American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2020 - 17

impacts of fracturing. As part of the
litigation settlement, the agency agreed
to delay any new oil or gas lease sales
by the Bakersfield field office until it
completed a final analysis and ROD.
The 2014 RMP and ROD determines
area available for oil and gas
development on 1.2 million acres of
federal minerals, including 400,000
surface acres of BLM-managed public
lands, the agency describes. Those
documents make approximately 1
million acres available for oil and gas
leasing with stipulations to protect
resources. The new analysis doesn't
include any new stipulations.
"No leases are issued, and no permits
to drill are approved with the signing of
this decision," BLM notes. "If
proposed, new leases and/or requests for
permits to drill and their potential
impacts would be addressed at the site
or project-specific level in a subsequent
tiered environmental analysis."
In other BLM news, the agency
received more than $11 million in total
high bids for its lease sale in the
National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska.
The sale of 1 million acres on Alaska's
North Slope averaged $11 an acre.
North Slope Exploration LLC
dominated the bidding, accounting for
85 of 92 tracts offered. ConocoPhillips
Alaska and Alaska Emerald House LLC
also submitted bids. ❒

in-field learning. This latest edition of
AP 75 reflects state-of-the-art systems
to drive safety and environmental
protection in offshore operations."
Among the changes unveiled in RP
75 that expand the safety and
environmental management system are:
· Extending its standard for use
globally, beyond its focus on domestic
operations in the U.S. Outer Continental
Shelf;
· Providing guidance on how
companies should interface with each
other to ensure operational risks are
managed, and safety and environmental

protections are maintained;
· Expanding the types of operations
that could fall under SEMS risk
management expectations, providing
greater consideration of human
performance;
· Structuring the standard to
encourage use by contractors and
subcontractors; and
· Including advancements in
technology, operations and overall
knowledge.
API says RP 75 has been used for 25
years to promote safety and
environmental protection at offshore

API Revises Standards
For Offshore Operations
WASHINGTON-The American
Petroleum Institute has released a
significantly updated version of a key
safety standard targeting worker safety,
incident prevention and environmental
protection in offshore operations.
The institute says API
Recommended Practice 75 provides
guidance for establishing,
implementing, maintaining and
continually improving a safety and
environmental management system
(SEMS) for offshore operations. API
describes RP 75 as a performance-based
document that provides a systematic
methodology for companies to identify
and manage operational risks, enhance
worker safety and protect the
environment.
"Producing oil and gas safely while
protecting our environment is a top
priority for API and its members," says
Debra Phillips, senior vice president of
API's Global Industry Services. "API
continuously updates its standards to
reflect new technologies, techniques and
JANUARY 2020 17
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American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2020

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