Interior proposes easing Arctic offshore drilling safety rules

The Trump administration is proposing to rewrite the federal rules for oil and gas drilling in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska — safety requirements adopted after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster — easing rules it says have become unnecessary burdens.

The Interior Department's proposal, announced Tuesday, would revise the 2016 requirements for exploratory drilling on the Arctic Outer Continental Shelf, the federal waters of the Beaufort and Chukchi seas. It would relax a range of spill-prevention and response rules, from blowout-preventer monitoring to relief-rig and containment requirements, and drop a separate Arctic operations-planning step. Interior says the changes cut unnecessary burdens, improve efficiency and reflect newer technology and a decade of experience, while keeping safeguards and federal oversight in place.

Secretary Doug Burgum said they ensure Arctic energy exploration proceeds "safely, responsibly and under strong federal oversight." The proposal follows President Trump's executive order "Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential."

The Arctic offshore is among the hardest places in the world to drill. Spill response there is especially difficult: the Marine Mammal Commission, an independent federal agency, notes cleanup is "complicated by harsh weather, seasonal darkness, remote locations, and the presence of sea ice." Conservation groups echo the concern.

Offshore operators, for their part, have pushed for clearer and more flexible compliance rules.

Two things limit the immediate effect. The proposal approves no lease, permit or drilling, only the rules that would apply if drilling occurs. And most of the Arctic offshore is off-limits anyway: a 2019 court ruling upheld Obama-era withdrawals covering roughly 98% of the shelf, in force unless Congress lifts them.

Alaskans will have 90 days to comment once the proposal is published.