Trump proposes $199.9 million in FY 19 budget for BSEE
President Donald Trump has proposed a $199.9 million Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 budget for the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). The 2019 BSEE budget fully supports the safe and environmentally responsible development of the nation’s vast offshore energy resources. BSEE will support the administration’s objective of facilitating energy dominance through increased domestic oil and gas production by reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens while maintaining or advancing the level of safety and environmental protection.
The FY 2019 budget request of $199.9 million includes an estimate of $67.9 million in offsetting collections. Offsetting collections includes $20.3 million for rental receipts, $3.8 million for cost recoveries and $43.8 million for inspection fees.
“The president’s proposed FY 2019 budget will enable BSEE to fulfill its mission to ensure the safe and environmentally sustainable exploration, development and production of America’s offshore energy resources,” Director Scott A. Angelle said.
BSEE’s FY 2019 budget will continue to focus on the bureau’s commitment to practical and efficient approaches that foster safe and dependable energy production.
BSEE’s 2016-2019 Strategic Plan and the Director’s “Change Management Action Plan” initiatives will guide the bureau through current and future Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) activities. The action plan initiatives are focused on creating an organization that has strong and smart programs and processes moving forward and are focused around improving and streamlining processes, ensuring the efficient use of resources within BSEE, developing an accountable, competent and engaged workforce, and integrating effective stakeholder engagement. Specific tasks include the BSEE inspection strategy incorporating a risk-based inspection protocol, evaluating the permitting processes and time frames to ensure efficient use of resources consistent with program needs, addressing recommendations from the Government Accountability Office, the Inspector General, and other outside organizations, and developing a human capital operating plan that advances the bureau’s workforce.
BSEE’s inspection strategy employs a two part risk-based inspection Program that focuses on low-probability, high-consequence items on specific facilities, and a separate inspection protocol that focuses on reducing the likelihood of events on the OCS through identification of trends that warrant the attention of focused inspections.
BSEE has undertaken change initiatives to increase participation in the bureau’s efforts in collecting and using near-miss data to identify operational trends. BSEE continues to work with both operators and contractors to encourage the collection, analysis and dissemination of critical safety data, issues and trends across the industry.
Currently, BSEE is developing a new human capital operating plan that will reflect the goals, strategies, and initiatives of the organization. Some of the more notable initiatives in progress are the development of competencies for the bureau’s mission critical occupations, completing the first cohort of its leadership development program, implementation of a mentoring program, and obtaining consultative support to evaluate its technical training program and explore certification programs for its inspector workforce.
BSEE’s FY 2019 Budget Justification is available here, and additional details on the president’s FY 2019 Budget proposal are available on the department’s website.
