Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has named current Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) Director Michael R. Bromwich to lead the newly formed Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and current BOEMRE senior adviser Tommy P. Beaudreau to lead the newly formed Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
Bromwich and Beaudreau have been highly involved in the creation of the two new bureaus, which will officially be established on Oct. 1.
Bromwich has agreed to serve as BSEE director until a permanent director is selected, and the department has launched an aggressive, nationwide recruitment effort to find a permanent director. Beaudreau will serve as BOEM's permanent director.
"We have moved quickly and thoughtfully to create strong and separate agencies to manage offshore energy development, collect energy revenues, and to oversee safety and environmental protection on the Outer Continental Shelf," Salazar says. "Director Bromwich is a top-flight manager with a track record of solving problems and implementing reform in the private sector, in the public sector and [during] his time at BOEMRE.
"Tommy Beaudreau has been an engine behind the many changes BOEMRE has made to raise the bar for safety and environmental protection in energy operations. He will be a strong, tireless and effective leader for BOEM," he adds.
The BSEE will be responsible for inspections, enforcement and safety of offshore oil and gas operations, and the BOEM will be responsible for energy leasing and planning on the Outer Continental Shelf.
