Lawmakers greet remarriage of offshore energy agencies with concern, shrugs

Some lawmakers appeared unfamiliar with an administration plan to undo reforms stemming from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Lawmakers this week offered a mix of reservations and support — and more than a few shrugs — to the Interior Department's plan to unify two agencies that manage offshore energy.

The White House last week unveiled plans to merge the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, both of which manage offshore energy production in federal waters. The plan to combine the agencies into the Marine Minerals Administration was also laid out in the president’s budget proposal.

Although the first Trump administration weighed a similar plan, the new proposal was not widely anticipated. Multiple senators appeared unaware as of Tuesday.

Democratic lawmakers familiar with the proposal expressed distaste for the administration's direction, while several Republicans offered support for what they see as streamlining.

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By:  Ian M. Stevenson
Source: E&E News By POLITICO

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