
safety system design requirements,
including revising professional engineer
stamping requirements, revising
requirements for piping schematics,
simplifying requirements for electrical
system information, and clarifying when
operators must update documents.
The National Ocean Industries
Association welcomes BSEE's
approach in improving these safety
regulations, applauds NOIA President
Randall Luthi.
"The revisions develop a rule that
reduces unnecessary burdens placed on
industry, while still maintaining worldclass safety and environmental
protections," he says. "We have a rule
that is not a safety rollback, but instead
incorporates modern technological
advances." r

IOGA President Craig Hedin (right) presents retiring Illinois Department of Natural
Resources Office of Oil & Gas Resource
Management Assistant Director Doug Shutt
with a marble plaque recognizing his 30plus years as an asset to both the state
and industry at the Illinois Oil & Gas Association's fall convention, held Oct. 5 at the

16 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

Department Of Interior's
Revised Science Policy
Stresses Transparency
WASHINGTON-The Department of
the Interior's new policy demands
agency personnel use "the best available
science" when making decisions, and
requires the agency to make all
information used in its rule making
available to the public.
Order 3369 requires all DOI bureaus
and offices to base decisions on the best
available science, using and prioritizing
publicly available, reproducible, peerreviewed science to the extent possible.
Any decision based on conclusions not
supported by easily available raw data,
analysis or methodology; not peer
reviewed; or not readily reproducible
should contain an explanation of why
the science used is based on the best
available information.
The order also requires the
department to post all cited scientific
literature, including reference materials
and literature not otherwise published or
readily available, on regulations.gov
concurrent with publication in the
Federal Register.
"This order is intended to ensure that
the Department of the Interior bases its
decisions on the best available science
and provide the American people with
Doubletree by Hilton in
Mount Vernon, Il. According to IOGA, more than
100 attendees enjoyed a
robust agenda that included six committee meetings
and a Board of Directors
meeting, a talk from OGRM
Director Mike Mankowski,
remarks
from
Brad
Richards of Bi-Petro and
a slickwater fracturing
presentation by Dave Allison of Anadarko Petroleum Corp. The event also
included a luncheon, during which IOGA President
Hedin and Illinois Petroleum Resources Board
President Dale Helpingstine discussed collaborative planning efforts involving both innovative and tried-and-true
public relations efforts for the oil and gas
industry. The Association of Desk & Derrick
Clubs' Heartland Chapter sponsored the
meeting's Illinois bicentennial celebration
theme by hosting bicentennial memorabilia
giveaways, including commemorative china
and coins.

enough information to thoughtfully and
substantively evaluate the data,
methodology and analysis used by the
department to inform its decision," says
David Bernhardt, DOI deputy secretary.
He adds the order is intended to ensure
Americans have sufficient information
about what the federal government is
doing to assess its actions.
DOI issued the order in response to
President Donald Trump's March 28
Executive Order 13783, which declares
it U.S. policy to develop environmental
regulations "through transparent
processes that employ the best available
peer-reviewed science and economics."
Order 3369 follows the
Environmental Protection Agency's
proposed rule, issued April 30, which
the agency says requires it to ensure
information underlying scientific
studies used when developing
regulations is publicly available in a
manner sufficient for independent
validation (see accompanying story).
The American Institute of Physics
notes both directives include a clause
permitting the requirements to be
waived on a case-by-case basis to
protect privacy, confidential business
information or national security. All
waivers must be posted on
regulations.gov. r

EPA Slows Plans For
Rule On Transparency
WASHINGTON-A proposal to
prohibit the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency from using scientific
studies that keep their underlying data
secret has been delayed. The White House
Office of Management and Budget says it
put the regulation, called "Strengthening
Transparency in Regulatory Science," on
its long-term action agenda in the latest
edition of the Trump administration's
regulatory agenda.
The proposal, published in the April
30 Federal Register, addressed the
"replication crisis," which the agency
described as recognition that a significant
portion of published research may not be
reproducible. According to then-EPA
Administrator Scott Pruitt, Americans
deserve to assess the legitimacy of the
science used for agency decisions
(AOGR, May 2018, pg. 16).
Media reports indicate EPA expects
to make the rule final early in 2020,
with other regulatory projects deemed
http://www.regulations.gov http://www.regulations.gov
American Oil and Gas Reporter - November 2018

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