(Washington, DC)  – Congressman Charles W. Boustany, Jr., M.D. (R-South Louisiana), released the following statement after the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) recently held a technical workshop in New Orleans with industry operators to facilitate compliance and efficiency in plan reviews. In 2010, Boustany urged these workshops to be conducted as a way to share best practices between operators in the offshore oil and gas exploration industry:

“Workshops like this provide avenues to enable discussions between agencies and operators. Topics ranging from heightened standards in the energy industry, to sharing best practices, to obtaining industry feedback regarding new rules and regulations, are all discussed. Promoting compliance with new safety standards and increasing efficiency and transparency within industry is a goal everyone should be working toward. Partnering in this manner allows for the industry to operate efficiently while leading to the enhancement of the overall experience for all parties involved. I applaud BOEM for holding this workshop which will benefit operators and agencies throughout South Louisiana and urge Admiral Watson to continue positive dialogue with our energy producers.”

###