US administration halts funding for drilling safety study

[Joanna + 68]

US administration has paused its funding for a major study meant to improve how regulators enforce offshore oil and natural gas drilling safety.

 

[JohnAtronis + 78]

BSEE spokesman Gregory Julian said the pause will allow the agency to evaluate whether the National Academies study is duplicating efforts already underway to improve its inspections. 

[Joanna + 68]

This is the second time Trump’s Interior Department has halted a National Academies study. In August, the Office of Surface Mining stopped funding for a study into the potential health effects of people living near mountaintop removal mining operations.

[JohnAtronis + 78]

austerity measures, just that

[Joanna + 68]

The Gulf Coast still hasn't fully recover from the BP blow-out. Now it appears that incident, according to some studies,, was 100% avoidable.

[Stephen + 67]

Safety is overrated. The economy will grow so much everyone will forget about the dead rig workers and coal miners

[JohnAtronis + 78]

13 minutes ago, Joanna said:

US administration has paused its funding for a major study meant to improve how regulators enforce offshore oil and natural gas drilling safety.

 

decisions most likely influenced by oil lobbyists 

[Joanna + 68]

1 minute ago, JohnAtronis said:

decisions most likely influenced by oil lobbyists 

Preventing spills interferes with oil industry profits

[Meanwhile + 49]

let them duplicate. duplicate ten times. so, should we have some private company do a study or research. Those are always compromised. Much of modern technology is the result of government studies. That's why you have cancer drugs, an internet connection, robots on Mars, etc.

[Joanna + 68]

no need to pull "common sense" argument these days

“One thing we should all be able to agree on is that safety is of paramount importance, so preventing a study like this simply flies in the face of common sense,” Jacqueline Savitz, a vice president with the environmental group Oceana said.

[Stephen + 67]

A bureau spokesman, Gregory Julian, said the study was suspended because it might not be needed. “Simply put, we paused the study because it appeared to be duplicative of ongoing work.”

Failed to mention what ongoing work. BP's maybe?

[Meanwhile + 49]

Trump has proposed $1.6 billion in funding cuts for the department next year, and Secretary Ryan Zinke aims to eliminate 4,000 staff positions. Interior funds hundreds of studies undertaken by universities and scientific commissions, and it was unclear whether other studies have been suspended or eliminated. 

[Stephen + 67]

32 minutes ago, Joanna said:

US administration has paused its funding for a major study meant to improve how regulators enforce offshore oil and natural gas drilling safety.

 

Trump administration made history in October by proposing to make nearly 77 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico available for companies wanting to buy federal oil and gas leases, the largest offering in the United States. Now we know why the funding stopped

[Joanna + 68]

Just now, Stephen said:

Trump administration made history in October by proposing to make nearly 77 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico available for companies wanting to buy federal oil and gas leases, the largest offering in the United States. Now we know why the funding stopped

Right. The National Academies are nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to solve complex problems and inform policy decisions related to science, technology and medicine. 

[JohnAtronis + 78]

That is why I say leave that study to the experts and keep the know-it-all, know-nothing bureaucrats out of it. The problem now is that the government treats private entities the same they treat themselves. Which, of course, means that no one is ever held accountable.

[Stephen + 67]

Make me wonder if we're still doing the shrimp on a treadmill study.