POLISCOPE
Back to feed
FEDERALhearing transcript

Congressional Hearing on Safety Oversight at the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement

Original title: EXAMINING GAO FINDINGS ON DEFICIENCIES AT THE BUREAU OF SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT

January 1, 2017

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

The Frame

What this does

This hearing addresses the federal government's ability to safely regulate offshore energy activities, directly impacting the oversight of environmental and safety standards for energy production.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement

The agency is the subject of the GAO's high-risk designation and is required to address the identified management deficiencies.

Department of the Interior

The Department oversees the BSEE and is responsible for implementing the management improvements requested by the GAO.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2017.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The House Subcommittee on the Interior, Energy, and Environment held a hearing to review Government Accountability Office (GAO) findings regarding ongoing management deficiencies at the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). The hearing focused on why the BSEE remains on the GAO's 'high-risk' list and what steps are needed to address these persistent operational issues.

Key Facts

  • The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has been placed on the GAO's 'high-risk' list due to persistent management deficiencies.
  • The GAO released a new report on March 21, 2017, detailing current findings regarding BSEE's operational status.
  • The hearing was held on March 21, 2017, in the Rayburn House Office Building.
  • The subcommittee acknowledged that while BSEE has made some efforts to resolve previously identified issues, substantial room for improvement remains.
  • The hearing included testimony from both the Department of the Interior and the GAO.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) on a 'high-risk' list?
The GAO identified persistent management deficiencies that require significant improvement to ensure effective oversight of safety and environmental standards.
What was the purpose of this hearing?
To examine the findings of a new GAO report and discuss potential solutions to the management issues at BSEE.

Why It Matters

This hearing addresses the federal government's ability to safely regulate offshore energy activities, directly impacting the oversight of environmental and safety standards for energy production.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Sponsors

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Persistent High-Risk Status

The document highlights a recurring pattern where the BSEE remains on the GAO high-risk list despite reported efforts to implement reforms.

Connected Entities

organizationBureau of Safety and Environmental EnforcementFederal agency responsible for offshore energy safety and environmental oversighMap →
personBlake FarentholdChairman of the Subcommittee on the Interior, Energy, and EnvironmentMap →
personFrank RuscoDirector, Natural Resources and Environment-Energy Issues, GAOMap →
personRichard T. CardinaleActing Assistant Secretary for Lands and Mineral Management, Department of the IMap →
organizationGovernment Accountability OfficeFederal watchdog agency that issued the report on BSEE deficienciesMap →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance65
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy30
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz20
    Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools

Share or embed this record

POLISCOPE publisher tools

Share or embed this record