April 18, 2011
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Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar addresses a standing room only audience in room 110 of Tulane Law School’s Weinmann Hall. (Photos/Sally Asher)
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Top federal energy officials in the Obama administration visited the Tulane University uptown campus on Wednesday (April 13) as part of a campaign to recruit students from the nation’s top colleges and universities to join the U.S. offshore oil and gas regulatory program. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) Director Michael R. Bromwich discussed with students and faculty the bureau’s efforts to promote safe and balanced development of the nation’s offshore oil and gas resources.
BOEMRE recently has undertaken an aggressive overhaul of the oil and natural gas regulatory process, increasing safety and ensuring oil and gas development is conducted responsibly.
While on campus, Secretary Salazar and Director Bromwich spoke at Tulane Law School regarding careers in public service, including environmental science positions available at BOEMRE to do work in fields ranging from environmental studies to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review to environmental compliance—all of which are critical to the balanced development of offshore resources.
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Secretary Salazar (right) and Director Bromwich (left) earmark questions in an effort to respond to some 20 students from the schools of law, business, and science and engineering.
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“As we work to elevate the role of science in our decision-making, we must attract top-flight environmental scientists to conduct scientific studies, complete legally-mandated environmental reviews, and fill important positions in environmental compliance,” said Director Bromwich. “These aggressive recruitment efforts underscore our seriousness about environmental issues.”
Following their remarks, students and faculty of Tulane Law School, as well as guests from the Freeman School of Business and School of Science and Engineering, embraced the opportunity to address questions concerning a gamut of energy and environmental-related topics.
Bromwich, who said he was moved by the extraordinary attendance present in room 110 of Weinmann Hall, is visiting 12 universities around the country throughout April and May. To date, BOEMRE already has received more than 450 applications for positions during the recruitment tour.
Prior to meeting with students, Secretary Salazar and Director Bromwich toured Tulane University’s environmental science laboratory facilities. In the morning, Secretary Salazar and Director Bromwich visited a Noble Energy facility in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 70 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana, where they plan to drill a well in 6,500 feet of water. BOEMRE has approved operations for the drilling of ten deepwater wells since February 28, 2011.
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Hands go up as students are ready with questions for Salazar, who talked about current and new environmental science positions with the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
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“The deepwater operations that are resuming in the Gulf of Mexico are meeting the stronger safety and environmental protection requirements we have set, including the requirement that companies show they are prepared to respond to subsea blowouts and spills,” said Secretary Salazar. “Director Bromwich and I believe that the United States can and should set the gold standard for safe offshore energy development.”
The Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) is the federal agency responsible for overseeing the safe and environmentally responsible development of energy and mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
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about BOEMRE.