Industry Warns EPA Offshore Discharge Permit May Hinder Safety Controls

Oil industry groups are warning that the Environmental Protection Agency's plan to tighten a general discharge permit for offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico may hinder companies' ability to meet new safety policies initiated in the wake of the BP oil spill, saying the permit could boost pollution from increased vessel traffic to handle liquids that would be barred from discharge. Meanwhile the U.S. Chemical Safety Board has been holding meetings to discuss the next steps in addressing hazards identified by the catastrophe (see related blog). The argument is already prompting push-back fro