(Washington, DC)  – Congressman Charles W. Boustany, Jr., M.D. (R-South Louisiana), released the following statement after the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) recently sent representatives to the Mr. Charlie rig museum in Morgan City. Boustany describes how the Mr. Charlie rig provides an ideal training ground for new inspectors within the BSEE:

“I am pleased to see the BSEE took me up on the invitation to come to South Louisiana and see the great resources our region has to offer. The Mr. Charlie rig in Morgan City would be beneficial in training new BSEE inspectors in the heart of America’s offshore energy exploration and production field. Not just a museum, Mr. Charlie serves as a full-service training platform outfitted with hands-on training facilities, classrooms, and fall production areas for the entire energy industry. It even has living spaces on board for trainees to experience what life is like on a rig 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This facility provides unique training environments difficult to duplicate anywhere else.

“Promoting domestic energy capabilities with the highest safety and environmental protection standards remains a top priority for my office. Mr. Charlie allows for new inspectors to learn practical skills in a real-world setting on a life-size rig. Under Admiral Watson’s leadership, I would like to thank BSEE and its representatives for setting a great example for the entire energy industry in gauging the opportunities and benefits afforded by South Louisiana’s very own Mr. Charlie rig.”  

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This past November, Congressman Boustany sent the attached letter to Rear Admiral James A. Watson, IV, of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) at the U.S. Department of the Interior, to tour the Mr. Charlie rig to gauge the opportunities and benefits of using this resource in the future.