To mark the USA’s National Preparedness Month, held in September every year to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has highlighted the work of its Oil Spill Preparedness Division (OSPD)
The OPSD safeguards America's offshore energy infrastructure while protecting coastal waters and marine environments from the devastating impacts of oil spills. BSEE works closely with federal agencies, state partners, industry, and environmental organisations to ensure a unified national response framework to safeguard people, the environment, and the economy.
Three pillars of protection
BSEE implements its preparedness program through three interdependent roles which together form a comprehensive defense system:
1. Preparedness Verification – reviewing and approving spill response plans, and ensuring operators maintain the people, equipment, and processes to carry them out.
2. Oil Spill Response Research – advancing technologies and tactics to meet evolving offshore energy risks.
3. Ohmsett Testing and Training Facility –a wave and test tank for oil spill research, training, and equipment evaluation.
BSEE conducts rigorous training programs and equipment inspections, as well as Government-Initiated Unannounced Exercises (GIUEs), which require offshore operators to stop what they're doing and shift immediately into crisis mode, deploying personnel, equipment, and processes to tackle a hypothetical spill. These exercises are run in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), and state governments, helping BSEE to identify gaps in order to be fully prepared for a real incident.
Spill risks and technical challenges are evolving as US energy development pushes into new environments, such as the Arctic, the Atlantic, and higher-pressure formations, as well as new offshore renewables like wind and wave energy. BSEE invests in research and development which takes into account
into these evolving areas.
Eric Miller, deputy assistant director for OSPD, explains, "The technologies and data produced from robust government R&D inform regulatory updates, improve contingency plans, enhance response tools, and support safe and environmentally sustainable operations." This R&D not only reduces spill impacts but also spurs innovation, lowers risks for private research, and strengthens the broader energy economy.
Through constant planning, training, testing, and research, the division ensures that America's offshore energy sector is not only compliant but also capable.
Miller says, "It's vital for industry and the government to be ready to respond to an oil spill immediately. That's how we keep ecosystems healthy, communities strong and energy production stable."
