The difference a year makes

On April 20, the oil and gas industry marked the one-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon accident in the deepwaters of the US Gulf of Mexico. Eleven people died, and the accident spurred the worst oil spill in US history.

Following the accident, the US government enacted a deepwater drilling moratorium and revamped the safety rules for drilling offshore – as did many other countries.

A year later, two rapid-response subsea oil spill containment systems have been developed, and a handful of deepwater drilling permits have been approved. While the number of offshore rigs actively drilling in the US Gulf is less than half of that at the time of the accident, industry sentiment continues to lean toward a Gulf rebirth.

While drilling and development in the US Gulf may look very different than what it did a year ago, the increased safety measures will help to protect environment and industry – and enhance global safety efforts and knowledge.

Additionally, the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement is working to complete the first lease sale in US waters since March of 2010. With an earnestness to hold the auction before the close of 2011, BOEMRE published a revised SEIS just this week.

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Phaedra Friend Troy is the content director for PennEnergy.com, an all-energy website that provides oil and gas, power and infrastructure news, analysis, reports and more. Sign up for a free daily enewsletter today.