Oil and Gas Companies Must Clean Up Their Messes

WASHINGTON – On May 29, California District 47 Representative Dave Min introduced the Offshore Leasing Standards and Accountability Act. This proposed legislation aims to strengthen oversight of offshore oil and gas operators and requires companies to prove they can safely operate and pay for cleanup. Ocean Conservancy’s Arctic program senior director Andrew Hartsig, an environmental lawyer and oil and gas policy expert, issued the following statement:

“For years, wealthy oil and gas companies have exploited loopholes to leave their old equipment in the ocean, where it degrades and pollutes our waters. 

Ocean Conservancy endorses the Offshore Leasing Standards and Accountability Act because it provides common-sense standards, includes enforcement mechanisms to address safety and environmental violations, and requires companies set aside funds to decommission wells, platforms and pipelines at the end of their life span.”

In 2024, the United States Government Accountability Office published a report detailing weaknesses and shortcomings in the governance of outer continental shelf oil and gas decommissioning. The report noted that nearly half of the approximately 8,000 wells and 1,600 platforms remaining offshore are approaching or past the end of their useful life, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior. The Offshore Leasing Standards and Accountability Act is a serious effort to address those shortcomings and gaps. 

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