BOEM air pollution standards the second blow in a week for offshore drillers

The US government has issued tighter standards on air pollution relating to offshore oil and gas drilling activities.

The announcement came from the Department of the Interior’s DOI) Bureau of Ocean Energy management (BOEM) and features rules that focus on reducing emissions from all manner of offshore-related activities, from oil-drilling platforms to the icebreakers that clear passage in the Arctic.

These are the first updates to the offshore air standards in more than 30 years.

Oil industry spokesmen criticized the updates saying there are minimal proven negative effects on air quality from offshore drilling. They also said the BOEM decision was premature because it prejudges an ongoing study of the topic by the BOEM itself, which is due to complete next year.

Environmentalists lauded the new rules saying that, in Arctic drilling, air pollution impacts icebergs and contributes to the melting of the ice.

It was the second blow to offshore drillers in a matter of days, following Tuesday’s U-turn by the administration on offshore Atlantic drilling policy.